Landkey Village

Following the government's latest restrictions on movement, we in Landkey, as elsewhere, will need to stay at home except for the very limited reasons given by the Prime Minister on 23rd March.

For the time being, the shop will remain open, but shoppers are asked to heed the social distancing procedures posted on the door.

St Paul's Church will now not be opening until further notice but parishioners are very welcome to visit the website  (www.landkeyparishchurch.org) where information is updated regularly.

With coronavirus continuing to spread throughout the UK and the government issuing advice for social distancing practices to be observed, almost all events in the village have now been cancelled.

Services at St Paul's Church have been suspended until further notice. The aim will be, though, to open the church daily from 10am until 4pm to provide a place where people can come for quiet reflection or for prayer. A member of St Paul's clergy will visit the church each day and will pray for anyone who has left a request.

St Paul's Church has arranged a number of Lent and Easter events and services to mark this important time in the Christian calendar. All people in the parish and beyond will be welcome to come along.

A series of Lent lunches will be hosted on Wednesdays at several locations in Landkey and will begin at 12:30pm. Two of them will be held in Landkey Village Hall. It is suggested that a small donation be given, with proceeds going to Water Aid.

Lunches will be held on these dates:

• 4th March in the village hall
• 11th March at The Old Manor
• 18th March at West Hayes
• 25th March at The Ingle
• 1st April in the village hall

If possible, please let the host know a by at least a day or so beforehand if you hope to come along.

Palm Sunday service will be held on 5th April with the Easter Day service being held on 12th April. Fuller details may be found on the Events Calendar or on http://www.landkeyparishchurch.org

The St Paul's Church Christmas Tree festival was a success again this year with eight local organisations competing for the title of Best Decorated Tree. Visitors to the church over the three days 13th-15th December were able to vote for their favourite tree and the standard was very high! These are the entrants with the voting results for the top three:

• Landkey Horticultural Society - first place with 24 votes
• Landkey Brownies - second place with 20 votes
• Millennium Green Trust - third place with 10 votes
• Swimbridge Nursing Home
• Landkey Women's Institute
• Landkey Village Hall
• Landkey Parish Council & Toddler Group
• Landkey United Fellowship

We congratulate the winners but also extend our thanks to all who decorated trees as their work was much appreciated and will provide a festive attraction in the church until the New Year. Although the competition has now closed, all are welcome to come along and view the trees.

Thank you, also, to Bett Parker for playing seasonal tunes on her keyboard on Saturday afternoon.

Residents of Landkey turned out in large numbers for Remembrance Sunday, 10th November 2019.

The service took place at 10:00 am in Landkey village hall and was led by Chris James. In his sermon, Chris reminded the gathered church members and village residents of the awful losses of human life during the D-Day landings. He drew inspiration from the work of West Country poet, David Prowse whose poem, "Normandy", evoking the emotions of that time, was especially poignant.

The 40 or so people who met in the village hall were joined by many more at the war memorial, swelling numbers to as many as 100 to observe the Act of Remembrance. Wreaths were laid by Bill Parker on behalf of Landkey Parish Council and by Tom Wilks on behalf of St Paul's Church.

This year, the war memorial was draped with a garland of 365 knitted poppies, one for each day since the last Remembrance Day. The industrious knitters were revealed to be Karen Trigger, Sue Ackland, Anita Thorne and Liz Davis. Their work received a round of applause!