Doesn’t time fly, I can’t quite believe that when I started here it was meteorological winter and now it’s officially summer (from the beginning of June). We are nearly at the longest day of the year, and everyone is looking forward to some long sunny days. The flowers are blooming and we’ve had a spring of beautiful flowers and tree blossoms.

To celebrate nature’s beauty, the Woolpit Open Gardens event is happening on Saturday 13th June from 10am-5pm with at least 20 gardens open for everyone to look around, admire and then maybe inspire us in our own gardens. To everyone who is opening their garden, thank you for your hard work over this year, as you have prepared the flower beds and borders, cut the grass and cultivated plants to be ready for just the right time. I hope that the weather and the conditions have brought your garden to peak at right moment. Whatever happens we’ll be in wonder at all that you have achieved. There will be refreshments in the church and on the route, musical entertainment and a raffle. Please buy tickets and collect a map at church. I am so looking forward to seeing this event, as I have heard so much about it.

The following weekend (20^th and 21^st June) is All Saints’ church’s ‘Festival of Flowers, Music and More’ based on the theme of An English Country Garden. The church will be open on both Saturday and Sunday from 11am till 5pm. There will be flower displays and musical entertainment, and also scarecrow, photography and flowerpot competitions. It will be a wonderful couple of days, with lots to inspire us, as many of the flowers and plants have been grown in local gardens.

In May it was David Attenborough’s 100^th birthday and there were celebrations and repeats of some of his iconic shows. He travelled the world looking at wildlife and wondered at the most exotic animals, sat with gorillas and changed how we saw the planet. His latest series ‘Secret Garden’ opened our eyes to all that is around us, there in our back garden. Perhaps he could be an inspiration to us to look at our surroundings afresh, and appreciate and care for all that is around us.

The story of creation at the beginning of the bible, reminds us of God’s creative power, and that He made the wide variety of plants and animals that we can enjoy today. God saw all that He had made and saw that it was good. We believe that we, as human beings, are to be custodians of the Earth that He created, on both a local and global scale. I hope you can spend time in nature enjoying all that is around us.

Revd Sarah Hall

Thank you for the warm welcome at my licensing, it was amazing to see so many from the
villages here to welcome us. We felt totally enveloped in your care and it was such a joyful
event, I think the smiles on the photos below show that. Thank you to all who were involved
in so many ways to make the service run so smoothly. We’ve had wonderful comments from
those who were visiting who said how well run it was, and that is down to the many people
who helped.
We look forward to getting to know you all. I have been along to a couple of events in the
villages in the first week and I intend to come along to some more over the coming weeks. I
will also start joining people for a walk around the amazing countryside soon. I certainly
‘Christened’ my new walking boots walking to Drinkstone and back last weekend; there was
a slight fear at one moment that I might do a ‘Vicar of Dibley’ and disappear into some of the
puddles! The weather is slowly getting better, the daffodils are coming out, there are the
signs of spring and lighter days; the darkness of winter is coming to an end, and the hope of
Easter is just around the corner.
Sarah and Phil

Revd Sarah Hall
Curate in Charge Woolpit and Drinkstone Benefice
rev.sarah.hall@gmail.com
07503 205310

Right Reverend Joanne Grenfell, Bishop of St Edmunsbury and Ipswich, and Reverend Sarah Hall

Reverend Ruth Farrell officially retired as rector of the Woolpit and Drinkstone Benefice on July 20 following many years in her role. 

Retirement parties and gifts were arranged to thank her for all she has done for her congregations since she was made rector in 2007. 

And on August 5, Revd Ruth was gifted a special and prestigious certificate of Long and Exemplary Dedicated Service.

The certificate, which came as a complete surprise to the reverend and is rarely handed out, was from the Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich as an “acknowledgement of her faithful service to the diocese and benefice”.

The certificate reads: “In thanksgiving for many years of dedicated service to the life of the Church of England in Suffolk.” 

It is signed by Martin Seeley, Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich. 

“Well done, thou good and faithful servant,” it reads.