St Mary Redcliffe Parish Magazine February/March 2020

SMR
PARISH MAGAZINE2020
february.march
revd anthony everitt
epiphany to lent
andrew kirk
music at redcliffe
dr martin & revd margot hodson
the john ray initiative,
climate change &
the st mary redcliffe lent appeal
smr lent appeal team
events programme
& green initiatives
lent art exhibition
beauty in ashes
1
singing the song of faith and justice

St Mary Redcliffe
with Temple, Bristol
& St John the Baptist, Bedminster
VICAR
Revd VICARCanon Dan Tyndall — 0117-231 0067
email: Revd Canon dan.tyndall@stmaryredcliffe.co.uk
Dan Tyndall — 0117-231 0067
ASSOCIATE email: dan.tyndall@stmaryredcliffe.co.uk
VICAR
Revd ASSOCIATE Kat Campion-Spall VICAR — 0117-231 0070
Revd email: Kat kat.campion-spall@stmaryredcliffe.co.uk
Campion-Spall — please note that Revd Campion-Spall is on Extended Ministry
ASSOCIATE Development MINISTER Leave from February to May
Revd ASSOCIATE Anthony MINISTER Everitt
email: Revd Anthony anthony.everitt@stmaryredcliffe.co.uk
Everitt
CURATE email: anthony.everitt@stmaryredcliffe.co.uk
Revd CURATE Aggy Palairet — 0117-231 0066
DIRECTOR OF MUSIC
email: Revd Aggy aggy.palairet@stmaryredcliffe.co.uk
Palairet — 0117-231 0066
Andrew Kirk — 0117-231 0065
ASSOCIATE email: aggy.palairet@stmaryredcliffe.co.uk
CLERGY
andrew.kirk@stmaryredcliffe.co.uk
Revd ASSOCIATE Peter Dill CLERGY
ASSISTANT ORGANISTS
Revd Peter Dill
Claire and Graham Alsop
CHURCH WARDENS
RESEARCH ASSISTANT
Elizabeth Shanahan — 07808 505977
Rhys Williams — 0117-231 0068
eshanahan21@googlemail.com
rhys.williams@stmaryredcliffe.co.uk
Richard Wallace — 0117-923 2219
EDUCATION OFFICER
oldwal_wynnford@btinternet.com
Sarah Yates — 0117-231 0072
head of operational development sarah.yates@stmaryredcliffe.co.uk
Roseanna Wood — 0117-231 0073
FAMILIES & YOUTH MINISTER
roseanna.wood@stmaryredcliffe.co.uk
Becky Macron — 07934 041638
PARISH ADMINISTRATOR
sunday.school@stmaryredcliffe.co.uk
Sarah Purdon — 0117-231 0060
COMMUNITY YOUTH WORKER
sarah.purdon@stmaryredcliffe.co.uk VERGERS David Cousins — 0117-231 0069
david.cousins@stmaryredcliffe.co.uk
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT WORKER
Rachel Varley — 0117-231 0071
rachel.varley@stmaryredcliffe.co.uk
Vergers’ office — 0117-231 0061
verger@stmaryredcliffe.co.uk
Matthew Buckmaster — Head Verger
matthew.buckmaster@stmaryredcliffe.co.uk
Judith Reading
judith.reading@stmaryredcliffe.co.uk
Paul Thomas
paul.thomas@stmaryredcliffe.co.uk CLEANER
Sally Trivett
THE pariSH offiCE
12 Colston Parade, Redcliffe
Bristol BS1 6RA. Tel: 0117-231 0060
email: parish.office@stmaryredcliffe.co.uk
— all listed on this page may also
be contacted via the parish office
SMR ONLINE
www.stmaryredcliffe.co.uk
Contents . . .
Vicar’s letter
4
The Christian Year: blurring the frontiers— Revd Anthony Everitt 4
At church
6
Soundbites — Andrew Kirk
7
Lent Appeal:
9
A Ray of Hope — Liz Hewitt
9
The John Ray Initiative — Dr Martin & Revd Margot Hodson 11
Lent Appeal initiatives: Eco bricks, and more — Liz Hewitt 15
Children’s Church — Becky Macron
21
Christmas Sing-along — Rosemary Kingsford
24
Community
26
Redcliffe Christmas Lunch — Rachel Varley, Jenny Martin 26
Treefest — Sue Hartley
28
Carols for Christian Aid — Auriol Britton
30
Period Poverty — Sarah Purdon
31
Winter Night Shelter cards — Marcus & Jane Ashman
32
Diary & listings
34
February & March diary
34
Editor’s Note
37
Seasonal colours
37
Prayers
38
Prayers for Epiphany and Lent
38
In the February-March issue: It may seem a while back now, but
Happy New Year to all our readers! Thank you for your contributions
to this edition, the first of the new decade, and we look forward to
an excellent year at the magazine. A note to say that editions will
be bi-monthly from now on (in the next edition look out for a note
of the way this will pan out); in the meantime I hope you will be
inspired and informed by the Lent Appeal articles in these pages
and by words of the Vicar’s Letter. — EV
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Vicar's letter
THE LECTIONARY IS THE CYCLE OF
READINGS set for day-by-day use
throughout the year. It takes account
of the various seasons of the Christian
calendar and, over three years, strives to
arrive at a cohesive pattern of reading much
of the Bible over the lectionary’s span.
FEBRUARY–MARCH
LIVING THE CHRISTIAN YEAR
— REVD ANTHONY EVERITT
ASSOCIATE MINISTER
The lectionary splits the Christian year into
three blocks. The first looks forward to, and
is focussed on, Jesus’ incarnation. Therefore it
starts with Advent and runs through Christmas and the season of Epiphany.
The second is that of the Crucifixion and Resurrection. Starting a little
before Ash Wednesday, it continues through Lent, Holy Week, and Easter,
ending just after Pentecost. The final block is known as “Ordinary Time”
and is split into a couple of periods. The first is short and goes from
Candlemas (2nd February) to the second Sunday before Lent. The second
is much longer and runs from the day after Pentecost to just before Advent
Sunday. The very name “Ordinary Time” reminds us that God is God of all
time and is found not only in the big festivals and dramatic seasons of the
church but also in the everyday, the usual, the ordinary run of life.
February is the one month when we encounter all three sections of the
lectionary. Candlemas ends the sharp focus on the Incarnation and
Revelation; the second Sunday before Lent falls in February (16th February
this year) and so our gaze turns towards the preparation of Lent, the
agony of the Cross, and the joy of the Resurrection. In between the two is
the first period of “ordinary time”. In a way, then, the month reminds us
that it does not do to compartmentalise the Christian year too much.
The blocks within the lectionary are not firmly demarcated by hard borders
but lightly defined by permeable frontiers. The Incarnation does not wholly
make sense without the Cross and Resurrection neither of which, of course,
could have happened without the Incarnation. Meantime our ordinary lives
can only be made complete in the context of the truth of God incarnate,
the agony of the Cross and the joy of the Resurrection.
The apparent blurring of the frontiers’ edges is seen Sunday by Sunday
when in the Eucharist we ordinary people remember Jesus on the Cross,
celebrate His Resurrection and declare that He is God incarnate, redeemer
for all. In February and March we turn our faces towards Jerusalem,
follow Jesus along the way of His ministry and teaching, and prepare for
the rigours of Holy Week. As we do so let us remember that the life, death
and resurrection of Christ together are God’s gift to us, through which we
encounter God’s love, and in the light of which we are called to live.
— Revd Anthony Everitt
Associate Minister
A message from Kat, our Associate Vicar, on the
eve of her Extended Ministry Development Leave
(EMDL), who writes:
“My development leave begins today and later in the
week the whole Campion-Spall family will set off for New
Zealand where we will immerse ourselves in a different
context and culture, including for me, a different church
culture as I base myself at Auckland Cathedral and St
John’s Theological College. Thank you so much to everyone who has wished us well
on our adventure, but particular thanks to those who have made it possible for me
to go by taking on extra work. We will miss you, and will see you in May!” — Kat.
Cover image: “St Mary Redcliffe at 7am on a Winter Morning”; photo ©
John Davies. Thank you to John Davies for this wonderfully evocative
photograph, taken from the offices of Smith & Williamson, that seems
to resonate with the work of the church at the start of the new decade.
4 5

