Appeal

Above all, for its beautiful tower, one of the highest in the county, the church of St Mabyn is conspicuous" so wrote Cyrus Redding in his illustrated Itinerary of Cornwall, published in 1848. Apart from restoration work in 1884, nothing has changed to detract from that description since the church was built towards the end of the fifteenth century. It remains as a constant reminder of the dedicated artistry and architectural excellence of the medieval master church builders. Thus wrote Mike O'Connor the former Times journalist, in 1986 when he lived at Menydown Cottage and agreed to write a short history of the Church for the benefit of the Roof Appeal, which was tasked with raising the (then) enormous sum of £20,000 for Phase One of the repairs to the roof (at that time it was still possible to buy a cottage in the village for around £30,000!) I acted as Secretary to that Roof Appeal Committee, most ably chaired by Reg Fanner, a retired very senior policeman, whose daughter and son-in-law owned the holiday park. I have had a very nostalgic time going through the files and reflecting on the many changes (the O'Connors, the Farmers, and the Barnes's have all moved away and all the businesses have changed hands at least once) but also the continuity: the thermometer made by Tony Dickinson is still in excellent shape and with a few alterations will go up again, David Chadwick (who made the original drawing of the roof slope for the Buy-a-slate) has kindly agreed to draw another, Richard Church our architect is still with the Bazeley Partnership and will supervise the works, our church is still a very favourite landmark, the village community still a lovely place to live and there are still many residents who were involved with Phase One, though reading the names on the "slates" (hanging in the church) is a very poignant experience as we remember the ones no longer with us. During the intervening twenty years, many, many repairs and maintenance jobs have been carried out, often by John Lobb, our dedicated (and capable!) Churchwarden and his helpers, but the time has come when we can no longer ignore the very pressing advice in the latest quinquennial inspection, carried out in 2003 and this time we need £107,000.
We have formed a committee to co-ordinate the activities, and we intend to use the tried and tested formula of a mixture of grant applications, individual benevolence, and community events. We would also like to devise some sort of permanent memorial in the Church for those who would like to make a significant donation, perhaps to commemorate a loved one.
Twenty years ago we had the St Mabyn Players, a Football Club, a Tennis Club and a Village Amenity Association (formed to establish a proper play area and football pitch in the King George Playing Field and renovate the grass tennis court) but now we have a Garden Club, a Playgroup, a Scouts/Cubs/Beavers and a Friends of St Mabyn Church - and not least, we also have Gift Aid! Twenty years ago we held an Its a Knockout, a Variety Show, a Sponsored Tennis Tournament, a Sponsored Snookerthon, Beetle Drives (to name just a few) and a then resident entered the London Marathon, with the Roof Appeal as his designated charity. Many individuals and organisations held events, some on a fifty/fifty basis and there was a terrific sense of community and fellowship. Whilst we all worked hard, we also enjoyed ourselves! We hope to achieve the same again this time, and are delighted that the Garden Club have agreed to hold a Garden Safari (May Day weekend next year), the Allen Valley Singers will put on a concert, the School are putting together a display for inside the Church and the Friends, who have been so stalwart since they were set up only a couple of years ago, also have a programme of events in the pipeline.
Together we can do it, I know, and I should be delighted to hear from anyone who would like to be involved in any way (ideas are always welcome!) Jennifer Tarring, our Secretary is on 01208 841329 and I am on 01208850651.
ABIGAIL KIRBY-HARRIS CHAIRMAN RESTORATION APPEAL COMMITTEE