The Sunday Archive: St Martin's Cloak August/September 2005 - Part 1

The Sunday Archive: St Martin's Cloak August/September 2005 - Part 1

St. Martin's boasts some of the finest scenery in the Channel Islands and our bays are unique and exceptionally beautiful.

In this edition, we briefly visit three of them and the waters that surround them. Hopefully, by the time you read this, Petit Port steps will once again be open, so that everyone can enjoy this most picturesque of bays - well, those fit enough to climb down 325 steps and then up again!

The Community Centre is really taking shape now. The walls are going up around the framework and it is possible to make out individual rooms. What an asset it will be to the community once it is completed and we look forward with anticipation to that next year.

We would like to hear your views on issues that affect you. Why not respond to some of the articles that appear in this edition, such as the South Show piece or the proposal in the article 'Parish Matters'.

We also look forward to one of the most traditional festivals of the church -Harvest. This year, it will be celebrated at Les Camps Methodist on 19th September and at the Parish Church on 25th, with a Harvest Supper and Barn Dance the day before in the Parish Hall.

We are constantly on the lookout for information about groups and activities, interesting people and events in and around the parish, so why not drop us a line or e-mail our editor and tell us about what you are doing or what you would like to see happen.

Don't forget, 'St. Martin's Cloak' is a magazine by the community for the community!

Ed



School news

The PTA at St Martin's has been incredibly active organising events to raise funds to develop a new 'outdoor classroom' and play area.

The playground at the entrance to the school has, until now, been a stark area of tarmac lacking in shade, greenery and floral displays. Visitors to the school have had to 'run the gauntlet', avoiding flying footballs, skipping ropes and netballs, as they negotiated their way to the front door.

In late July a UK playground specialist company arrived and began to erect a pagoda in the centre of the playground. It is hexagonal in shape with seating and an amazing story teller's chair. We hope that this will provide a wonderful seating for outside story time, circle times, drama or even art lessons.

The outer sections of the pagoda are shaped to form a star and mature trees, shrubs and flowers will be planted in the autumn to provide shade as well as an attractive focal point to the playground.

Soft matting has been placed between the points of the star so that the children can sit comfortably to play games such as Jacks, Connect 4 or good old fashioned marbles. Playtime will now provide more alternatives for non football enthusiasts.

We are very grateful to all the parents and sponsors who have contributed to this project and to the PTA for its tireless fund raising efforts.




Kept at bay!

Moulin Huet is arguably the prettiest bay in Guernsey, so it is good news that it is open again. A notice remains at the top of the steps, warning the public to keep away from the foot of the cliffs, and a glance upwards reveals many a lighter coloured patch where rock has fallen away.

Most of the instability is on the left of the steps as you descend. It has been disintegrating there for years. In fact, it seems to be by the slow eroding of the rock that the beach has been formed. The standing pillars of granite that still dot the sand bear testimony to this. It is what gives Moulin Huet its special character.

The cliffs, in many shades of ochre, are nevertheless capped by swathes of tenacious plants; too many varieties for a lay person such as myself to count, but graced by white umbellifers, sea-pinks and yellow stone-crop. Perhaps the prize for colour, however, lies in the caves of Petit Port, where the rich mineral ingredient leaves the walls splashed with purple and vermillion, rather like an artist's palette. As clear and open as Moulin Huet is rock-furnished, its sands offer generous open space at low tide.

 

At the time of writing, access to its steps is still barred. I was able to descend only as far as the first railing before being hailed by distant voices warning me off. They came from some men who were clinging to the cliffs on the Eastern side, held by slim hawsers and protected by hard hats.

I made my way round there by the path and was able to speak to them as they regained the comparative safety of the cliff-top. I was told that the work was going very well. They had cleared away the loose stuff and stabilised the rest. They were now replacing the broken steps and, all being well, should be finished in `three to four weeks.'

That means that, thanks to their efforts, the beach might just be accessible to us by the time you read this bulletin.

Christine Le Poidevin

From the Rector

"Summer is upon us and once again the...”

Aagghh! It's so predictable! If I received a pound for every time a Priest began a letter in a those words, I'd be a millionaire. Mind you, it's not just Clergy who fall into the habit of predictability. Listen to any comment on TV from a politician or, come to think of it, a football manager and the well worn phrases and platitudes trip off the tongue: "I'm pleased for the lads..."

In fact, we all slip easily into patterns and phrases, rhythms and habits without thinking about them. Some of them are good and some of them are bad. The knack, of course, is to know the difference!

In many ways life is predictable. Routine provides us with a framework for living. Tradition gives us a sense of security and reliability. The great festival of Harvest, which we shall be celebrating towards the end of September, is a perfect example of this, reminding us of the predictability and pulse of nature. Yet, even this gentle rhythm is threatened by climate change.

Other forces play their part too to make our world and lives unpredictable. Those who travelled to work on the London Underground on the 7th July discovered at first hand, how unpredictable and indiscriminate life can be. 56 people were victims of it! It's not just the terrorist threat either: illness, bereavement, moving house, redundancy, childbirth, all add to that sense of never quite knowing what is going to happen next.

So what are we to do in the light of this unpredictability? When the London bombings occurred, there was a great sense of defiance from the public and one of the injured said: "Nothing will stop us from getting on with life or going about our business. You have failed to create terror from your terrorism".

That is one response and I admire the spirit of those whose lives have been affected by this tragedy. As a Christian, I believe God gives us security when all around is unpredictable.

King David proclaimed in Psalm 13: "My enemy will say, 'I have overcome him' and my foes will rejoice when I fall. But I trust in your unfailing love and my heart rejoices in your salvation".

He knew that no matter what life threw at him, he was in God's hands and that they were safe. Sometimes he clung on to that belief with his fingertips but in an unpredictable world, David trusted God for the future. Do you?