A
t
church | soundbites music at redcliffe
THE OXFORD CONNECTIONS
CONNECTIONS AND CONCERTS
— ANDREW KIRK, DIRECTOR OF MUSIC
Congratulations to Philip Burnett on the award of his PhD in music from
Bristol University. He was a member of our choir for over five years
before moving to Oxford, where he is a librarian at University College,
Oxford, along with duties as organist at St Barnabas, Jericho.
Also at University College is former chorister Barney Pite reading Classics,
and at Corpus Christi, Constance Pite, reading Classics and English,
both of whom sang at our Christmas services at Redcliffe during their
university vacation, along with Dafydd Alexander, who is now in his
final year at Worcester College, studying Fine Art and singing as a Choral
Scholar in the Chapel Choir.
Simon Hogan, former chorister and Organ Student at SMR, spent last
term as Acting Organist at Christ Church Cathedral. David Bannister,
another former organ scholar, is Director of Music at St John’s College
Chapel. It is wonderful to see these young people using their musical
talents in such a way.
FORTHCOMING: CONCERTS AT CHURCH IN MARCH & APRIL
On Friday 13 March there will be a ‘Mixtape Concert’ (like BBC Radio
Three at 7pm) in church at 7:30pm in aid of the Lent Appeal and Preludes.
A retiring collection will be taken at the end of the concert. As well as
a few items by our choirs and organists, there will be a wide range of
musical items from Bristol Brass Consort, a string quartet, Exultate
Singers, and Carmina (a folk group). Hopefully it will be a concert with
‘something for everyone! Please come along!
On Sunday 29 March, our girls choir will be performing John Rutter’s
Requiem with organ, oboe, cello and flute, as part of the Music & Readings
for Passion Sunday at 6:30pm. Do come along — it’s a really beautiful
work and this will be the first time the choir has performed this piece.
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On Wednesday 8 April at 7:30pm, the acclaimed vocal group ‘Gesualdo
Six’ will be performing a varied concert of sacred and secular pieces
for Holy Week. The founder of the group Owain Park was a chorister
at St Mary Redcliffe and went on to be Organ Scholar of Trinity College
Cambridge. He is now an established composer, with works published
by Novello, as well as being a gifted organist and singer. Tickets for the
concert will be £15 for nave, £10 for side aisles. This event is organised
in conjunction with the Canynges Society, so the proceeds of the concert
will be used for fabric projects at the church.
MANY OF YOU will know that the Colston Hall is currently closed for
a major upgrade and re-fit. We are privileged to be hosting a concert
on Saturday 25 April at 3pm as part of the Colston Hall Contemporary
Organ Music Festival which will feature Ellen Arkbro from Sweden, an
international artist specialising in electronic music and how the different
systems of tuning (meantone and just intonation) can work. I encourage
anyone whose curiosity is aroused to attend to see what happens!
Tickets will be available from the Colston Hall and on the door and further
details will be forthcoming.
Music at a glance:
— Andrew Kirk; Director of Music
Fri 13 March Mixtape Concert | 7:30pm
Sun 29 March Music & Readings for Passion Sunday | 6:30pm
Weds 8 April Gesualdo Six | 7:30pm
Sat 25 April Contemporary Organ Music Festival (series concert) | 3:00pm
Wardens on the Move — a note from the churchwardens:
After Easter you will no longer see the churchwardens in the front pew.
We’re moving nearer the back, which is after all the usual place in which
to find wardens’ pews. We want to be in a better position to see
anything that might require our attention, but above all to be part of,
rather than detached from, the congregation we serve (as at present we
feel). — Elizabeth and Richard
at church | Lent charity appeal
LENTAPPEAL
A RAY OF HOPE
THE SMR ECO TEAM was formed last year
following the Diocese of Bristol’s decision in
November to declare a Climate Emergency and
its aim of being the first diocese in the UK to commit to reach net
zero carbon emissions by 2030. Bishop Viv said:
“Care for God’s creation is key to our Christian faith. Climate
change hits our poorest global neighbours first and worst,
exacerbating migration, conflict over resources and the spread
of disease. By declaring a Climate Emergency, our practical
action and collective voice will send a strong message. We
must all act now.” — Rt Revd Vivienne Faull, Bishop of Bristol
OUR AIMS, VISION
AND THE JOHN RAY INITIATIVE
— LIZ HEWITT |SMR ECO TEAM
IN VIEW OF THIS we have chosen the John Ray Initiative (JRI) as our charity
for this year’s Lent Appeal — A Ray of Hope. Our aim is to help us all to be
more thoughtful about the way we lead our lives to help look after God’s
creation better than we have done so far. The human race has harmed our
planet in many ways but there are lots of small steps we can take to correct
this damage. JRI will be helping us bring together scientific and Christian
understandings about the environment and how to care for it.
Many of you will already be recycling and are more environmentally aware,
but we hope to show you all something new that you can do to help reduce
further harm to God’s creation. Over the page see our Events programme.
In the pages that follow meet JRI, and check out our practical Lent Appeal
opportunities, ‘how-to’ sessions, tips and more...
8 9

