Parish and Community

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The Magazine of

St Saviour’s Parish Church

THE PARISH CHURCH OF

ST SAVIOUR WESTGATE ON SEA

www.stsaviourswestgate.org.uk

Priest in Charge Mother Karen Gooding Tel 216357

Honorary Assistant Priests

The Revd Susan Wing

The Revd Lesley Valiant

The Revd David Chance

Churchwardens

Mrs Christine Attwood Tel 833314 email cattwood2002@yahoo.co.uk

Mrs Christine Joiner email chrissyjoiner@hotmail.co.uk

Churchwarden Emeritus WELCOME TO

Dr D Crouch THE SEAMARSH GROUP

PCC Secretary Mrs Jean Glover jean.thanet@gmail.com

St Saviour’s Church of England Junior School

Elm Grove, Westgate Telephone 01843 831707

Headteacher Mr N Bonell

Editor “The Link” valdaneve@hotmail.co.uk

Dear friends,

I never imagined getting SO excited about going to church on Sunday! But- the mo-

ment has come when, instead of being just Aidan and me in church, live-streaming

the service and hoping ( along with a good number of you watching) that the tech-

nology wouldn’t let us down, we are now expecting to be in church together from

this coming weekend! I have a glimmer of understanding of how people feel in

parts of the world where it was, and still is, illegal to be a Christian, about being

able to meet. We need to remain aware that going to church freely is a privilege-

and maybe this period of lockdown will help us to do just that.

When you come into church, you will see a great big WELCOME board with a huge

map underneath it. We want to remind ourselves of the places we’ve visited, espe-

cially at the moment, so if you have a photo of yourself from anywhere else in the

world, do please bring it along or send it, to add to our display. This also helps us to

remember the church in some of these places where life for Christians is very

different from ours.

And when we were feeling that it couldn’t get much better- it just has! I’ve heard

today that Bishop Rose will be joining us for our Birthday Celebrations on Sunday

26th July, so please do put the date in your diary and come along, with a picnic to

eat afterwards in the garden if it’s a nice day. For anyone who isn’t able to be with

us in person, we’ll be live-streaming the service at 10.30, as we are continuing to

do for all our Sunday services. We don’t want you to miss out!

So- we thank God for the ways in which He has always looked after His people in

times of exile, separation and hardship as well as through the good times of our

lives. We have much to be thankful for; most of all, for one another and what we

share. Let’s remember to give thanks as we look to the future confident that we are

always held in the Everlasting Arms.

Mother Karen

FROM THE REGISTERS

For those Baptised

“Shine as a light in the world, to the Glory of God the Father”

For those joined in Holy Matrimony

“God our Father, pour out your blessing on all joined in Holy Matrimony; that they

may be joined in mutual love and companionship, in holiness and commitment to

each other”

The Sick

“Lord, grant your healing presence to all who suffer in body, mind or spirit”

Phyll, Doreen , Beryl , Joyce, Bailey, Joan, Ken, Thelma, Melanie, Stephen,

Pearl, Claire, Julia, Jim, Father David, Eleanor

The Departed

“Lord now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word”

We give thanks for the life of those who now rest in eternal peace, and pray for their

families and friends

Margaret Luton, Veronica (known as Kelly)

For those whose anniversary of death falls at this time.

“Dear God, we thank you for the rest in Christ they now enjoy, and thank you for

giving them to us”

The Revd John King, Andrew

World War 2 Roll of Honour for this month

Reginald Dowling 5th July 1940

Arthur Jarman 26th July 1944

Church Open!

We are delighted that St Saviour’s Church is now open to everyone for pri-vate prayer on weekdays and Saturdays between 10am and 12noon.

There will always be two people in church to greet you and remind you of the guidelines to keep us all safe. The aim is to make you feel welcome without being over zealous.

You will be asked to use the hand sanitiser as you enter the church and then be invited to sit in the north aisle for silent prayer or just to enjoy the stillness. We have Taizé music playing in the background as an aid to prayer and you are welcome to light a candle. However, please do not do so immediately after using the sanitiser.

Unfortunately, we are unable to provide toilet facilities or any form of refresh-ment.

