St Mabyn celebrates

The conclusion of a major fund-raising Appeal to complete the restoration of the roof of St Mabyn parish Church was celebrated with the dedicating of a slate plaque at a special service conducted by the Archdeacon of Bodmin, the Venerable Clive Cohen, assisted by the Reverend Margaret Millson, Prebendary Roger Urwin, the Rev John Brendon-Cooke and Peter Coster. The large church was filled with residents, donors, representatives of various grant-giving bodies and a large contingent from the village (church) school and a selection of musical items presented. Readers were Sir David Brewer, Patron of the Appeal and Abigail Kirby-Harris, Chairman of the fund-raising committee who commented "it is such a delight to have so many with us to celebrate this historic day and we all hope that our work will last for a further six hundred years!" The service was followed by a buffet luncheon in the Village Hall where the special cake, made by Rachel Grigg, representing St Mabyn Young Farmers Club, was cut by Mrs Gill Henchley, former Headteacher at the School and Mrs Daphne Puttock who holds the post today. During both the first and second stages of the Appeal, which has spanned twenty years children from the school have played an active part in the fund-raising efforts. Mrs Nancy Phillips, who with her sister Diana Treffry was baptised and then later married in the Church took this last opportunity to dedicate slates in memory of her parents who were married in the Church on Valentine's Day 1934. Many donors and benefactors have commemorated significant family occasions by recording the names on "slates" and this illustration, drawn by local artist David Chadwick will go off to be framed and then hung in the Church as a permanent memorial to all these former residents.
Abigail Kirby-Harris