Here is the Lent Appeal Events programme:
Don’t Ditch it Stitch it
10am–12 noon each Friday from 7 February and during Lent
Mending Café during our Coffee Morning. An opportunity to bring your clothing
and other textiles and to work together on repairs.
at church | Lent appeal
LENT APPEAL LAUNCH: ‘Pancake for the Planet’
Shrove Tuesday 25 February 6–7:30pm
Pancakes, pledges and a presentation from our partnering charity, the
John Ray Initiative | Eco brick-building demonstrations and more.
Art Exhibition: Beauty in ashes
25 February–14 April “Artists respond to climate change in work exploring
creation, nature and the human touch amid declarations of climate emergency.”
Opening night 25 February; works on show through Lent until after Easter.
Afternoon Cream Tea
15 March 2–4pm Come for a relaxing afternoon at SMR, with scones homemade
in the local community, fun and games with coins and another chance to
make Eco Bricks!
Mending café at Faithspace Community Centre
Don’t Ditch it, Stitch it workshop in the local community. Bring your damaged
clothes and find out how to make things last longer from our team of experts.
ECO FAIR
28 March 12 noon-4pm Lots to keep you occupied at SMR’s Eco Fair, including
a bicycle repair shop, a clothes swap, a mending café, children’s activities and a
whole range of stalls from a variety of organisations. There’ll be refreshments, a
raffle and a talk from our Lent Charity JRI at 2pm.
Children’s Church Fundraising: for exciting activities for children and
families please contact Becky Macron, our Chilren’s & Youth Minster.
— we hope you find it inspiring
Liz Hewitt; SMR Eco Team
THE SMR ECO TEAM looks forward to working with you all in developing
and implementing changes in the ways we care for our planet. The
Team includes: Aggy, Angela, Becky, David, Jackie, Liz, Margaret, Peter, and
Roma, with Eleanor at the magazine — for more on the work of the Team
please contact Revd Aggy Palairet at:
Tel: 0117-231 0066 | Email: aggy.palairet@stmaryredcliffe.co.uk
The John Ray Initiative
St Mary Redcliffe Lent Appeal Charity 2020
THE ENVIRONMENT is now a topic of major public concern with
items in the news about climate change, biodiversity loss or
plastic almost every day.
We only have to look at the recent wildfires in Australia to know that we have very
serious problems. School children are going on strike, Extinction Rebellion are
protesting, and governments at all levels are declaring climate emergencies. Bristol
was the first diocese to declare a climate emergency. But what should a Christian
response to the environmental crisis look like? How can Christians understand the
issues, and put these together with their faith? What should they do in practice?
The John Ray Initiative (JRI) is a small Christian charity that looks at the interactions
between the environment, science and faith. We were founded in 1998 by Sir John
10 11

Houghton and other leading scientists, and our office is in Gloucester. The main
focus of JRI is education, and we specialise in publications, conferences and courses.
Recent conferences have looked at the Sustainable Development Goals, transport,
re-wilding and environmental theology. We publish a series of briefing papers, and
the JRI blog has frequent shorter articles on a considerable range of topics. Our staff
and associates are frequent contributors to other publications. We have regular
conferences ourselves and provide speakers for other organisations and churches.
— Izzy, a young graduate from Lyme Regis, found her studies helped her lead her
church towards an Eco Church award and gave her contacts and confidence to
speak at churches across the south west.
In collaboration with A Rocha UK we run the distance learning course, Christian
Rural and Environmental Studies (CRES www.cres.org.uk). This two year course leads
to a certificate or a diploma. It covers subjects ranging from environmental
theology and ethics to climate change and biodiversity loss. Regular meetings are
held at Ripon College, Cuddesdon near Oxford, and the College also validates the
course. A few examples of the students we have helped:
— Kailean, from India, is a community worker with A Rocha UK in Southall,
London. He says "I finally found a pathway where I could marry up my secular
degree and my Christian faith."
— Ji Young is from South Korea and started the CRES course alongside her
doctoral program in climate change. She writes "The CRES course inspired and
challenged me to think about how to integrate my knowledge with faith and
real life."
We currently have students from all around the UK and are gradually expanding
overseas. Our aim is to equip Christians to help their churches and communities
care for the environment as part of their faith.
Although JRI is small it does have a wide reach and provides the educational arm of
the growing Christian environmental movement. We are very grateful to St Mary
Redcliffe for making us their Lent Appeal charity for2020 and we look forward to
meeting you soon.
— Dr Martin and Revd Margot Hodson
The John Ray Initiative
Dr Martin Hodson is Operations Director at the John Ray Initiative.
Revd Margot Hodson is Director of Theology and Education at JRI. Revd Hodson
is also Associate Minister at the Shill Valley and Broadshire Benefice.
The John Ray Institute: for more details about the activities of JRI please visit
their website at www.jri.org.uk
[Photos provided courtesy of JRI]
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Beauty in ashes
Tuesday 25 February to Tuesday 14 April 2020
St Mary Redcliffe Church, Bristol BS1 6RA
Artists, climate change and the human touch
ARTISTS respond to the natural
world in an exhibition, during
the season of Lent, of works exploring
creation, nature and the human
touch amid local and national
declarations of climate emergency.
BEAUTY IN ASHES weaves together
something of the to-and-fro between
the glory of the world, our stripping
of its resources, our urgent need to
live within its and our means, and
our unquenchable thirst for beauty.
The human touch pervades the
artists’ choices of media and subject
matter — in textiles, drawing, paint,
photography and more.
at church | lent appeal
— ECO BRICKS AND HOW TO MAKE THEM
LIZ HEWITT; LENT ECO TEAM
AN ‘ECO BRICK’ IS A BUILDING BLOCK
made entirely from unrecyclable plastic.
It is created by filling a plastic bottle with
clean, dry plastic until it is packed so tightly it
resembles a traditional brick and then can be used
as a building block. Plastic doesn’t biodegrade,
it photodegrades, meaning that it slowly breaks
down into smaller and smaller pieces. So plastic
is extremely durable, making it ideal as a building
material. Throughout the world Eco bricks are being
used to construct furniture and even buildings,
such as composting toilet blocks, and school
buildings in Guatemala and South Africa. Here in the
UK they are being used, for instance, to construct greenhouses
and children’s playgrounds.
What type of plastic to collect for Eco bricks? Any type of plastic can
be used. Plastic that can’t be recycled is ideal for Eco bricks — that can’t
be scrunched and is firm and crisp to the touch. Examples include biscuit
and sweet wrappers; chocolate trays; greeting card bags; plastic wrapped
around flowers and around clothing (high street and online shopping);
plastic that the council can’t recycle (some coloured plastics), and more.
Image: “Nest”; Jenny Purrett; charcoal on paper; 2008 | courtesy of the artist
However... please recycle plastics if possible — much can be, so check with
your local council to find out what they can take. Please note that some
supermarkets recycle used crisp packets and soft, stretchy types of plastic
bag, or any that can be scrunched into a ball or torn by hand — bags used
for fruit, vegetables, bread and so on; carrier bags; bubble wrap; pet food
packets; coffee packets; clingfilm, and so on. Tesco have 5 stores in Bristol
with recycling points, and Sainsburys, Waitrose and Morrisons will recycle
soft, stretchy plastics in in-store boxes — plus a company called TerraCycle*
offers free recycling to communities of many unrecyclable plastics.
14 15
*see overleaf

