Monthly News
North Skipton Cluster
Holy Trinity, Skipton
St Augustine's, Draughton
St Mary's, Embsay
August 2010
The Editorial Team
Derek Green tel. 01756 794119
Susan Broadhead tel. 01756 791596
Jean Anderson tel. 01756 710513
Simon Smith tel. 01756 798301
Martina Hammond, Rectory Cottage tel. 01756 793622
Please e-mail your article to: office@holytrinityskipton.org.uk
Editorial
True to form, the good weather arrives just as the Schools go back, but at least it has allowed my farming and smallholding friends in Embsay to get a belated crop of hay. The last few summers have all followed the same pattern - rain through July and most of August with just one last sunny chance to get some winter fodder in before autumn comes and it's too late.
The September issue of the Cluster Monthly News is full of reports of summer events; St. Mary's Garden Fete, Holy Trinity's Flower Festival, the visit of Archdeacon Paul Slater to Draughton and the WW II event at the Dales Care Home.
We also welcome Adrian back from his sabbatical/retreat, and he has kindly let us share his initial thoughts and reflections on solitude and his time away at the water's edge.
Whilst welcoming back Adrian, Holy Trinity say goodbye and St. Mary's say hello to Louise Taylor-Kenyon at the end of the month. She will, of course, remain actively involved in the life of the Cluster and we all look forward eagerly to this new chapter in both her ministry and the life of St. Mary's, Embsay-with-Eastby.
In addition there are reports on the Heritage Opera production of Madame Butterfly at Holy Trinity and the "Flock to Skipton" initiative which runs until mid-November. All in all, something to get your teeth into and enjoy before autumn is upon us.
As always, the editorial team welcome any comments, suggestions, and articles for inclusion in the Monthly Cluster News.
Simon Smith
From The Registers
Weddings
8th August (at HT):
Adam Hollings & Wenjing Zhang
14th August (at HT):
Michael George Snowden & Charlotte Emily Stead
Baptisms
15th August (HT):
Harry Collins, Joseph Bell, Andrew Metcalfe
Funerals
20th August (at HT for Christ Church):
Roger Timmins
Holy Trinity Flower Festival
"Built to the Glory of God"
A Celebration of Craftsmanship
Walking into the church at any time last weekend was an overwhelming experience for the tactile visual and olfactory senses, with the exquisite design and structure of the 22 varied displays easily emulating, as well as celebrating, other craft skills with their own finely honed craft skills, and on Saturday evening the aural senses were also equally overwhelmed by readings and music in an excellent concert given by Skipton Ladies Choir. In addition to the flower displays were photographs of the church, trips to the top of the tower, a raffle, a stall in the churchyard selling flowers and vegetables, home-made soups and cakes in the refectory, and, finally an auction, all of which were further demonstrations of the skills possessed by the various members of our congregation. However the event was not entirely for the benefit of Holy Trinity Church as the far from insubstantial proceeds are to be shared with the Martin House Children's Hospice in Boston Spa, which has played a leading part in the continuing development of children's palliative care for over 20 years. It is always invidious to name individual participants and contributors in these sorts of events so I will not do so, but I will say that the Festival received very generous private and commercial support and sponsorship, and which, like the Summer Fête earlier in the year, allowed for a successful collaboration between the congregation and the parish: in other words the church and the town.
Derek Green
Letter from LouiseTaylor-Kenyon
It's hard to believe, but the summer holidays are nearly over, so for any of us with children or grandchildren that means there is potential for change as they enter new classes, new schools, university, apprenticeships or leave education altogether. So how appropriate that after years of buying new school clothes, sorting pencil cases and getting to grips with new timetables I am also preparing for a new stage in my life.
