For the last two weeks, villagers in Whiteshill and the wider community have been busy decorating paper daisies for their church, ready for an important day last Saturday.
There was a steady stream of visitors into St Paul’s for the Information Day to learn about the plans for the building which would remain a centre for worship but also become a space used for a wider range of activities.
Project leader, Heather Bayly felt it was important to consult with villagers to get their views on the proposed changes and their ideas too.
“After a lot of planning, I was delighted the interest that was shown by our community. More than 70 people visited which proved to me that people do care about the future of their local church. Following the response we now need to move on with securing grants,” said Heather.
The churchyard at St Paul’s has some of the most beautiful views around and each year the show of ox-eye daisies in the churchyard is a bonus.
By July however the daisies are finished so Maggie Booth, fundraiser at St Paul’s decided to bring daisies back in the form of paper ones: “I wanted people to be wowed by our church even before they stepped through the door. The idea was to have a giant daisy chain, hung with decorated paper daisies, going all around the outside of the church. I hoped we would have enough but with the fantastic support from everyone, we achieved at least that number – it was a real community effort.
“By Saturday morning there were more than 500 daisies, all beautifully decorated encircling the church and waving gently in the breeze. My thanks to Callowell School, Whiteshill School, Whiteshill Playgroup, Cashes Green Brownies, Rainbows, the Knit & Natter Group, The Well Cafe at St Laurence church and the many individuals who took up the challenge to decorate the daises.”
To find out more about the plans for St Paul’s Church contact heather@bayly.org The project team welcomes your comments, questions and offers of help in their quest to keep the doors of the village church open.
Pictures by Simon Pizzey
