It’s the Bells!! Don’t be surprised if you hear our bell at 8.00am on the morning of 27 July as the whole nation is invited to ring all the bells in the country to mark the first day of the Olympics 2012.

The bells are to be rung for three minutes and they can range from church bells to school bells, bicycle bells, door bells, although it might be wise to exercise a dash of caution with this last suggestion! www.allthebells.com

Members of the Present Committee John Foulsham, (Chairman) jcfoulsham@gmail.com 202594

Daphne Foulsham, (Hon Sec.) daphne@dfoulsham.freeserve.co.uk 202594

Monica Cassels, (Hon.Treasurer) monicacassels@yahoo.co.uk 202962

Jackie Squance, (Flowers) j.squance@sky.com 561597

Stephanie Harley, (Flowers) stephanie.harley@btinternet.com 229045

Michael Baxter, (Albury Estate) mbaxter@alburyestate.co.uk 202323

Rev. Andrew Pearson, (Curate) rev.a.m.pearson@btinternet.com 203220

Roy Hogben, (Publications) royhogben@alburypark.com 202636

On 14 June the Saxon Church will play host to 40 members of the Georgian Society and a number of scholars from the SPAB, (Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings)

These scholarly visits play an important role as they are organised under the auspices of the CCT and are primarily concerned with the fabric of the building and its future. Their observations and comments are taken into account for future budget considerations.

Monday 4 June “Monday-in-the-Park” Service 5.15 p.m. to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, followed by the parish BBQ. Sunday 24 June Midsummer Service 11.00 a.m. followed by light refreshments Sunday 15 July 2 - 5 pm Vale End, Albury - NGS Garden Opening with home-made teas to raise funds for the Old Church. Sunday 23 December Candle-lit Carol Service at 5.00 p.m. followed by mulled wine and mince pies.

Services and Events for 2012

Scholarly Visits

Newsletter

The Friends of Albury Old Saxon

Church

First Edition, Spring - Summer 2012

A very warm welcome to all of our new Friends Since our launch in March of this year we have been encouraged that more than 40 Friends have joined what we hope and expect will be a growing number of supporters of our beautiful Old Church in Albury Park.

Twice a year we have to send a count of visitors to the Churches Conservation Trust. Looking through the pages of the visitors book we find that people travel from far and wide and certainly from the other side of the world to come to Albury. Of course many names are local, some arrive in groups, maybe walkers or U3A or students, but again many just slip in for a short time of quiet reflection. Next time you are there glance through the visitors book to see the lovely comments that have been written on the beauty, peace and tranquility of the place. Often there are complimentary remarks on the skill of the flower arrangers, maybe you are one of them, and if you are then a very big thank you from us all.

The church at Albury was vested in the CCT, (the Churches Conservation Trust) in 1974 and a small local

committee was formed to keep the church clean, to arrange flowers and generally make the church welcome for visitors. One member of the committee was Charles Walmsley who was a resident at the Albury Park Mansion and you can find a picture of Charles on the wall just inside the church door. It was he who in those early days researched and compiled the excellent publications that you find on the table. The money generated from the sale of these publications has helped with expenses such as mowing and printing, leaving any spare to be sent to the CCT.

As the church is vested in the CCT they oversee a l l maintenance and activities at the church and we keep in

Rev. Ken Hobbs presenting our cheque for £1,000 to Crispin Truman, CCT

the church and we keep in

close touch with John Vigar, the Development Manager for our area. John has the care of many churches, three of which are in Surrey, St George’s - Esher, the miniscule Lumley chapel (St Dunstan’s) - Cheam and us. The churches complement each other well as St George’s and the Lumley chapel are in busy shopping areas whereas St Peter and St Paul lies in the beautiful rural surroundings of Albury Park.

Over the years we have held flower festivals, concerts, art exhibitions and several other events that have enabled us to raise money for specific additions or restorations to the church, notably the handsome weather vane and the wrought iron bird doors so expertly crafted in 1985 by Peter Parkinson who also made the flower pedestal which is used on special occasions.

Our last addition to the church was the calling bell which gently rings out across the park calling those coming to worship. Events, together with money from the wall safe, have generated much needed funds for the CCT, and last year, after our midsummer service, we were able to present a cheque for £1,000 to the CCT Chief Executive Crispin Truman.

As this year is so very full of events with The Queen’s Jubilee and The Olympics we are having a quieter year at the church. There will still be several marriage blessing services, some for newly weds but sometimes to celebrate silver or golden weddings.

We very much hope that we will see you at some time during the year.

Daphne Foulsham (Hon. Secretary)

Drummond Chapel, South Fenestration

Fundraising & The Drummond Chapel

Over the last 10 years, more than £10,000 has been raised for specific items for the church or general fundraising for the CCT. However, the next major area of consideration must be the Drummond Chapel. This is in fairly critical need of a full restoration and conservation programme. The scale of works that are required will involve organising large scale grants from a number of different sources, apart from the CCT. Editorial Comment