HOW TO MAKE AN ECO BRICK [RECYCLING INFO SHEET]
SMR Eco Team Info Sheet
Liz Hewitt | Eco-bricks
Making Eco bricks is really easy, but takes a lot of time. However, they can
be made by anyone and no special skills are required — below are some
instructions:
1) Save your plastics — you will need lots of clean, dry, non-recyclable plastics. If
plastic is dirty, please wash and dry thoroughly before using. Dirty plastic inside
the Eco brick will lead to microbiological growth and methane gas developing,
which may cause the brick to explode...
2) Choose your bottle — any size bottle can be used but ideal sizes are 500ml or
1.5 litre, which are the most commonly available: if the Eco bricks are all the same
size, it makes building with them easier. Don’t buy a bottle specially; recycle ones
you normally use and/or collect them from friends or family. The SMR Eco team
need bricks made from 500ml and 1.5 litre bottles.
3) Have tools to hand — you will need a piece of dowel or a wooden spoon with
a long handle (or piece of bamboo or a wooden stick) to help you compact the
plastic in the bottle, and you will need a pair of scissors too.
4) Don’t use... — make sure not to put any metal, paper, glass, or plastic
contaminated by food waste in your bottle.
5) Stuff the bottle — before stuffing the bottle cut the plastic you are using to fill it
with into small pieces about 1 to 2 inches across (2.5–5cm). Compact the stuffing
with your stick as you go, taking care not to pierce the bottle.
6) Weigh your Eco brick — the ideal weight for a 500ml bottle is 175g, and 500g
for a 1.5 litre bottle. To make it as strong and as firm as a brick, the bottle must be
packed as tightly as possible; bottles that are still soft and pliable can’t be used as
a building block (nb: it can take up to a 2 large sacks of plastic to fill a 1.5L bottle).
7) Don’t overfill — if your Eco brick is too full the lid will push off, which will make
it unusable.
There’s lots of information online about how to build Eco bricks and a
very good short video on the Ecotricity website — visit the link below and
the link to TerraCycle too.
Photos — top: Eco Brick materials | bottom: Eco Brick-making sessions at SMR
Undercroft (photos: Liz Hewitt, Becky Macron).
Ecotricity: www.ecotricity.co.uk /news/news-archive/2019/what-is-an-ecobrick
TerraCycle: www.terracycle.co.uk
16 17

WHY DON’T WE MEND, patch
or alter clothes now? As fast
fashion has taken a grip on the
high street it seems our desire to
treasure clothes has declined.
Mending skills used to be handed
down from mother to daughter — I
remember my mother darning socks,
patching trousers and turning sheets
from side to middle. But how many of
us now have these or similar skills?
In the last 10 years the Slow Movement
has affected how we feel about our
clothes. There’s been a resurgence
in people knitting their own jumpers
and socks, making their own clothes
and upcycling unwanted ones. There
have been knitting groups and slow
stitch groups starting all over the
world — people knitting or stitching
together, enjoying refreshments and
slowing their pace of life.
It’s been shown that the slow pace of
hand stitch can calm the mind — with
its in-and-out motion, stitching mirrors
breathing. The process of mending a
loved piece of clothing helps you
remember why you bought or made
it, and deepens your regard for it.
With the rediscovery of mending,
rather than making an invisible mend,
make it a decorative feature of your
— DON’T DITCH IT STITCH IT!
LIZ HEWITT; LENT ECO TEAM
well-loved jumper, and show how
much you treasure it. With this in mind
I’m starting Don’t Ditch It, Stitch It
mending sessions in church on Friday
mornings, from 10am to midday at the
Coffee Club. The sessions start on 7
February. I’ll also be running sessions
at the Eco Fair on Saturday 28 March,
and at Faithspace on 17 March.
So come and learn mending and
darning skills — darn the moth holes
in your favourite jumper, patch those
jeans or make a bag out of that wool
jumper you accidently shrank in the
wash. And I’ll also be showing you how
to make a patchwork memory quilt
from treasured fabrics or clothing.
If you have mending skills you could
share, please come along too. Enjoy a
cup of coffee and a piece of cake and
make new friends while stitching!
AT A GLANCE
Don’t Ditch It Stitch It
Mending cafés:
In church from 7 February
(Fridays 10am–12 noon)
Faithspace 17 March
Eco Fair 28 March
— Liz Hewitt
SMR Eco Team
DON’T DITCH IT TREASURE IT! [RECYCLING INFO SHEET]
SMR Eco Team Info Sheet
Liz Hewitt | Recycling Clothes
DID YOU KNOW that according
to the waste charity Wrap*
more than 300,000 tonnes of used
clothing (worth £12.5 billion) goes
to landfill in the UK every year?
It said that 5% of the UK’s total annual
carbon and water waste comes from
clothing alone. Research shows that
on average each person in the UK puts
8 items of clothing in the bin every year.
More than half of those asked said
that the items were perfectly wearable
and that they hadn’t thought to donate
them to family, friends or charity.
After the Second World War people
regularly made their own clothes,
mended and reused clothing, or
passed it on to family or friends. It
was common to “make do and mend”*
As clothing has become cheaper and
cheaper there has been less incentive
to do so. Our culture has shifted to one
where we simply dispose of unwanted
clothes. Today there are more impulse
purchases made, and most households
have items in their wardrobes
that have never been worn. Fifty percent
of people surveyed didn’t think
they could recycle dirty or worn out
garments, and others didn’t know that
clothing can be recycled. So what can
we do? Read on...
DON’T... don’t put wearable clothes in
the bin as they will end up in landfill.
DO...
• Donate unwanted wearable clothes
to charity shops, family or friends.
• Donate damaged clothes: most
charity shops take them — they sell
them on to companies who turn them
into rags, or shred them to make yarn,
paper, insulation or furniture stuffing.
• Swap new and old: some clothes
shops now provide recycling bins, so
when buying a new item leave an old
one behind in one of their bins.
• Donate or sell: to organisations that
ship recycled clothing to Africa or India,
where it is used to create employment
both in recycling and in shredding to
make yarn, paper and insulation.
• Buy second-hand or vintage: find
bargains online and in charity shops.
• Consider the quality of your clothes:
if possible spend more on quality
items that will last, and less on cheaper,
low quality items that won’t.
• Take the Slow Fashion Challenge:
a growing number of people are trying
not to buy new clothes and instead are
buying second-hand, or altering clothes
they already have. Why not try it?
• Treasure your clothes: Remember
that people have worked hard to create
them; that you loved an item enough to
buy it and have enjoyed wearing it — so
if you suddenly find a tear or a hole . . .
darn it or patch it — don’t ditch it.
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Show others how much you treasure your clothes — mending is easy and decorative
and really fashionable now. Our clothes shouldn’t cost the Earth. Be kind to our
planet and think more carefully before buying new clothes or throwing clothes
away. We can all make small changes and help create a sustainable world.
If you would like to know more about what happens to unwanted and discarded
clothing exported to India from the western world, check out the video link below
There are lots of others too, showing the uses of our unwanted clothing in Africa.
Liz Hewitt | SMR Eco Team member | Recycling Clothes
* NOTES
Wrap is an acronym for Waste & Resources Action Programme
Make Do and Mend:
From the British Library online —
“Make Do and Mend” was a pamphlet issued by the British Ministry of Information in
the midst of WWII. It was intended to provide housewives with useful tips on
how to be both frugal and stylish in times of harsh rationing. With its thrifty
design ideas and advice on reusing old clothing, the pamphlet was an
indispensable guide for households. Readers were advised to create pretty
‘decorative patches’ to cover holes in worn garments; unpick old jumpers to
re-knit chic alternatives; turn men’s clothes into women’s; as well as darn, alter
and protect against the ‘moth menace’. An updated version of the book was
recently released to coincide with the economic recession, offering similar frugal
advice for 21st century families.
Visit: https://www.bl.uk/learning/timeline/item106365.html
Discarded Clothing video link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOOI5LbQ9B8.
“...The best motto to think about is to not waste things. Don’t
waste electricity, don’t waste paper, and don’t waste food. Live
the way you want to live, but just don’t waste. Look after the
natural world and the animals in it, and the plants in it too. This
is their planet as well as ours. Don’t waste them.”
— Sir David Attenborough
at church | children’s & youth church
HAPPY NEW YEAR! —
BECKY MACRON
FAMILIES & YOUTH
MINISTER
HAPPY NEW YEAR!... what I love most about St Mary Redcliffe
is the people. We are blessed to have so many people who
do so many things for our church, the community, the wider
world and for one another. And what I really like is that I never stop
discovering new things…
Over the past few years I’ve had the pleasure of assisting Mary, Joseph and
the donkey on their Advent journey. Christmas 2019 gave us an opportunity
to see just a few of the many things (and by no means everything!) that take
place, not just at Christmas, but every day in the life of Redcliffe...
The
people are
so welcoming,
I feel like we
really fit in...
We really
enjoyed meeting Sarah,
the Education Officer,
and the children from
the local primary
school.
20 21
...so Mary
and Joseph, can
you tell us about your
Advent journey
in 2019?
...and
they’ve gone
to such effort
to make us feel
at home.
I was
so pleased when the
Vergers found the donkey. It
made getting around
so much easier...

