St Mabyn Celebrates!

"Celebrations" was the title chosen for the three day festival of flowers and crafts held in St Mabyn Parish Church as the village has had a lot to celebrate this year. The two year project to raise funds for the restoration of the medieval parish church is coming to a successful close, the Scouts are nearing completion of the extension to their hut, providing proper toilet faculties, the Pre-School is now holding five morning sessions per week and the Post Office will not be closed - good news indeed!.
Organised by the Friends of St Mabyn the church offered a stunning display of floral art, and intricate and beautiful crafts as well as refreshments for visitors who came from far and wide. The evening of the first day ended with a hilarious "duck race" at Hellandbridge followed by a barbecue at Menkee, home of Friends Chairman Liz Williams, where a cheque for £20,000 was presented to Appeal Chairman Abigail Kirby-Harris.. Commented Liz, "the Friends was formed mainly to help with the costs of the maintenance of this much-loved building and our membership is drawn from a very wide area, mainly people who aren't able to attend services regularly but who wish to contribute, but the need to repair the roof has had to take precedence"
Friends' Treasurer Carol Grigg organised the teams who mounted the displays, which depicted personal and religious celebrations - baptism, confirmation, wedding and graduation, and also Christmas, Easter and Whitsun. The garden of Churchwarden John Lobb, Chairman of St Mabyn Garden Club provided the wonderful selection of fruits and vegetables arranged round the font, to depict "harvest" and also the swags of grapes which adorned the entrance gates to the porch. Postmistress Laura Brown sponsored a striking display in celebration of the Post Office - truly the heart of the village.
The Deanery Choir, under the leadership of Peter Meanwell and accompanied by Andrew Millington led the Songs of Praise on Saturday evening, with hymns chosen by members of the congregation and the whole Festival concluded with a choral evensong. Chairman of the Restoration Appeal, Abigail Kirby-Harris, thanked the Friends for all their hard work and support and said "we look forward now to the scaffolding coming down and preparing to celebrate the Feast Day of our Patron Saint, Mabena, in November when the Appeal will be formally closed by Sir David Brewer our Appeal Patron and saying a big "thankyou" to our supporters and benefactors, from far and wide"
AKH