News:

With the longer, warmer days now with us we can enjoy all the wonderful things that our countryside has to offer.

Looking back to Easter, which seems a lifetime ago, Calverleigh hosted the Agape meal on 14 April, at the village hall which was filled by parishioners from around the Exe Valley.  Thank you to all who helped in to prepare for the evening and to those who provided desserts.

On Easter Sunday there was a Group Cluster service at St. Mary's which was attended by over 60 people. The church was beautifully decorated, as it always is on such occasions.  The service was led by Steph and music provided by Dave on the guitar and Levon playing the harmonica. Thank you all for an uplifting service where we celebrated our risen Lord, Jesus Christ.

Bringing us a little more up to date, our Annual Day of Prayer took place on 7 May from 9am to 9pm.  Over 30 people took part, wherever they wanted to be, at their chosen time.  Our grateful thanks go to all those who took part in this special faith activity.  The power of prayer should never be underestimated.

Congratulations go to Debbie and Michaela who had their Confirmation service at Exeter Cathedral also on 7 May. It was a priviledge to attend such a lovely service and we send our best wishes to them both as they continue on their faith journey.

We are pleased to announce that Kelly and Ricardo, daughter of Gary and Alison, have welcomed a baby son, Aaron into their family. Also Nik and Dave, daughter of Aubrey and Julie, have also had a baby son, Elijah - a brother for proud young Tilly. Both boys, who are cousins (second or third), were born a day apart in May.  Congratulations to both sets of parents and their families and to anyone else who have been celebrating the birth of a child/grandchild.

On 29 May there was an Exe Valley Mission Community service at Oakford to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee. The specially formed Exe Valley Jubilee Choir sang beautifully together, after only a few weeks of rehearsals.  Well done, you all did amazingly well.  A bring and share lunch was held afterwards at Oakford village hall.  Thank you Oakford for your hospitality and a very enjoyable time.

Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee celebration on the afternoon of 4 June saw a wonderful turnout of children and adults at the village hall.  Some of the children came in Fancy Dress as Kings or Queens  and this was won by Freddie, very resplendent and all the children who took part looked very regal in their costumes.  This was judged by Sue and Gillian.  All children attending the afternoon received a specially made Platinum Jubilee rosette keepsake.  Family games were organised by Aubrey.  

A bring and share tea covered five long tables and and would have easily fed double the amount of attendees. Billy Amory was kind enough to give a speech and toast to Queen Elizabeth.  Two special celebratory cakes were made for the afternoon which were cut by the fancy dress entrants.  Our thanks go to those who generously gave through donations to help towards costs and to all who helped to prepare the hall in the morning, which looked lovely decked out in bunting, balloons and small pots of flowers. Even though Jackie had a bad accident as the event was due to start she was able to join us again later in the day.

The following morning a special celebration service was held in St. Mary's.  Determined not to miss the service, Jackie was the lead and she put together a lovely talk about Queen Elizabeth and her life of service and her steadfast faith. Memories of Derek meeting the then Princess Elizabeth were also read out during the service.  As the congregation listened to 'Rise up and Serve',  a book  entitled 'Our Faithful Queen, 70 years of Faith and Service' were handed out as a special momento for all who were at the service.   

Afterwards a tree was planted in the churchyard to commemorate this momentous occasion. Myrtle was invited to put the first few spadefuls of soil around the tree, followed by the rest of the congregation.  We then moved back into the church for drinks and to enjoy a bit more cake. Thank you to all who donated or contributed to the service, during and after, in any way.

We would like to send our best wishes to Joan, who has now moved from her bungalow in the village to Margaret Allen House on a permanent basis. Joan had lived in the village for many years and was both in regular attendence of Calverleigh Church, where she was confirmed while Godfrey Bell was rector.

Congratulations and best wishes to anyone who has been celebrating a special birthday, anniversary, engagement or birth of a child. If you have any news that you would like to share of a special celebration or about village activities please contact Dave on: david.burton@doivedesigns.co.uk

Our thoughts and prayers are with all who are unwell, waiting for or recovering from treatment at this time, also with those who have been affected in any way with Coronavirus which is still with us.

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