And we’ve
been under a lot
of trees recently too,
haven’t we Joseph?
They’re very pretty
trees...
Yes Mary,
and did you see
how many they had
in the church? I’ve never
seen trees like those before.
It was spectacular — and
what a huge amount
of work!
We had
an unplanned visit to
Mothers’ Union, which was
a real treat and goes to show
much goes on all the time
for our people.
We had
another delicious meal
at the Lunch Club, and also
at the houses of all the
families we
visited.
...and I
expect all the
children were glad as
well — they loved singing
about me during those
wonderful services in
the lead up to
Christmas.
We’ve gone
out and about and
met some very kind people
who taught us how to do new
things... It’s not just inside the
church building that
wonderful things
happen.
It was
such a privilege
to meet members of
our talented
choir.
...thank you
to everyone at St
Mary Redcliffe for what
you do, for your gifts, for
your time, enthusiasm,
and energy. You make it
such a great place to be!
Becky Macron
Families & Youth
Minister
But we
couldn’t vote as
we hadn’t yet been
registered.
We spent
some tiime at a
local primary school. It’s
nice meeting the children and
seeing how they learn. It’s also
lovely that people are keen to
share the good news
of Jesus.
We
had a great
time at Toddler
Church.
...not
to mention a
comfortable night
at the verger’s
house.
We
had such a
lovely meal at the
Vicarage...
Our visits
around Redcliffe ended
on a high—we climbed
up into the bell tower where
we had a very warm welcome
from Gareth and the team
of bellringers. It was
spectacular!
I think
its wonderful —
just wonderful!
...So
what do you
think Mary?
22 23

at church |
community
singing
HYMN SING-ALONG
— HAPPY NEW YEAR!
ROSEMARY KINGSFORD
CO-ORDINATOR
WE’VE HAD A GREAT
carol-singing December.
We started with singing
carols for the Treefest. All
getting into the Christmas spirit
with donning tinsel and red
garments! I think we looked
and sounded excellent — well
done all the singalongers!
We then went to ASDA and entertained
the shoppers with more
carols — a shopper from Taunton
couldn’t resist coming with her full
trolley of goodies, and singing with
us. She did say she wished a group
like ours existed in Taunton!
The following week we were invited
to sing at the Stoke Gifford Retirement
Village at their Christmas
Fayre. We started off singing fairly
slowly, due to a friend of mine
playing the piano at a slower pace
than we were used to! However,
after a well-earned rest, coffee,
tea, mince pie etc. we were back
on the stage with renewed vigour!
Some of the residents came and
joined us, including a gentleman (a
retired vicar) who had a wonderful
voice and made our group sound
magnificent! To cap it all, speakers
were put in front of us and this really
did enhance our performance! It was
a wonderful lead-up to Christmas.
Now we are looking forward to
some more joyous singing in the
new year. Everyone is welcome —
we are a happy group of souls and
definitely not a “choir”. Every FIRST
Wednesday of every month at 11am
(mostly in church but sometimes in
the Faithspace Centre) — do phone
me to find out more.
— Rosemary Kingsford
T: 0117–922 1627
E: rosemarykingsford@btinternet.com
Photos: David Williams (Christmas Fayre; below “O
Come All ye Faithful”) & Rosemary Kingsford (Treefest)
Carols at Treefest (top, centre left) and at Stoke Gifford Retirement Village Christmas Fayre (centre right; bottom)
24 25

C ommunity
| redcliffe
NEWS &
EVENTS
— RACHEL VARLEY —
community
development
worker
ONCE AGAIN we were delighted to host
neighbours from our local community in a
Christmas Day lunch at Faithspace.
We had 32 people sign up to join us on the day, which was hosted
by a team of friendly volunteers from our church family. Thank
you to each of them for helping to make it such a warm and
welcoming celebration for those who attended! The food was
generously cooked by the staff at the Doubletree Hilton Hotel
on Redcliffe Way.
A special thanks to Jenny Martin for her role in co-ordinating and
preparing the occasion. Jenny writes to say: “on Christmas Day we enjoyed
a very good lunch provided by The Hilton Double Trees. After lunch John,
one of our guests, played the piano for all of us to sing Christmas carols. I
would like to thank everyone who helped make it such an enjoyable day.”
Thank you Jenny and team [photo: Rachel].
Wishing you all a
very Happy New
Year and please
keep in touch!
RACHEL VARLEY
— Community
Development
Worker
— Redcliffe Christmas Lunch
Photos: Jenny Martin
26 27

