St. Pauls Blog

Those eagle-eyed and observant among you may have noticed a new addition to the wall by the entrance to St. Paul's Church in Warton. After initially being contacted by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) last year, the PCC agreed to the erection of a sign at our main entrance identifying that our churchyard contains the graves of those that fell in the First World War and since. The CWGC has now completed their work and the new sign can be seen in the picture below.

But who are the 3 brave men who now lay at rest in our churchyard? The CWGC lists them as:

D SLATER, Private, Service Number: 18892 of The Loyal North Lancashire Regiment, United Kingdom.

Died 14 February 1919, 27 years old.

EDWARD SNAPE, Private, Service Number: CH/2258(S) of the Royal Marine Light Infantry, H.Q. (Chatham), United Kingdom. 

Died 16 November 1918, 24 years old.

JAMES CROSS, Private, Service Number: 181038 of the Machine Gun Corps (Infantry), Home Bn., United Kingdom.

Died 28 October 1918, 34 years old.

Click on the names above to view their information on the CWGC website.

If you want to find out more about the CWGC and its work please visit their website:

https://www.cwgc.org/who-we-are/

Update as of 26th August 2019:

As some of you may have noticed work has now started on the repairs to the church roof. Scaffolding has gone up and the start of the actual repairs is imminent so please stay safe when in the churchyard by following the signs that have been placed near the entrances and any directions given by the workmen on site.

During this period service locations have been changed as follows:

The Sunday 0945 service will take place at the usual time but in The Village Hall.

Other Sunday services will be held at Holy Trinity Church in Freckleton which is our sister church.

The Wednesday morning 0930 service will take place at the usual time but in The Vicarage on Church Road (opposite the entrance by Church Gardens).

Please keep checking the Church Noticeboard for any further updates. 

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Update as of 28th July 2019:

Further funding has been received and work is set to start on the roof at some time after the 18th August 2019. Many thanks for all who have supported our fundraising efforts so far.

During the period of the repairs Church Services and other events will be relocated so please check this website, the Church News Sheet or the Church Notice Board for details.

There will also be a 1/2 Boon Day on Saturday 10th August to help prepare the Church for the repair work so all are welcome from 1pm on that day to support that work.

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St. Paul’s roof is leaking and is in desperate need of renovation. We have been raising funds to pay for this roof project for over five years.

We have held a number of community events that have been very enjoyable and have helped to raise money including, the InUnison, Oktoberfest and Gemma Doyle concerts. The Christmas market has also been a popular event. We have also received generous gifts, donations and legacies that have enabled us to make progress towards our target.

However, we are unable to start work on the roof until we have all the funds in place. Unfortunately, although we have made steady progress, we are still have a long way to go to reach our target.

In recent weeks we have approached a number of different organisations to seek their support. I am pleased to report that three organisations have awarded us varying amounts of money for the project.

1) We have approached house building companies in the village, and have received a donation of £250 from Miller Homes who are currently developing the Blackfield Green site on Church Road.

2) We have received a grant from the Duchy of Lancaster Benevolent Fund. This award was for £1,000. This is a charity set up with the consent of Her Majesty The Queen to benefit causes primarily within the County Palatine.

3) We have also received a grant of £2,200 from Allchurches Trust which is one of the UK's largest grant-making charities and gave £15.6 million to churches, charities and communities in 2017. Its funds come from its ownership of the ‘Ecclesiastical Insurance Group’.

These grants are in addition to an earlier grant from a local charity, the ‘George and Maisie Blackburn Fund’ (George’s Garage) who awarded us £5,000 last year.

As a result the total for the grants that St. Paul’s roof fund has received, to date, stands at £8,450.

A big Thank You to everyone who has supported us through either direct donations or by supporting our fundraising activies. There's plenty more to do and we will keep you updated on progress.

Ian Fraser, Church Warden

Recently a local amateur photographer sent us this fabulous night-time picture of our Church.

Here, in Jon Byles Hardman's own words, is how he came to take it:

"Hi Mike.

We heard that you weren't feeling too good, so thought you might appreciate a smile.

Firstly, Milly's christening went very well, and the service was lovely. Many thanks to your "stand-in" on the day, who was brilliant. If you can let him know that the hot pot was excellent, and its a shame he couldn't join us....

Anyhow, completely unrelated, you may remember that it snowed a few weeks ago, and after our chat about me wanting to get a long exposure photograph of the church, I considered it a great opportunity.

I didn't get out of our house till quite late on, however, when I got to the church thee was a beautiful layer of snow on the ground, the roof, and a dusting on all the brickwork. The floodlights were lighting it up superbly, and the scene resembled the perfect Christmas scene for a Christmas card. You get the idea.

I set up my tripod, correct lens on camera, ISO and aperture settings checked, lens cap off, remote shutter release in hand, I raise my thumb to depress the shutter......and........ YOUR FLOODLIGHTS TURNED OFF !

I now realise that they must be on a timer, and 10.30 pm is their time for switching off.

I'll be honest, it made me laugh, despite the frostbitten fingers....

So, I ventured out last night. No snow I'm afraid, however I got a shot which I quite like.

It's on my Flickr page if you want to have a look. https://flic.kr/p/E4yYRf

If you'd like a print of it, let me know,

And please feel free to put it on the website if you see fit. 

As I'm a bit of a perfectionist, I've got another one, which is slightly lighter, so its up to you which you think works best. (sending separately, as Gmail doesnt like large files)

On a serious note, its a beautiful church, and I hope the pic does it justice. I hope to get some more soon, and would love to get some of the interior at some point.

Hope you are feeling better, and hope to speak soon

Thanks

Jon Byles Hardman"

Whenever you want to purchase anything online please go to http://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/stpaulspreston and not only will you get a great discount yourself but hundreds of companies will give money to Church. You can even help raise funds by using their search engine, for further details please contact Margaret Jacob on 01772 679665.

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