Enjoy your summer!

Mike Keirle




Community Centre update

The steel framework of the building was completed in June. The concrete surface for the ground floor and also for the floor above is in place apart from the area above the hall, which is open up to the roof. Block work has gone ahead and the rooms with their concrete block walls are clearly defined.

Early this month (August) the roof panels will be in position making working conditions unaffected by the weather apart from the tiling over the roof and outside groundwork.

The response to the raffle tickets is a great success and the donations which have, in some cases, accompanied the tickets are extremely welcome. We are dependent on donations and sponsorship for our Community part of the Centre (the Health & Social Services part is States funded) and it is the intention to maintain a good standard throughout, however difficult with limited resources.

It is a miracle that we have got so far through private generosity, but money is needed to cover the cost of fittings and furnishings and there can be no let up in fund raising. A chart of the monthly money or sponsorship received is in the Church porch on the right of the doors. Please keep supporting us, so that our new building can be a resource for the whole community!



South Show

Although the traditional South Show is no longer held under the spread of marquees in fields off La Grande Rue, the horticulture section is still flourishing, and for the second year will be held at St Martin's School on August 10th and 11th.

Entry night is very soon - on Friday August 3rd between 7.30pm and 9pm at the Parish Hall or the Constable's Office next door, and any parishioner who has a fine selection of fruit or vegetables, cut flowers or pot plants, is invited to take part at 40p per item.

The competition to win a trophy, certificate or a cash prize is open to people living in St Martin, Forest or St Peter Port, three parishes that come under the umbrella of the former South Show.

Apart from the outdoor produce, there are classes for jams and chutney, cakes and other cooked items, and homemade wine. The contest to produce the best sloe gin has always been highly competitive - much to the delight of the judges who enjoy a sip of each!

There is a section for children too, whose entries are just 15p for each item. Their classes include presenting vases of wild or garden flowers, painted eggs and pebbles, edible necklaces and the popular model garden made up in a box. For the older children there is a cookery section.

Competitors can start their set-ups from Tuesday afternoon and from 7am on Wednesday morning, August 9th and 10th, before judging begins at 10am. The shows are open to the public from 1pm to 9pm on the Wednesday, and from 10am to 8pm on the Thursday.

It looks unlikely, however, that the contests to find 'Miss Guernsey' and 'Miss Holiday Queen' will be held this year, but if sufficient organisers can be found, the popular event will be arranged later in the year and announcements will be made in the local media.

Richard Breban is in his second year as president of the South Show Association, and hopes that sufficient new people will be interested in joining to keep the show going in one form or another. He would be happy to hear from anyone wanting more information.



Yes, Minister!

The two ministers in St Martin's have a great deal in common. The Rector of the Parish Church, Mike Keirle, and the minister in charge of three Methodist churches, Paul Chesworth, are in their early 40s with young families and both have been in Guernsey for less than five years.

Paul Chesworth brought his wife, Liz, and two children Josh (14) and Abigail (12) to The Manse three years ago, having never been to Guernsey before. He had felt a strong calling to take up the vacant post here and accepted the five-year initial invitation that can be extended by mutual agreement.

Both his grandfathers were and his father is a Methodist minister, travelling widely within the British Methodist Connexion. Consequently Paul was used to the rather itinerant lifestyle of moving homes every few years, leaving Lytham St Anne's where he was born to live in Birmingham and Hertfordshire.

He married at 23, and after two years as a buyer and five in sales in the building trade, felt the call to follow in his father's footsteps. He trained at Wesley Bristol Theological College and moved to Derbyshire for his first appointment.

Before coming to Guernsey he has been in ministry for seven years in Bedford, and when the time came for him to move on, Guernsey was one of the choices he was given.

`I felt that God intended for us to come here - we just knew that it was the right move for us, and it has certainly proved to be my best-ever appointment,' said Paul.

He became one of a team of five ministers caring for 13 Methodist churches in the island. Paul divides his time between Les Camps, Rohais and the Mission at Carmel, heading a team of stewards at each church.

`I have spent my time on pastoral and leadership matters and, along with the lay leadership, have been working on a vision for the church's future. In my grandfather's ministry, there was barely time in those three years to learn everyone's names before it was time to move on.'

He is grateful for the dedication that went into the funding of a recent refurbishment of the church hall at Les Camps – some £250,000 to bring the well-used but dated area into a modern, bright and welcoming facility that is soon to be finished and will be rented out for all kinds of activities in addition to the church use.

`We run toddlers' group there every Tuesday morning, and that is extremely popular. I call in at some stage and gradually get to know the mums and the children.'

Weddings, baptisms and funerals of people who are not regular churchgoers tend to be held at the Parish Church, so Paul does very few except for his own congregation. He was with Molly Thompson of Torteval church, an island representative at the June Methodist Conference in Torquay, and part of the intense discussions during that week concerned the move towards closer ties between the Anglican and Methodist churches.

`I'm in favour of closer links if it makes the church more approachable to others, those people who are nervous to take the first step,' he reflected.

`St Martin's has a compact community, and our churches need to be community churches with growing congregations.'

His home in La Grande Rue, opposite the new M&S store, is also Paul's office, which means that he is on call most of the time, although he keeps Fridays as his day of relaxation.

`I love walking, and some lunchtimes I get down to Fermain and back to keep trim, but so often more important matters take up my time,' he said.

He used to belong to a light operatic society and also played the cornet in a brass band, but his musical activities these days are restricted to playing guitar in church or perhaps during school assemblies.

Guernsey has fulfilled his expectations of being a delightful and happy place for him and for his family, and he looks forward to a few more years of service here.

Look out in future editions of The Cloak for news about Lightbulb (Les Camps work with children and young people), and YAC (Youth After Church group).