Drop by church for snowdrops
ADEVON deputy churchwarden is taking orders for snowdrops – to be collected from his Dartmoor church when lockdown restrictions are eased.
Tony Parker is deputy churchwarden at the Chapel of St Raphael at Huccaby, an idyllic spot on Dartmoor next to the River Dart.
In normal times, around 1,000 people a year visit at this time of year to see the snowdrops, which grow abundantly in the churchyard.
The retired police officer from Sunderland says the best time to see them is from the beginning of February to Mothering Sunday in March.
And while local people taking their daily exercise can still enjoy the flowers, visitors from further away, who often make the trip, will miss out this year.
Mr Parker, who generally pots up around 1,500 snowdrop bulbs every year for people to take home in exchange for a donation, is now taking reservations for collection, once travel restrictions allow. He believes the snowdrops, also known as Candlemas Bells, probably pre-date the Victorian chapel building, which used to double up as the village school. He said: “I’m down at the chapel a lot and I noticed a lot of people visiting. People come because it’s peaceful and they love looking at the snowdrops. I thought it was an opportunity, and the Visitors to Pilgrims project was born.”
Each pot that he labels up has a small heart on it.
The chapel is the only Anglican one in the UK to be dedicated to St Raphael, patron saint of travellers, whose name means healing, or God heals.
Mr Parker says many visitors to the chapel write prayers on the prayer tree inside and come back for the monthly services.
“That’s the sort of thing that keeps me going, when the visitors come back.
“We had a postman from Plymouth who used to come walking here after his night shift and ended up getting married here and having his reception here.
“He went on to do a Start Course [introduction to the Christian faith] with us.”
The chapel is big on welcome, with regular humorous signs outside, a composting toilet, dog-poo bags for dog walkers and puncture repair kits for cyclists.
Unusually for a church, it has a wood-burning stove inside and is open every day of the year for prayer and reflection. “People come for twilight, to light a candle and sit by the fire,” Mr Parker added. “I think they are just pleased to find a church that is open here.”