Mother Karen, Chrissy and I are very grateful to everyone who has made it possible for us to open the church and for carrying out the extra cleaning that is so important during the present time.

Following the welcome announcement allowing public worship again, we are planning to resume our services at 8am and 10.30am from Sunday 5

th July.

We do not know all the changes that will be necessary for these services to go ahead because, at the time of writing (28

th June), we are waiting for fur-

ther guidance from the Government via Bishop Rose.

If you have any concerns about returning to church, please do not keep them to yourself but share them with us.

Christine Attwood

Churchwarden

Life in the time of Covid-19 - adjusting to a new routine - or going back to the past?

On Sunday 5th July St Saviour’s church will be open again for services - what won-derful news! Things may not be quite the same as usual, however, and one thing that will be very different is that no one will be handed a prayer book, a hymn book, a service book or a pew sheet - such a routine part of church going will be, for the time being, a distant memory.

Some of us, who are old enough - well, alright - some of us who are older - will remember the days when one took one’s own Prayer and Hymn Books to church. To do so was a mark of gentility and aspiration. C.H. Bishop described Sun-day mornings in Victorian and Edwardian Folkestone (Bishop, C.H.; “Folkestone: The Story of a Town”, Ashford, 1972) by quoting a writer on the town in 1901 “On the Leas on a Sunday one may see the Distinguished and the Wealthy rub shoulders in pleasant continguity, instinct with the satisfactory knowledge that they have achieved their weekly devotions and that a good dinner awaits a good appetite. The edges of the prayer books gleam along the smooth grass, the sun shines, the dresses rustle discreetly, the voices simulate the murmur of the sea…”

I am a cradle Anglican, presumably first attending church - Evensong - in my pram. My earliest memory is of standing up on the pew seat at the back of the church during the singing of the hymns and pretending to share my mother’s hymn book. She always took her own book to church, although we were neither wealthy nor distinguished! My father used those provided by the church. Oh, how I longed for a prayer book of my own.

At Christmas 1937 my wish was granted. I was given my first prayer book by my much loved older brother. It had a brown cover and the pages were edged with gilt. I was so proud of it and I used it until it was almost worn out.

In 2012 a special exhibition was held at St Paul’s Cathedral in London to celebrate the 350th anniversary of the Book of Common Prayer. Readers of the Church Times were invited to write 200 words about a prayer book that was special to them and why, which might be come part of the exhibition. On the spur of the moment I wrote about the well-worn Prayer Book that my brother had given me for Christmas in 1937 and which was so very special to me. I explained that on 21st December 1941 I had been confirmed and was so excited that, on Christmas Day, I was able to attend my first Holy Communion, with my mother and my brother, who was home on leave from the RAF, at my side. It was the first and only time that I was able to do that, as my brother returned to his RAF station on Boxing Day and we never saw him again, as he lost his life on 9th March 1942. The Prayer Book is my most prized possession, shabby and worn that it is.

To my surprise and delight I was invited to send it to be part of the exhibi-tion. I was also invited by the Precentor of St Paul’s, Canon Michael Hampel, to go to see the exhibition. On 13th May my friend, Diana Davies, and I made our way to the great cathedral, where we looked at the exhibition - there was my little brown-covered prayer book, alongside those of the great and the good - the Archbishop of Canterbury and HRH Prince Charles among them. I was very proud when, later, Canon Hampel told me that Prince Charles, who had visited the exhibition with the Duchess of Cornwall, had been very moved by my story.

I did not replace it for use until 1953 when I was given a new one to commemorate the Coronation of H.M. Queen Elizabeth II. Whereas my first book had the cipher HIS stamped on the front, the new one, which was maroon, had the royal cipher on the front and a picture of Her Majesty inside. The great change in-side was, of course, in the prayers for the Queen and the Royal Family. No longer did we pray for “our most gracious sovereign Lord, King George” and for our “gracious Queen Elizabeth, Mary the Queen Mother, the Princess Elizabeth and all the Royal Family” (Book of Common Prayer, collects for Morning and Evening Pray-er), but for “our most gracious sovereign Lady Queen Elizabeth” and for “Elizabeth the Queen Mother, Queen Mary, Philip Duke of Edinburgh, Charles Duke of Corn-wall…”The Book of Common Prayer is a history lesson in itself. My mother bought a large print hymn book in 1936, which is quite rare now, as the prayers for the Royal Family are for our “Sovereign Lord King Edward” (VIII, who was never crowned) and for Queen Mary, Albert Duke of York (later George VI) and the Duchess of York.

