Sutton Bonington Mike Elliott 0115 937 6506 elliottnews@btconnect.com
WHIST. It was David Gee’s turn to do well at the Whist Drive held on Monday 15th May as he came first in the Whist, and then in the following Raffle, his ticket was the first to be drawn, nineteen players attending.
Whist winners were David Gee 176, Bill Kyle 171, Terry Herrett 168, Doreen Wright 167, Joan Kyle 166 and Pat Perry 166.
Henry Everitt went home with the Consolation prize, a packet of Blackcurrant Cheesecakes.
Raffle prizes were won by David Gee, Dorothy Winfield and Doreen Wright.
Our next Whist Drive will be held on the Spring Bank Holiday Monday, May 29, starting at 7.30 pm as usual.
CHURCHES TO OPEN DUIRING THE DAY. Sutton Bonington St Anne’s Church continues to be open each day during daylight hours and the positive comments in the visitor’s book bear witness to how much this is appreciated say churchwardens David Etherton and Jill Crawford.
In the annual report for the church for 2016 the churchwardens says their weekly Wednesday morning Holy Communion, Book of Common Prayer, service continues to be well supported, as does the winter programme of Sunday services. The winter programme of Sunday services started after Remembrance Sunday and we move back to St Michael’s for main services on Palm Sunday.
On the question of maintenance, the report says Church and Churchyard upkeep and maintenance kept them busy as they arranged outstanding electrical testing and the necessary repair work.
The highlight was receiving the £31,000 grant from the Roof Repair Fund in 2015 for repairs and replacement of stonework and guttering and down pipes. Ridge tiles, bellcote stonework, coping stones and the ironwork are now replaced and repaired by the contractors who eventually returned in December 2016 to complete some outstanding repairs.
The report says the major task of re plastering of the internal west wall has settled well and now repainted and has brighten up the church. The vestry is being smartened up with the damaged plaster replaced and a programme of re decoration in hand. Hopefully this will be completed by early summer.
The churchyard is well maintained with Ladybug Services keeping it in good order. The village Greening Group has helped clear the graveyard extension and produced a plan of design and planting that will improve the area.
The churchwardens give thanks and say they are most grateful for the volunteers who ensure the church is clean and well provided with flowers.
NO IMMEDIATE PLANS FOR DEVELOPMENT. There are no immediate plans for any further major development at the Sutton Bonington campus of Nottingham University.
And with no plans for major expansion of the campus comes confirmation that in terms of the numbers of students it is again not expected figures will rise sharply.
The most recent on -site development of The Barn tremendously well received and accepted and the award winning building has drawn scores of expressions of praise from all quarters.
Currently it is understood there are 550 staff based at the Sutton Bonington campus, along with 1500 students of whom 560 are living on campus.
The Campus and its many activities is an asset to Sutton Bonington and many local residents are involved in some of the life on site.
The countryside location of the Campus makes it an ideal home for the School of Biosciences and the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science – the latter being launched 11 years ago and was the UK’s first new Vet School since the 1950’s. In all the campus covers around 100 acres and it has start-of-the-art teaching and research facilities and an excellent sports centre.
CONTRIBUTIONS TO CHURCHES. The annual Planned Giving Report for last year for the parish churches of St Anne’s and St Michael’s at Sutton Bonington shows an increase in the number of people giving – but only by one.
The report. By Barbara Ball, the Planned Giving Secretary, says at the start of last year they had 76 regular contributors, 6 of whom contribute solely to the Fabric Fund. Included in the total are 4 non-tax paying contributors. And during the year they did gain 1 new contributor.
“In 2016 we received £18,172 gift-aided monies of which £1,160 was restricted to the Fabric Fund. We reclaimed £4,524 tax back of which £325 was restricted. We also received £604 from our regular non-gift aided contributors.
During the year we had 26 yellow gift-aid envelopes completed by visitors to the church in which was £311” if possible for visitors to have their attention drawn to them way they can help the church.
Donors can specify if they want their contribution to be restricted to the Fabric Fund and not to go into the general fund.
Last year from July to December the church claimed Gift Aid on the weekly collections. “This is the first time we have done this and we received £377 back from the tax man!. We hope to be able to go back and claim for the first half of the year.”
EASTER JOURNEY SUCCESS. The recent Easter Journey event staged in Sutton Bonington was another success, says parish churchwarden Beth Clarke,
There were classes from Primary schools at Normanton on Soar, Sutton Bonington, Brookside, Lantern Lane school;s at East Leake, Long Whatton and Kegworth. The Baptist Church Youth Groups and House Groups also visited.
Beth says the sessions went really well, and it was obvious the children, their teachers and helpers greatly enjoyed it.
The story unfolds as the children start on the road into Jerusalem where they wait for Jesus to arrive. Then they go into the temple courtyard where Jesus comes and overturns the money changers’ tables. Then they sit for the parable of the vineyard and the stone that the builders’ rejected. After that it is upstairs to the Upper Room all laid out for the Last Supper when the Passover is explained and they get the chance to eat some Charoset. The children watch as Jesus washes Peter’s feet.
Then they follow into the Garden of Gethsemane where they hear wild animals and people running and shouting as Jesus is arrested. A power point presentation of aspects of the trial and crucifixion follows and Mary and Peter come in to explain how upset they are, then it is into the Easter Garden and they hear that God has stepped in and Jesus is alive!
Adds Beth: “It is hard work going through it several times, but so worthwhile when the children are obviously getting so much out of it.”