initiatives + treefest
H
APPY BIRTHDAY!
Jenny Martin writes —
Many happy returns to Alan Stevens who
turned 90 last year on the 28th December.
We all took Alan to lunch at the Carpenters
Arms in Dundry — he had a lovely day as did
everyone!
(Photo by ]enny)
| messages
This meant that we were able to present
a wide-ranging music programme during
Treefest, including performances by the
schools who were benefitting from the
Preludes initiative. These pupils came
along and brought their parents with
them — and in 2019 we had a record
number of 5,000 visitors!
We also had the highest total of donations
we have had so far: £6,350, to be
divided between Preludes and the SMR
Outreach projects. Well done and a huge
vote of thanks to all who contributed
this year to our success! Thanks to all
who exhibited such imaginative trees.
Special thanks go to Christine Bush and
her refreshments team, who achieved
record takings in the pop-up café, and
all those people who kindly made and
donated cakes every day. Also to Andrew
Kirk for sourcing so many diverse musical
events, and to Allan Schiller and Roger
Huckle for giving of their time to perform.
Thanks to all who volunteered to
be stewards, welcoming our many visitors.
Thanks also to the vergers, and to
the Parish Office staff who helped with
design and printing. Thanks to John Rudin
for doing the lighting, and thanks to
our sponsors Hollis Morgan, Benjamin &
Beauchamp, and Queen Square Chambers
for helping us to cover our expenses.
As always the competition for the mostliked
tree attracted many entries, and
this year was won by a new exhibitor,
the 255th Bristol Channel Sea Scouts,
with an innovative tree made out of oars
and nautical items.
— Sue Hartley; Treefest Committee
Nautical details; 2019 Winning Tree | photo: Rhys Williams
A MUSICAL TREEFEST —
SUE HARTLEY
TREEFEST COMMITTEE
Cheque presentation to Preludes by the Vicar, & John Viney of Treefest | photo: Sue Hartley
TREEFEST 2019 had a distinctively musical theme. Our special
charity was Preludes, sponsored by the Bristol Ensemble, which
enables children from disadvantaged areas of Bristol to learn to read
music, sing, and play a range of musical instruments, in a supportive setting —
28 29

initiatives
‘SINGING IN THE RAIN’
— FUNDRAISING FOR CHRISTIAN AID
AURIOL BRITTON; SINGER & CAMPAIGNER
I
AM A SINGER and jack of all arts. I am not ashamed to be a capitalist
with a conscience for eleven months of the year, making a profit.
People sometimes ask, when I am out and about singing, from January
to November inclusive: "What's it in aid of?"
"Money-making," I sometimes reply, or similar. I often wonder, on such occasions,
whether they ever go into their bank and ask the manager: "What's this in aid of?" If
I did not make the cake for eleven months, as it were, there would be nothing to put
the icing on in the twelfth month. At midnight on 1st December, a sort of notional
trip-switch clicks, and all of a sudden, for one month only, capitalism is replaced by
charity, getting is superceded by giving, the pause button is pressed on profiteering.
This year, as ever, I undertook fourteen a capella carol sings, for Christian Aid, and
am happy to announce that the total amount raised was £1,145. This has been
taking place for many years, with an annual fundraising target of ‘a grand,’ which is
almost always exceeded, by some measure. This year’s locations included, as ever,
Temple Meads, The Galleries and Bath. For my eight London Underground shifts,
my best course of action is to earn the money myself, then donate it as a personal
gift, with a small sign notifying customers of this intention. Officially, entertainment
and charity are organised separately in TFL [Transport for London]. I do not take
travel expenses — the money raised is equal to the funds given.
I should have given up singing as a way of earning most of my living years ago, were
it not for the joy of the carol singing. Whatever the state of faith across the nation,
however low the numbers appear in terms of religious practice, people always enjoy
a carol — it is unfailingly popular. I generally seek, in life, to do the right thing, rather
than the most popular thing, reasoning that the former will be the latter if the end,
if one sticks to Christian principles, broadly speaking. This is a rare example of both
coinciding. There are, however, three problems:
1. The annual round of carol singing places a great financial burden on my music
and mixed arts enterprise, which takes a few months to recover from and is increasingly
under strain due to a number of factors.
2. The westerly carol sings in particular, this year, were affected by illness — the
beginnings of a respiratory infection, back strain, abdominal pain. The heavy lifting
and trekking about were tiring, and are not becoming any easier. Thank goodness I
have a lift to one location.
3. Climate change. I just about reached the end of my tether with rain and
unpredictable weather — I was ready to throw in the towel on the whole project,
in Bath, for instance. I cannot sing from paper in wet conditions — I know some of the
carols by heart (I can get from one end of “God Rest You Merry Gentlemen” to the other,
seven verses) but I haven’t memorised all of them. I can genuinely say, that in all the
years I’ve been doing this, December 2019 was the most challenging, weather-wise.
It should also be noted that while I receive the credit, this would not be possible
without the faithful assistance of, in particular, Roger Tucker, my volunteer admin
assistant, who has assisted with admin for many years (as his role suggests) and who
comes on some of the carol sings with me. I am always looking for other, local
volunteers for westerly locations, so if anyone would be interested in helping out next
time, please call me for a chat [see below]. No musical skills are required and a light
lunch and out of pocket expenses can be covered.
I hope to be able to continue this ministry — taking carols out to people, where
they are, in the community — in years to come. It is a surprisingly simple idea,
which has both a proven record of deliverability and works to alleviate poverty
and suffering — someone, somewhere, is alive today who would not be, were it
not for the fact that carols are sung and funds given. This year is Christian Aid’s
75th birthday, and I am very thankful to all who contribute so generously to my
efforts for them and to God for making this endeavour a reality.
— Auriol Britton
Tel: 0117-9668853 or Mob: 07969 215932
ON AURIOL: “Ms Auriol Britton BA FLCM is a singer, actor, writer and artist, who trains medical
students in visual and disability awareness. She is a member of Bristol Diocesan Synod, house of
laity. Auriol has been blind since 1982, and is partially deaf in one ear. She is a political campaigner.
Aims: saving lives in the present; justice for lives lost in the past.”
CHRISTIAN AID www.christianaid.org.uk Our ... work began in 1945, when we were
founded by British and Irish churches to help refugees following the Second World War. For more than
70 years, we have provided humanitarian relief and long-term development support for poor communities
worldwide, while highlighting suffering, tackling injustice and championing people’s rights.
30 31

