Dear Friends,

On Sundays when I have not been well enough go to Church, I have enjoyed listening to the bells. I have missed them during this last few Sundays in August, when the ringers have been enjoying a well-earned holiday. We are lucky to have an established and loyal team of ringers in the village; now, just as in the past, they are an important part of the fabric of our community.

I thought of them when the government leaflet arrived on ‘What to do in an emergency’. Now we are advised to tune into our local radio station to see what dangers we face, in the past the Church bells were the warning signal for attack, invasion or local disaster. Throughout the Second World War, all Church bells were silent; they were to be rung only if an invasion happened. In earlier times too, the bells would summon the villagers to the relative safety of the Church building – often the only substantial building in the village – if natural disasters or attacks happened. In Ashwell Church, in North Hertfordshire, there is graffiti on the tower wall, telling of how the villagers there took refuge from a mighty wind, which threatened to destroy them. I wonder how often Turvey residents took refuge from a flooded river?

Disasters apart, the bells were part of the everyday life of the villagers. The passing bell told of deaths, one toll for each year of life – earlier this year our own bells were muffled to mark the passing of Lady Hanbury, our Patron. And if you watch carefully, you will see several members of our Church choir scuttle quickly out of the chancel door at the top end of the Church after a wedding, so that they can be up in the belfry to welcome the newly married couple with a peal of bells as they leave the Church. One of my most treasured possessions is a card recording a peal rung in Sussex to give thanks for the birth of our elder son. In many places the bells were rung just to waken the labourers and summon them to the fields.

The most important part of the bells work, however, is to call the faithful to prayer – to announce that the service is due to start. Or to call the labourers to a halt in the fields at mid-day and again in the evening - as the angelus bell sounded, they would stop their work and say their prayers. When Rob worked in France, I knew exactly what time he would be home for lunch. The angelus bell sounded, all work stopped and everyone went home, or to the restaurant, for lunch!

Now when I hear the bells on Sunday and am not able to get to Church, I know that others are there, continuing the important work of prayer that has gone on in Turvey Church for over a thousand years. I know that people are giving thanks to God for his love and care, for keeping us in relative safety, for providing for our daily needs. I know that they are praying for our disordered world – and I know that they are praying for me and for others like me. It is a huge comfort and strength and I give thanks to God for the muscular Christianity of our bell team.

Yours in Christ,

Jo Spray

All bell ringers – especially our own ‘tower’

Those who will be working on our Church roof in the coming months

All homeless people and refugees, especially the people of Western Sudan.

Harvest Thanksgiving. Our harvest thanksgiving this year is on Sunday 3^rd October. There will be a Family Eucharist at 11.00am and a Festival Evensong at 6.00pm. We should like to decorate the Church on Saturday 2^nd and it would be helpful if you could bring gifts of produce and flowers to Church on Friday or early on Saturday. If you would like to help decorate the Church (newcomers welcome, no previous experience necessary!) please will you let me know, or contact Anne Claypole White (( 881661)? It is really good fun and the more people we have the nicer the Church will look.

The Harvest Supper is in the Village Hall on Friday 8^th October, starting at 7:30. Details from Sandra Nightingale (( 881453).

Book Sale. It is with sadness that I hear that Dawn Riddle has decided that she can no longer manage the Book Sale that has taken place in October for many years now. Dawn has raised an enormous amount for Church funds over the years and has given pleasure to many avid readers – me included! We thank you most warmly, Dawn, and hope you enjoy a well earned rest. It is quite a physical activity to mount a second hand book sale, but we have a supply of books already and if anyone would like to take over from Dawn, please will they let me know.

Jo Spray

Coffee Mornings. The next coffee morning will be at 10.30 am on Saturday 11^th September at 3 The Green, Turvey, hosted by Glen and Russell De Ville. There will be a raffle and bring-and-buy stall for which contributions of cakes and produce would be very welcome. The October coffee morning will be held on Saturday 9^th October at 'Brambles', 6 Abbey Square, Turvey, by invitation of Mickey Bradley and Diana Gamble. Please do come and support us.

We are now planning the coffee mornings for 2005. If you would like to host one of these events, please contact either Anne Claypole White (( 881661), Gill Betts (( 720615 ) or Pat Cartwright (( 881281).

Church Flowers. We still need volunteers to help with flowers on the following dates - Main Altar 24^th and 31^st October and the Lady Chapel for all of November. We also need help during Advent when we use only greenery , not flowers.

If you can help please sign the flower rota in the porch or have a word with Anne Claypole White (previous experience is not necessary!).

Mothers’ Union. The next meeting will be on Thursday 16^th September, Communion Service at 2:30pm in All Saints’ Church followed by tea and a discussion in the Manor Room.

‘World’s Biggest Coffee Morning’. On 24^th September, the Macmillan Cancer Relief group is organising another coffee morning in aid of their funds. Last year 1.5 million people attended 35,000 coffee parties across the UK. This year a group of us from the village and Church have decided it would be fun to hold one in Turvey. It will be in the Village Hall from 10.30am – 12.00noon. If you can help with gifts of cake, raffle prizes or items for a Bring and Buy stall, please contact Janet Cockings (( 881419) or Gill Betts (( 720615) – and do come, sign the sheet and help raise money for our local Cancer Treatment and Care Unit in Bedford.