As you know, I will be moving to Embsay at the end of September to take up the post of half-time Resident Priest at St Mary's, and will have to say goodbye to my curacy in the Skipton Cluster - although I will still appear at Holy Trinity from time to time! The other half of my time will be spent working directly for the Diocese on what is known as Continuing Ministerial Education - in other words, providing various forms of training for licensed clergy. It will be very interesting to have that wider role, but I am delighted that I will be able to continue my parish ministry in Embsay as well.
As my curacy comes to an end I am aware of how much I have learnt in these last three years, especially during the last few months while Adrian has been away. It has been a wonderful opportunity to 'feel' what it is like to be in charge, and I hope that I will be able to take that experience with me.
Church life never stands still, and it should not do so - it is right that things change and look different, as we are finding at Holy Trinity as we work though our Parish Review. We are always moving from the familiar to the unexpected - and it is this that keeps us moving along the Christian Way that we claim as both our inheritance and our future. This is true for both myself, and for all our three churches as, in our different ways, we move into new stages of our lives together.
With love and thanks - Louise xx
Solo but not all lonely
Near the end of my travels someone said to me 'Have you not been lonely these three months?' It was a good question to ask and set me wondering... I was certainly on my own for a lot of the time, but I seldom if ever felt lonely. For one thing, most days I did speak to a few people (and interestingly I can remember clearly almost all those conversations), and for another, the sea was a constant companion, and an ever-changing and fascinating companion at that. Solitude, it seems to me, is of a very different order from loneliness. Solitude is usually chosen, not forced on someone. And in solitude the 'solo' bit is not so much the individual feeling their separate oneness, but rather their feeling integrated into a much greater oneness - the oneness of all that is, the oneness of God.
The coastline, with the sea just beyond, helped a great deal to present daily to me that sense of oneness. As one person I chatted to in Dorset put it, the coast is the place where you feel land is held together by the sea, and of course the sea embraces all of the UK, all of Europe, indeed all the landmasses of the globe. I did travel a good deal along our coastline (and it was fascinating and hugely enjoyable) but just as important as the 'horizontal' travelling were the hours and days spent stationary, either holed up in the camper peering out at the sea through rain streaming down the windows (that did happen quite a bit, especially in the Outer Hebrides!) or perched on towering granite cliffs - especially in Cornwall - where the light changes all the time, every wave has a different shape or height or force to it, and you can feel the slightest change in wind direction on your cheek. When stilled and attentive like that you travel in a different direction: downwards and inwards.
So the sabbatical was indeed an extended 'retreat' (or as someone helpfully corrected me, 'advance') which took me deeper into who I was (Adrian, not for the time being, the Rector), what that Reality is which we call God, and where I and all of us fit in... It was a journey full of surprises taking me down some unexpected and unlikely routes, but the end result is that it has calmed, focussed and deepened me (I hope permanently) and opened up new possibilities for the future. The major challenge I now find returning to Skipton is how to hold on to all of this - indeed to meld it into 'ordinary' daily life - and, of course, to share it all....
Adrian Botwright
"Flock to Skipton"
No-one can have failed to notice the brightly decorated larger-than-life sheep sculptures that have appeared across the town over the last week or so. They are the culmination of the "Flock to Skipton" tourism initiative, which has been 15 months in the preparation. Visitors to the town are encouraged to search out the 25 sheep sculptures and, by doing so, discover some of Skipton's hidden gems; the alleyways and streets leading off the High Street, the market, the individual shops and retailers, and the key landmarks and tourist attractions.
The "Flock to Skipton" exhibition is on the streets from 21st August to14th November. Each sheep is a unique design, created and painted by one of a group of talented artists from around the region - including local artists from Skipton itself, together with some community groups. Visitors are given full details in the trail guide and there is more background information on the special Flock to Skipton website: www.flocktoskipton.co.uk . Skipton takes its name from the medieval derivation of "Sheep Town" and it is very much a sheep town to this day.
The autumn sheep sales are beginning to get into full swing at the Auction Mart, and two weeks ago Skipton held the third largest sheep sale in the country after Longtown and Carlisle, with above 6,000 sheep sold.