initiatives
ALLEVIATING PERIOD POVERTY
— SARAH PURDON; PARISH ADMINISTRATOR
VULNERABLE WOMEN in our community go without adequate
sanitary provision. Young women and girls are most at risk of not
having access to tampons and pads as well as those on lower incomes.
At the end of 2019 St Mary Redcliffe
received a letter asking us to consider
how we can help in the fight to end so
called Period Poverty, a serious issue
facing some women. Women without
access to feminine hygiene products are
using what they can get their hands on
from toilet paper to socks and in some
instances going without.
The government have recently committed
to providing provisions in schools, and at
church Liz Hewitt has kindly offered to take
up the baton of managing the provision in
our ladies’ loos voluntarily. Tampons and
pads are both on offer, for free, to those
who need them. Since we started last year
there has been a considerable number
of women taking up the offer and it is
something we will continue to provide.
If you would like to donate tampon or
towel supplies please see Liz or one of the
Vergers at church, or contact me at the
Parish Office — and for more information
visit www.periodfriendlybristol.org.
— Sarah Purdon
tel: 0117-231 0060
email: sarah.purdon@stmaryredcliffe.co.uk
EDITOR’S NOTE
Help in Hands
Myanmar : photo
information /
correction
Photo:
A Children’s Home,
Myanmar : children
displaying their
blankets
The previous issue of
the magazine carried
a note of thanks from
Jenny Martin to all
who helped knit blankets in aid of the work of Help in Hands Myanmar. For privacy reasons we showed
an edited version of the above photo (‘tiles’ showing the blankets only). Jenny is keen to confirm permission
for the whole photo to be shown, and says the children & their carers are delighted with the blankets. — Ed
32 33
CHRISTMAS CARD PROJECT for
the Bristol Churches Winter
Night Shelter
— Marcus Ashman writes:
We would like to thank all those who
supported this project to raise funds for
the Winter Night Shelter work. This year
we sold 1,500 cards which raised just
over £800 for the fund when the gift
aid is added.
We would very much like to thank Eleanor
for the design and production of the card,
which featured a detail from the East window
in the Lady Chapel.
Jane and I have decided that we will
not be organising a sale of cards next
Christmas. If a member of the congregation
would like to take it over then please get in
touch — we will be pleased to pass on all the
relevant information, and understand that
Eleanor will be pleased to collaborate once
more. Shown here are reminders of the
card designs over the past 3 years; each
featuring an item in the church’s heritage
collection (glass; vestments).
EDITOR’S NOTE
UPDATE: In October last year
we published Auriol Britton’s
account of her visit, during the
summer, to Lockerbie in support
of the town.
The cutting here is from an
appreciative spread on her work and visit that was published in the Annandale
Herald & Moffat News in December — great news Auriol!

Listings | church diary & records
CHURCH DIARY — FEBRUARY–MARCH 2020
Please note that in addition to the monthly listings below, which vary in frequency or other
details, the following events happen every week in this period:
tuesday Coffee Morning / 10am–12 noon | Faithspace Community Centre
Christian Meditation / 6:15–7pm | Parish Office
wednesday Jazz in the Undercroft / 7:30–10pm | SMR Undercroft
thursday Redcliffe Gardening Group / 10am–12 noon | at Somerset Square
friday Toddler Church / 9:30am | SMR North Transept
Coffee Club / 11am | SMR
Police Beat Surgery Drop-in / 1–2pm | Faithspace
February
2 Candlemas
4 Holy Communion / 12:30pm | St John’s Chapel
5 Hymn Sing-along / 11am
5 Redcliffe Lunch Club / 12 noon | Faithspace
5 Redcliffe Film Club / 2:15pm | Faithspace
6 Holy Communion / 12:30pm | Lady Chapel
6 Organ Recital / 1:15pm / Gary Desmond; Bath Abbey
7 Mending Café at Coffee Club / 10am
11 Holy Communion / 12:30pm | St John’s Chapel
12 Redcliffe Lunch Club / 12 noon | Faithspace
13 Holy Communion / 12:30pm | Lady Chapel
13 Organ Recital / 1:15pm / Michael Bonaventure; Edinburgh
14 Mending Café at Coffee Club / 10am
18 Holy Communion / 12:30pm | St John’s Chapel
18 Theology Book Club / 8pm | at Canon John Rogan’s house
20 Holy Communion / 12:30pm | Lady Chapel
20 Organ Recital / 1:15pm / David Halls; Salisbury Cathedral
21 Mending Café at Coffee Club / 10am
24 Feminist Theology Group / 8pm | at Helena’s house
25 Holy Communion / 12:30pm | St John’s Chapel
25 Lent Appeal Launch: Pancakes for the Planet / 6:30pm
Beauty in ashes art exhibition opens / daily until 14 April |North Transept
26 ASH WEDNESDAY: LENT
26 Redcliffe Lunch Club / 12 noon | Faithspace
27 Holy Communion / 12:30pm | Lady Chapel
27 Organ Recital / 1:15pm / Emma Gibbins, Newport Cathedral
28 Mending Café at Coffee Club / 10am
March
3 Holy Communion / 12:30pm | St John’s Chapel
4 Hymn Sing-along / 11am
4 Redcliffe Lunch Club / 12 noon | Faithspace
4 Redcliffe Film Club / 2:15pm | Faithspace
4 Organ Recital / 1:15pm / Samuel Ali; Royal College of Music
5 Holy Communion / 12:30pm | Lady Chapel
6 Mending Café at Coffee Club / 10am
10 Holy Communion / 12:30pm | St John’s Chapel
11 Redcliffe Lunch Club / 12 noon | Faithspace
12 Holy Communion / 12:30pm | Lady Chapel
12 Organ Recital / 1:15pm / Andrew Kirk & Alison Howell; St Mary Redcliffe
13 Mending Café at Coffee Club / 10am
13 Mixtape Concert / 7:30pm
15 Afternoon Cream Tea & activities / 2pm
17 Mending Café / [please check time] | Faithspace [please check time]
17 Holy Communion / 12:30pm | St John’s Chapel
17 Theology Book Club / 8pm | at Canon John Rogan’s house [please check date]
18 Redcliffe Lunch Club / 12 noon | Faithspace
18 Redcliffe Film Club / 2:15pm | Faithspace
18 Parish Magazine April-May edition copy deadline / 12 midnight
19 Holy Communion / 12:30pm | Lady Chapel
19 Organ Recital / 1:15pm / Simon Bell; Cheltenham
20 Mending Café at Coffee Club / 10am
22 Mothering Sunday
23 Feminist Theology Group / 8pm | at Helena’s house [please check date]
24 Holy Communion / 12:30pm | St John’s Chapel
25 Redcliffe Lunch Club / 12 noon | Faithspace
26 Holy Communion / 12:30pm | Lady Chapel
26 Organ Recital / 1:15pm / Paul Walton; Bristol Cathedral
27 Mending Café at Coffee Club / 10am
28 Eco Fair / 12 noon to 4pm
29 Passion Sunday
Music & Readings for Passion Sunday / 6:30pm
31 Holy Communion / 12:30pm | St John’s Chapel
April
1 Hymn Sing-along / 11am
1 Redcliffe Film Club / 2:15pm | Faithspace
1 Organ Recital / 1:15pm / Nigel Nash; Bristol
5 Palm Sunday
34 35