In the 1960s there was a revolution in the Church of England. A new Pray-er Book replaced the one that had been in use for more than 300 years. At first, these experimental services were produced in a Series of small soft covered books and the in the Alternative Service Book. That has now been superseded and the Book of Common Prayer is used only by those devoted to it. It is kept alive by the Prayer Book Society of which Prince Charles is Patron.

Most of the private prayer books also contained Hymns Ancient and Mod-ern - probably not used in any church today. The need for private prayer books was no more - except perhaps at this very time!

Dr Dawn Crouch

Westgate from another angle! Photos by Aidan

Lockdown

Lockdown

Quiet town

Long queues

Two metres apart

Messages of thanks

Straight from the heart

Rainbows in windows

Drawn by the young

Stay safe

Stay home

Do not roam

For Life is different now.

Schools are closed

Churches are silent

The bells don’t sound

So few of us around.

But we must stand together

Distanced in body

But not in mind

We will find

Time to reflect

To love and respect

The nurses, doctors and Carers

All the key workers

Working so hard

To fight this virus

In our back yard.

Waiting, waiting

Six weeks have past

The tension mounts

But change won’t be fast.

Patience, patience

look to the sky

It’s clearer now

Pollution less

Time to hear the birdsong and see nature at its best

Find time to thrive

And appreciate being alive.

Simple Acts of kindness

As you let the person behind you in the queue go first

You smile as you watch them pay

So little shopping not much of a delay.

The change you drop in the charity tin

Tied to the till with not much in.

You place some cans in the food bank trolley

As you leave the shop and just before you hop

On the bus you seethe man on the pavement

So go back and buy him tea.

The bus is full but you give up your seat

To a weary mum with a toddler at her feet.

You’re often the last to alight at your stop

Letting others go first you take your time

you smile each day to the old man you pass

You ask how he is as you walk on by.

Finally home your key in the door

You close out the bustle and traffic galore.

Fancy a cuppa dear I’ll make it.

Poems contributed by Caroline

Service for NHS Hearing Aid users There will be a weekly Hi Kent Clinic held at

Westgate Surgery -every Monday 2-3pm - for hearing aid batteries, tubes

and free advice. SUSPENDED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE

Donations of food needed for the Storehouse Foodbank, based at Birch-ington Baptist Church. Please support our local foodbank by sending do-nations of money to the PCC Treasurer who will forward the money di-rectly to the Storehouse. Please contact the Treasurer at neve389@btinternet.com for details

Thank you.

Donations Toiletries and Babies nappies for Oasis

Whilst you are welcome to take and enjoy a copy of “The Link”, donations

towards the cost of printing would be appreciated,. PRINTING IS

SUSPENDED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE

The deadline for AUGUST 2020 “The Link” is

SUNDAY 26th JULY 2020

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

We are looking for some help with cleaning our lovely church. Are you able to join us on the first Friday each month for just one hour between 9.00 and 10.00. None of the jobs are over strenuous and we would appreciate any help that you may be able to give us. It is a happy hour spent looking after God’s house. Please speak to me if you might be able to help. Thank you. Christine Bolger

Friendly Friday Corner! - : We are almost beginning yet another month of the year, and I truly hope that you are all still keeping well in these very unusual times. I thought that I would share two of the crafts that I have been working on this month with you, having mainly used materials found in my kitchen! The first craft is called Mexican Tin Art. It is a popular Art form, passed down through the generations, and dates back to the 16th century. Tin may be used to create sculptures, ornaments, picture frames etc, and often unusual or non-realistic colours are chosen to decorate the wares. I simp-ly used some old foil trays that had previously contained pies and quiches, pressed them flat, and then cut the foil into different shapes. I used a pencil to emboss a pattern. I finally used brightly coloured felt pens to colour in the carved shapes. Thus, a simple way to create something bright and cheerful! My second craft this month, was chosen to reflect summer months in England on the beach! I cut shapes of shells, crabs and starfish out of cardboard, and with some ordinary kitchen foil, I made "rolls" to "fill out" the required details. I then glued the "rolls" onto the cardboard shells, crabs and starfish, and spread the entire area of each shape with glue. Next, I gently laid coloured tissue paper over each shape, which I carefully pressed down. I then cut around the excess tissue paper of the shells, crabs and starfish to give them a good finish. Finally, I sprinkled some glitter onto each one. These are just two crafts which I feel sure the Friendly Friday Craft group would enjoy making! The seashore shapes could easily be fitted into a deep photo frame to make a lovely effect. It would make a special gift! Valerie

