Boughton News - September

Sunday September 29th was a momentous occasion for All Saints’ Church, Boughton. Not only was it the feast of St Michael and All Angels, it was the day the Bishop of Ely came to take a service. It is at least a quarter of a century since a Bishop of Ely came to Boughton and those of you who remember Audrey  Payne will have heard her tales of that day, when the Bishop took to a boat on the pond! This time, because it was the fifth Sunday in the month, the current Bishop came because it was a group service for the benefice and congregations from all eight parishes had a chance to worship together. It had to be at 6 pm, unfortunately, to fit into his busy schedule, so not everyone could get there.

It was a delightful service, put together by Barbara. The choir had been practising busily for weeks, having been told to sing something lively and joyful. ‘Alleluia’ and ‘Jubilate’ certainly fit that bill and are great fun to sing. The only problem for the altos is remembering which part one has been allocated to us for that occasion. We could be second, third or even fourth! There were nearly fifty people in the congregation and everyone agreed that it was an uplifting and enjoyable occasion. Afterwards, the well-known Boughton hospitality swung into action, Sandy and her team having prepared an array of delicious and attractive snacks. The Bishop was able to talk to a variety of parishioners, some of whom were able to bring up pressing issues. He is very approachable and not in the least stuffy. He agreed to pose for a photo and his driver, Michael, was kind enough to take a selection of photos for us to use in the magazine. One of them commented that what we need in the rather truncated vestry is a set of optics. Good idea, but at the moment the pipes only serve as coat hangers!

A memorable group service for all those who attended.

Harvest Supper

It is a tradition in the Barton Bendish group that there is one Harvest Supper for all parishes and that each parish takes turns in organising it. That means the work only comes round every four years! Boughton has organised it several times, but this was to be the first time we could do so ‘at home’ and not in the hall at Barton Bendish.  We worried about how many people would fit in, but not about the catering. Once again Sandy and her band of helpers (and elves) stepped up and produced a splendid meal. I was worried that we would not have enough people, as everyone is notoriously slow about deciding if they want to come and so many people were going to be away that it seemed as if West Norfolk would be depopulated. However, on the night we had fifty-four sitting down to a meal of roast beef and ALL the trimmings, followed by apple pie or crumble. Some traditions have to be maintained. The church centre had been beautifully laid out with our new tables and chairs and still there was enough room for people to walk between the rows and socialise with someone on another table. We had visitors from Downham, Marham and Fincham as well as people from our own villages. It was a wonderful meal, followed by coffee and the entertainment. This was provided by Sandy, accompanied by Tom Golden, singing ‘I dreamed a dream’, and then we sang the (now traditional) community songs. (Tom had thought to omit them this year, but I said we all enjoy singing and so it proved.) There were a number of members from several local choirs in the party, so the singing was good. Afterwards, no one wanted to move and when Tom started playing again, the singing resumed as people chatted.

It was a lovely evening and, as I said at the time ‘Every parish needs a Sandy.’

This week she is doing BreakfastChurch!

The week before that, Sandy organised a concert by the Fincham Chorus to raise funds for the church. It was another excellent occasion and we are extremely grateful to them for giving up their time for us. I remember the first time a group got together in Fincham to sing and it’s difficult to realise that it was only six years ago. The progress and development they have managed in that short time is nothing short of remarkable and they deserve to be congratulated.

Pam Wakeling