Hermitage

REP: Keith Warren-Price keithwp@hotmail.com DISTRIBUTOR: Faith Hervey

St Mary’s Church:

Welcome back into our church: St Mary’s Hermitage is open again for private prayer all day on Sundays and Wednesdays. Please observe our hygiene and social distancing precautions: If you sit in a pew, please choose one with a Prayer and Information Sheet and take it away with you [even if you aren’t going to read it!]: this enables the next visitor to choose a different pew.

Our first service since lockdown is due to be held on Sunday 4 October: We are hoping to hold a Harvest Festival service at 3pm in the churchyard – if weather and Covid regulations permit.

Please bring any harvest celebration items: flowers, fruit or any celebration of nature.

Miss Mabel Meech Makes a Memorable Moment:

Miss Mabel Meech, 89 years young, visited St. Mary’s Church, Hermitage, on 9 September.

She last visited some 70 years ago with her sister, Elizabeth, when she first learned to drive a car. They came to see where their uncle Joe had been married.

Joe Johnstone was born in 1891 and lived at Broadwindsor. He married May Durden who was living and working at Church Farm, Hermitage, where she was employed making cheese and butter. They would have married at St Mary’s between 1911 and 1920.

On this occasion Mabel visited with her niece Susannah and husband David (pictured) who were staying with their friend Jocelyn Buck at Long Acre.

Ride and Stride:

A glorious September day for Ride+Stride, clear and sunny but not too hot. Twelve riders/striders visited our church at Hermitage, including Geoff and Elizabeth Kenton (and Teazel), who walked with her sister Susan Ross between their homes at Hartley and Frankham. We lost the path at Hilfield, relished our lunch at Batcombe, nearly got stuck in the mud on the way to Melbury Bubb, enjoyed the views from Bubb Down Hill before descending to the tiniest church in Dorset at Stockwood, limped into our old ‘home church’ at Ryme – and then found that the cattle had escaped at Frankham!

The sisters and Teazel tackle the steps at Batcombe

Susan and Elizabeth at Hilfield

Village Hall Macmillan Coffee Morning

Owing to the current Covid restrictions we are unable to have an event in the village hall. The committee will, instead, make a donation. As this is normally such an important event that raises so much money for a great cause, you may wish to make an added donation. If so, please put your envelope through Jan Prescott’s letterbox, she will pass it on.