4 3 6 1

4 7 8 2

3 2 5 9

6 3 2 4

5 3 8 7

6 2 9 3

4 1 5 9

5 4 7 8

3 9 4 7

Glance back over June

As families began to enjoy meeting up again (though without the hugs) at the

beginning of June, the Church celebrated the visit of Mary, Mother of Jesus, to

her cousin Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist. It’s good to find resonances

with our lives today from the pages of Scripture.

In our church, June has been a time of gradual opening again, which has felt

very positive and hopeful, even though it has been only for a few hours a day.

To have people coming in for prayer has been like a new beginning and now we

are anticipating another new beginning when we open for Sunday services as

well, in July.

Many people are recognising once more how important church is to them and

we are delighted to be the first church in our area to be opening, thanks to the

commitment of those who are welcoming visitors each morning. Many thanks

to them and a big welcome to everyone who comes to visit our peaceful and

beautiful church!

Treasurer’s Report (General fund)

Unfortunately, due to details of deposit account interest not being available, it has

not been possible to provide a statement for the month of June 2020 prior to publi-

cation of this magazine. Early indications are that the deficit for the year to date

will increase to around £5000

Total assets at 1 January 2020 £80633 Total assets at 31 May 2020 £75844 With the opening of the church for Sunday worship this month (July) it is hoped that the increasing deficit will be curtailed and the finances of the church stabilised. The Storehouse (Foodbank) has also been adversely affected by the ‘lockdown’ but it is hoped that the collection of groceries can again be supported. However, the Storehouse will accept monetary donations and the church will continue to act as a focal point for receiving such donations. A total to 30 June 2020, of £1140 has been sent to the Storehouse. Please contact me via the email address below for further details if you wish to make a donation. G R Neve Hon Treasurer Email: neve389@btinternet.com

News from St Saviour’s Church of England School

My usual news from St. Saviour’s at this time of year would refer to leavers’ pro-

ductions and graduation services however this is not anyone’s idea of a usual sum-

mer term!

There are currently around one hundred children attending St. Saviour’s. We have

fifty year children and fifty Key Worker children. Children are being taught in

groups of up to twelve and there is a strict separation between the two sets of chil-

dren and their teachers. We have effectively split our staff team in half and have

separate areas of the school, staffrooms and toilets. Children do not mix between

groups and socially distance within their groups (though different age children have

differing ideas about what constitutes social distancing).

Assemblies, communal lunch time in the hall, throwing and catching games, parent

briefings, staff meetings, sports day summer fair and all church services have been

cancelled. This may all sound awful except that, what we are left with is actually

quite positive. In the absence of all the aforementioned activities we have small

groups of children being taught by a single teacher with lots of team spent outside

in gorgeous sunshine. Teachers are still planning and teaching formal lessons but,

by virtue of having much smaller groups, learning is more relaxed.

We have held back three teachers to produce the weekly remote learning activities

for the children currently not attending. Children are accessing weekly sixty page

powerpoints which inform the completion of a daily written task for English and

maths. When these tasks are completed online, teachers are marking this work

and providing feedback comments when they have finished their ‘in-person’ teach-

ing of Year 6 or Key Worker children. Our Deputy Headteacher, Mr Arnold has

been hand-delivering physical packs of work for families not able to access online

resources and I have been delivering free school meals vouchers to families with no

email access. All staff are working full days in school and the school has been open

to Key Worker families (including holidays) since March. I feel honoured to be able

to provide a consistent service to Key Workers of all designations as it is they who

have kept us safe, healthy and fed for the duration of this crisis.

