Church Anniversary Proposals

Council considers town crier proposal

CIVIC occasions in Malvern could be enlivened by the presence of a town crier, if an idea currently being mooted by the town council comes to fruition.

The idea rose out of discussions between Malvern Town Council and Malvern Civic Society about the Civic Week, which starts tomorrow (Saturday, June 25).

The civic society has hired town crier Mike Fray to lead the opening procession and to walk up and down Church Street announcing the events of the week.

But this week, council members were discussing whether to make a more permanent arrangement for a town crier.

At Wednesday's meeting of the council's policy and resources committee, town clerk Richard Chapman told members that it should be possible to hire a town crier for a retaining fee of about £200 a year, to 'cry' at major town events such as Malvern In Bloom, the Mayor's August bank holiday event, and the Christmas lights switch-on.

At the meeting, Roger Sutton of the civic society said: "Since we arranged the town crier for Civic Week, we have had a lot of support for the idea from the various organisations taking part."

And Dr John Harcup said: "I think the idea is an excellent one. A town crier would add gravitas to occasions such as last year's anniversary at Great Malvern station."

In his initial report to members, Mr Chapman said that a set of robes for the crier would cost £1,700. But at this week's meeting he told members that robes could be hired from Malvern Theatres' costume department for as little at £10 per day.

Committee members supported the idea, and authorised Mr Chapman to investigate further.

* For more on Civic Week see this week's Malvern Gazette.

MPs Slam Proposals to Close Coastguard Centres | Scilly Today

Lives will be lost if the government forges ahead with its “seriously flawed” proposals to modernise the coastguard service, says a cross-party group of MPs.

The six Coalition and five Labour MPs on the Transport Select Committee have slammed plans by ministers to close ten Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centres and cut to three the number operating around the clock. The plans include downgrading Falmouth Coastguard to a daytime-only base with evening support for Scilly coming from Hampshire.

Their main concerns are the impact on rescue operations of loss of local knowledge – some Falmouth staff have come to Scilly in the past to get a feeling for our seascape.

The report says the evidence received raises serious concerns that safety will be jeopardised if these proposals proceed and rationalising the number of centres will reduce the quality and rate of exchange of information, particularly at key points when information must be passed swiftly in order to save lives.

The MPs are not convinced that technology can compensate for the loss of local knowledge and they fear the proposals place too much reliance on volunteer coastguards and pay too little attention to the safety of leisure craft and small fishing vessels.

They were disappointed that Shipping Minister, Mike Penning, told regular coastguards not to give oral evidence to the committee as they were junior civil servants.

One MP who has voiced her concerns is Sheryll Murray, Conservative MP for South East Cornwall, whose constituency is covered by the under threat Brixham station. She says the consultation document is ill-thought out and the minister should “tear it up.”

Mrs Murray’s fisherman husband Neil died at sea in March after getting into trouble aboard his trawler.

Peasants, Warriors, and Wives, Popular Imagery in the Reformation

Historical discourse delivered at the centennial anniversary of the Congregational Church, Candia, N.H., April 5, 1871

The two hundredth anniversary of the First Congregational Church of Haddam, Connecticut, October 14th and 17th, 1900, Church organized, 1696. Pastor installed, 1700

Commemorative services of the First Church in Newton, Massachusetts, on the occasion of the two hundred and twenty-fifth anniversary of its foundation

Proceedings of the centennial anniversary of the First Presbyterian Church, Troy, N.Y., December 30 and 31, 1891