Church says thanks a bunch to Railway Rev
Flower festival in honour of Teddy Boston
CLOUDS of flowers will fill Cadeby Church in a commemorative flower festival to mark the 30th anniversary of the death of the Reverend Teddy Boston.
Full Steam Ahead! this Saturday and Sunday will feature a dozen special arrangements created by members of Earl Shilton Flower Club, along with personal memorabilia, archive films and displays.
Rector of Cadeby from 1959 to 2016, Rev Boston was famous for running the Cadeby Light Railway around the grounds of The Old Rectory and a large model railway from a garden shed.
Friends with Thomas the Tank Engine author the Reverend Wilbert Awdry, he was the inspiration for the Fat Clergyman in the children’s book Duke the Lost Engine.
For villagers, many of whom still remember him with affection, he was also a much-loved parish priest.
The two-day event, which is being co-ordinated by village volunteers, is their way of paying tribute to his memory.
Some arrangements will be based on Rev Boston’s favourite steam engines, and others evocatively entitled Shovel the Coal, Shine the Brass and Steaming On.
Displays will include memorabilia loaned by Rev Boston’s widow Audrey, including photographs from their wedding at Cadeby Church in 1974 and archive cine footage - digitised to be screened on a loop - of church and village events during his tenure.
Although the train tracks and rolling stock are long gone, visitors will be welcome to the grounds of The Old Rectory, where refreshments will be served.
The church will be open from 10am until 6pm both days and money raised from donations and the sale of souvenir programmes will go towards church funds.
In addition to the daytime festival, visitors are invited to join a service of evensong on the Sunday at 6pm, which will be led by Teddy’s nephew, the Reverend Jonathan Boston, and attended by members of the Boston family.