I am very lucky to be serving a community who have appreciated our efforts over

the last twelve or so weeks. The support and kind words from families really have

meant a lot to us (not to mention the cakes !).

Children have shown great resilience in coping with the events since March and

have continued to work hard, whether at home or in school. I am very aware that

there is a group of children who are neither attending school nor engaging with the

remote learning materials; these children really have missed out on a huge amount

of learning and will need intensive support over the coming years to fill this gap. In

many cases, these children were already our most marginalised and lowest achiev-

ers – I do hope the government delivers on its promise to provide the resources to

schools to address this issue.

Though this period has brought out the best in our community, as a staff team we

are well aware that families in our local area will have lost loved ones recently. My

one wish is that we are able to find our way out of this crisis without further loss of

life. I would like to thank everyone connected to St. Saviour’s: the children, fami-

lies, staff and providers of essential services for their hard work over the last three

months.

Nick Bonell, Headteacher

A summer's day in 1967-: During this period of "lock down", I have had much opportunity to sift through various boxes and tins, to discover what they may contain, and to hopefully find any forgotten "treasures"! I came across an old business card of the guest house in Westbrook, in which we used to spend our summer holidays in the 1960's and 1970's. My father had safely kept the card since 1967, and gave it to me just be-fore he died in 2017. The story begins during the school summer holidays of 1967, when my father drove my mother., myself and my younger sister to Canterbury to visit the cathedral. After a very impressive visit, we continued further with our journey, finally reaching our destination at Westbrook Beach! (This was my very first visit to the area). We chatted with another family next to us on the beach, and the mother told us that she was a waitress at a very comfortable guest house, just along the way at Hatfeild Road. Armed with the guest house's business card, we viewed the location and the house, prior to our return, and were very impressed. Once home, my father wrote to the proprietress, and we were booked in for the summer of 1968! This was the beginning of many happy holidays at "Sonia", a Vic-torian house in Hatfeild Road. It was friendly and comfortable, and the food was of a very high standard. It was a quick and easy walk to the beach, and I have to smile when I see the word "yards" on the card, used as a measurement! We always trav-elled further afield during our stay, and visited many different places including Minster Abbey, where my father gave the nuns packets of seeds. He continued to do this each year! I am pleased to say that Hatfeild Road has remained unchanged in appearance, but the once many guest houses are long gone, and have become ordinary dwell-ings, mainly in multiple occupation, such as "Sonia". However, the Victorian path leading to the front door remains, albeit somewhat cracked in places! I always felt sad at leaving Margate and it's surroundings each summer, but on the 24th February. 2017, Brian and I came to Westgate-on-Sea to live. It was almost 50 years since my father was given the business card for Hatfeild Road. A chance en-counter on a busy beach on a summer's day in 1967, would change my future! Take care, see you all soon, love Valerie

Westgate-on-Sea Heritage Centre by Dr Dawn Crouch

The Heritage Centre has continued to function although, at present, we have not been able to hold any meetings. We pray that they will be able to be resumed soon, especially as rules concerning the opening of the church have been relaxed. Of course, we have to be guided by the decisions of the PCC. Please look out for notices on notice boards and on our website.

One of the sad things for us during lock down has been the inability to com-memorate special events such as the 80th anniversaries of Dunkirk and the Evacua-tion of the Westgate children, and the Battle of Britain and the 75th anniversary of VE Day.

For me, the saddest anniversary that will be missed is the centenary on 11th July of the erection of the War Memorial tablet to those who died in the Great War. There can only ever be one centenary for most of us! However, it will be marked in some low key way. I know that we can rely on Christine, our member-ship Secretary and Churchwarden, to light a candle on that day - it is a Saturday. It is a very great wish of mine that somehow I will be able to get to church to light one also for the Memorial tablet has a great deal of meaning for me. In November 2000, I gave a talk on the Memorial Chapel and tablet, for which I began my re-search on the men whose names are on it. I have, with the help of my good friend and fellow member of the Heritage Centre, James Brazier, continued that research - and indeed we still are doing so. In 2000 the day after the talk, Fr Stanley con-ducted a Eucharist in the Chapel to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the very first service to be held there. I pray that the situation in this coming November may be quite different from what it is now, so that appropriate commemorations may be held then.