Simon Smith
World War 2 at the Dales Care Home
The sun shone and the skies were bright to recreate the patriotic atmosphere of the war years at the Dales Care Home on 25th August. A well organized event was enthusiastically received by residents, staff and villagers alike and was also honoured by the attendance of Skipton's incumbent mayor, Robert Hesleltine, seen chatting to Margaret Hughes in the photograph (picture by Mike Gibbons). Credit and appreciation to Manager Millie Broome and her dedicated staff for the hard work involved.
Jean Anderson
Madame Butterfly - A magical evening
Holy Trinity has become quite a centre for musical events over the last few months. Heritage Opera, after their successful Don Giovanni earlier in the year, staged Madame Butterfly to a packed enthusiastic audience on 14th August.
If you are intrigued as to how an opera can be produced in a church with a small cast, a conductor, and a pianist, go and marvel at the acoustics of the church and the talents of the performers.
The tragic story of Butterfly, a Japanese geisha, the callous Lieutenant Pinkerton who deserts her, and the eventual suicide of Butterfly is well known, and Puccini's opera is a masterpiece. Heritage Opera's production is also a masterpiece: the whole cast deserve high praise but the greatest accolade must go to Sarah Helshey-Hughes, who sang Butterfly superbly. Much rests on the singer of this role, as she must carry the opera in Acts 2 and 3. This evening was a triumph and the standing ovation at the end was testimony to the talents of all the members of Heritage Opera. The next production will be Die Fledermaus on 30th Oct.
Don't miss it!
Jean Anderson
St. Mary's Embsay-with-Eastby
Garden Fete, Saturday 21st August
The rain on the previous day proved to be a false alarm, the marquees were in place for 9am and St. Mary's enjoyed a beautifully sunny day on the 21st August for their Garden Fete in Holy Trinity Churchyard, by kind permission of the Wardens and PCC.
The location at the top of the High Street gave a tremendous opportunity to attract and raise funds from the many casual visitors to Skipton on a summer Saturday, and a great deal of hard work went into providing stalls for preserves, books, bric-a-brac, plants, toys, almost new clothes and shoes, together with a raffle, a very popular tombola and a busy barbeque which kept everyone well fed all day with Jackson's of Cracoe sausages and burgers. The barbeque itself was kindly loaned by Keith & Nicky Wright of Holy Trinity.
A lovely, if tiring, day of fellowship was had by all and the event raised approximately £1,500 for St. Mary's funds. A big thank you and well done to all who took part.
Simon Smith
St Augustine's News
August tends to be a quiet month at the church, but there is always something special. This year we were very pleased to welcome Archdeacon Paul Slater on 15th August. This was well attended and interesting. As this was his first visit we hope it will not be too long before he comes again.
The village monthly tea parties have new almost reached their first anniversary and at Meriel's suggestion something extra is being planned. The tea parties have been quite a success (I reckon it's the wonderful cakes on offer) and to mark the occasion a collection has been organised throughout the village to support Macmillan Cancer Research. Do try to come on September 6th. The party starts at 2.30.p.m. and as well as the usual gossip there will be a tombola, a beetle drive and a children's biscuit making competition, the latter to be judged at 4.30.p.m. So as a last minute activity before school begins we hope children will make the competition a success. If you cannot make the party donations for Macmillan can be make via Meriel's letter box.
There is a Parish special meeting on Wednesday, September 9th at 7.30 p.m. in the Village Hall to discuss the revised appeal regarding the Chelker turbines. If you have a view about this latest proposal, do try to come to the meeting.
A date for your diary: October 3rd Harvest Festival.
Jean Anderson
St Augustine's Church was invited to participate in the HOLY TRINITY FLOWER FESTIVAL, and Pat Rasche, Ginny Hall and Maggie Sproat staged a display depicting The Potter, which was funded by generous donations from members of the Congregation.
Pat Rasche