8 Concert: Gesualdo Six / 7:30pm
9 Maundy Thursday
10 Good Friday
11 Easter Eve
12 EASTER
NB: diary entries are correct at the time of going to print given the information
supplied; for event details provided later on please see the church website or contact
the Parish Office.
PARISH REGISTER — Baptisms, Weddings and Funerals
As previously stated, for privacy reasons (GDPR) the publication of the Register in the
magazine is under review; we will keep readers informed but it remains suspended
until then. — Ed
•
SUNDAY CHURCH SERVICE ATTENDANCE — Period: 24.11.19–19.01.20
Date 2019 24 Nov 1 Dec * 8 Dec 15 Dec 22 Dec §
Adult Child Adult Child Adult Child Adult Child Adult Child
8:00am 7 - 8 - 10 - 10 - 7 -
9:30am 109 39 102 35 100 31 114 36 81 21
11:15am 30 - 18 1 22 - 26 2 23 -
6:30pm 27 - 107* 6 26 - 24 - 545 § 31
Date
29 Dec 5 Jan 12 Jan 19 Jan
2019–2020
Adult Child Adult Child Adult Child Adult Child Adult Child
8:00am 12 - 6 - 11 - 12 -
9:30am 41 2 88 35 118 51 110 39
11:15am 16 - 13 - 22 4 23 2
6:30pm 20 - 32 - 30 - 45 1
* 8 December: Advent Carols by Candlelight | § 22 December: Festival of Nine Lessons
and Carols | NB: Sunday Attendance figures refer to congregation not to clergy, servers,
choir or vergers.
WE LOOK FORWARD AND BACKWARD at this time of year — forward
to the things we have committed to do, to new initiatives; backward
in memo either on the back of the things we have been doing or as
a new initiative. In all this Dan reminds us to
Editor’s note
email: editor.mag@stmaryredcliffe.co.uk
EPIPHANY AND LENT — the Vicar’s Letter for the edition
months of February and March explores the seasonal (liturgical)
mix of the period and its “apparent blurring of the frontiers’
edges” between the three focal areas of the Christian calendar. An
invitation to us to explore the ‘border country’ between all three that
is found in the month of February: to be present in the stories of Our
Lord’s life and for that Story to seep into our own.
THE COLOURS OF THESE SEASONS? I note that the green of Epiphany
and purple of Lent produce a series of dunn colours when mixed:
mute hues that seem to resonate with the direction and work of the
period as we follow Our Lord toward his Passion. A youthful green, a donkey
grey and a deep royal purple are the seasonal palette, and an evocative mix.
Thank you to our Lent Appeal charity partners, the John Ray Initiative, for
their introduction to their invaluable work. Likewise to Liz Hewitt for her
informative articles, and to the Lent Appeal Team for the imaginative ways
in which they are engaging, on behalf of SMR, with climate change, the
dominant issue of our time. It is salutary to see such a quick response to Bishop
Viv’s call to action. We look forward to learning new skills and dusting down
old ones, and to seeing evocative work in the Beauty in ashes art exhibition.
We look forward too to the splendid concerts organised by Andrew, and
especially to welcoming back Gesualdo Six (heard here in 2017), and we’re
very glad to learn of the successes of SMR’s former choristers.
Thank you to all our contributors and the many initiatives in church and
community, from fundraising (Treefest; for Christian Aid and the Winter Night
Shelter) to visible signs of care (birthdays celebrated; hymns sung; Christmas
Lunch shared; ‘period poverty’ tackled; blankets knitted) and more...
Lastly I hope that readers will adjust to a bi-monthly magazine; putting
together editions is extremely rewarding but inevitably the hours are long.
In this I am excited to report that I now have an editorial team — we will
introduce ourselves in the next edition!
— best wishes, Eleanor
Eleanor Vousden, Editor; tel: 0117-9634856 (direct) or 0117-2310060 (Parish Office)
The April–May edition deadline is Wednesday 18 March
36 37

Prayers • Epiphany & Lent
Lines from The Fairacres Madonna
Who carved you, Lady,
Set you free?
What majesty was axed for you,
What leaves lay crushed,
That you might be?
What beauty first in need and shoot,
What sapling grace,
What hope grew firm?
What years of steady growth and death
Prepared the heart for Master-hand?
Pietà
— Sister Rosemary Dawn Watling
A dome superb as heaven’s vault, capping a story
Whose hero blessed the meek; a desert of floor
Refracting faith like a mirage; the orchestration
Of gold and marble engulfing the still, small voice:
You cannot pass over St Peter’s and what it stands for,
Whether you see it as God’s vicarious throne
Or the biggest bubble yet unpricked...
I was lost, ill at ease here, until by chance
In a side chapel we found a woman mourning
Her son: all the lacrimae verum flowed
To her gesture of grief, all life’s blood from his stone.
There is no gap or discord between the divine
And the human in that pieta of Michelangelo.
— C Day Lewis 1904-1972
An Italian Visit
notes & permissions — an excerpt from the fairacres madonna by sister rosemary dawn
watling printed here as a reflection for the feast of the annunciation [25 march] | pietÀ
from an anthology for the church year; ed h j richards; kevin mayhew publishing © 1998
groups within the church
The regular congregation is large, active and involved
— if you would like to join one of the many groups
connected with the Church, please contact the group
leader concerned from the list below.
Head Server
Head Sidesman
Head Steward
PCC Secretary
PCC Treasurer
PCC Safeguarding
PCC Recorder
Children’s Church
Faithspace Centre
Lunch Club
Meditation
Mothers Union
Church Flowers
Coffee Rota
Bell Ringers
Canynges Society
Journey into Science
Magazine Editor
get in touch
Dean Barry
Graham Marsh
Marion Durbur
Keith Donoghue
David Harrowes
Stephen Brooke
c /o Parish Office
Becky Macron
Sarah James
c/o Parish Office
Lewis Semple
c /o Parish Office
Mildred Ford
Christine Bush
Gareth Lawson
Pat Terry
Eric Albone
Eleanor Vousden
0117-9099862
01275-832770
0117-9422196
0117-9422539
0117-9779823
0117-3311260
0117-2310060
07934-041638
0117-9258331
0117-2310060
0117-9255763
0117-2310060
0117-9359064
0117-9773023
07798 621834
0117-2310060
0117-9247664
0117-9634856
If you or one of your family is sick or has gone into hospital, please let
us know — contact the Clergy or Vergers as soon as possible.
Please consult the Parish Office before making any arrangements for
baptisms, weddings or funerals.
MAGAZINE SMALL PRINT: Please note that the views expressed in the body
magazine of the magazine small print are not — please necessarily note those that the of the views Editor. expressed Please in also the note body
of that the every magazine effort are has not been necessarily made to credit those copyrighted of the editor. material please in line also with note
that UK every copyright effort law has but been in the made event to of credit any unintended copyrighted oversight material please in line email with
legislation, the editor at but editor.mag@stmaryredcliffe.co.uk in the event of any unintended or contact oversight the Parish Office. please — email Ed
the editor at editor.mag@stmaryredcliffe.co.uk or contact the parish office
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sunday services
8:00am holy communion
9:30am sung eucharist
with crèche and Sunday School / followed by coffee
11:15am choral mattins
all year round except from mid-July to end August
6:30pm choral evensong
weekday services
holy communion
Tuesdays and Thursdays at 12:30pm
2nd and 4th Thursdays at 12:30pm with prayers for healing
morning and evening prayer
Monday to Friday at 8:30am and 4:30pm in the Lady Chapel
toddler church
Fridays at 9:30am in the North Transept
opening times
weekdays all year round 8:30am–5:00pm
bank holidays 9:00am–4:00pm, except New Year's Day
Sundays 8:00am–8:00pm
the church is occasionally closed for special events and services
The Arc Café in the Undercroft
serving home-made refreshments every day
opening hours:
Monday to Friday 8:00am–3:00pm
lunch served from 12:00 noon–2:30pm
tel: 0117-929 8658
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