The relevant correspondence and faculty papers are in the Diocesan Ar-chives’ Office at Canterbury and include detailed drawings of the design of the tablet*, which was to be the first part of the project of erecting a War Memorial Chapel.

(Refs DRO/U3/272/6/B13 and Dcb/Ef Westgate St Saviour’s Faculties No 12)

You might like to read the report of the event, as written in the Isle of Thanet Ga-zette 17th July 1920, p. 6. column (b)

MEN FALLEN IN THE WAR - DEDICATION OF MEMORIAL TABLET

“An impressive service was held in the St Saviour’s Church Westgate-on-Sea on Sunday (11th July) on the occasion of the unveiling and dedication of the memorial tablet erected to the memory of the men of Westgate who fell in the war. All the ex-servicemen, firemen and ambulance men lined up outside the Town Hall and marched to the church. The service was conducted by the Bishop of Croydon

(Croydon was then part of the Diocese of Canterbury and in 1920 the Suffragen Bishop was the Rt Revd Henry Pereira), assisted by the Rev. C. Pendock-Banks (Vicar), the Rev. H.A. Bull (Rural Dean) the Revd P.A Underhill and the Rev E.P. Per-ry (Congregational Minister). As the ministers and the choir, preceded by the Bish-op, proceeded up the nave, the congregation sang, “For all the saints who from their labours rest.” The 23rd Psalm (the Lord is my Shepherd) was sung, after which the Vicar said that the tablet was the first part of the memorial; to be erected to the Westgate men, who had given their lives in the Great War between the years 1914 and 1918. He read out the names inscribed on the tablet, numbering seventy-eight. The Bishop gave the opening prayer and the Rev E. Perry read the lesson.

The Bishop then proceeded to the tablet, which is situated on the wall of the north aisle. It is composed of three bronze panels, on which the names are inscribed and is on a foundation of carved English oak. He removed the Union Jack which screened the tablet and pronounced the dedication, after which an ex-serviceman sounded the Last Post”.

The seventy-five year old Bishop preached a typically Victorian sermon** on sacrifice, which many would find difficult to accept today. However, his concluding words were, it seems to me, very relevant for this time of Covid 19. “Through your failures, loss, agony and tears, God is calling you to a new acceptance of Christ’s teaching of life. Are you going to heed the call?”

**If there is anyone who would like to read the entire sermon - it’s not very long in fact - please tell Christine and I will make arrangements for you to have a copy

*The faculty papers give details of the tablet:

Total depth 2ft 7ins; width 5ft 1in; three panels for names, 27 in the left and cen-tre, and 21 in the right; figures to be in low relief and the vine pattern to be used on the border

CHURCH ACTIVITIES

Bellringers Practice every Thursday 7.30 to 9pm.

Bible Study Group meet Thursday at 7pm, details & inquiries ring

Susan 836430 .

The Westgate Heritage Centre

OPEN on the First Saturday of the month 10am to 12 noon at 10.30am TALK

Refreshments available.

Church Cleaning 9am to 10am on the 1st Friday of the month.

The Friends of St Saviour’s Church - Annual Membership Fee only £2

New members welcome. Join the Friends of St Saviour’s church Subscription

only £2 per year . All monies raised go towards the upkeep of the church and

grounds. Membership forms at the back of the church or ring

Christine Attwood Tel 833314 email cattwood2002@yahoo.co.uk

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

ALL ACTIVITIES ARE SUSPENDED UNTIL

FURTHER NOTICE

St Saviour’s Church has a Hearing Loop System

Large print Hymn Books and Pew Sheets are available.

Gluten Free wafers are also available please see Sidespersons or Churchward-

ens

CHURCH SERVICES

Sunday Services

8am Said Eucharist Book of Common Prayer

10.30am Sung Eucharist

10.30am First Sunday of the month FAMILY COMMUNION

SEE NOTICES FOR SERVICES

COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES

1st Westgate Rainbows Fridays 4.15 to 5.15pm

8th Westgate Brownies & Guides Fridays 5.30 to 7pm

Brownies for ages 7 to 10 years Guides for 10 to 16 years

Both held at the Community Centre, Westgate.

COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES SUSPENDED UNTIL FURTHER

NOTICE