St Paul's 200th Anniversary Celebrations

On Sunday 5 June Archdeacon Darren Miller presided over our morning service and presented a rousing and humorous sermon. This was a brilliant start to the week ahead and almost 60 people joined us for worship. It was so good to see and welcome Revd Derek Hadfield, who has recently moved back to the area, and contributed to the St Paul’s souvenir brochure.

On Wednesday 8 June a private tour was arranged for Year 6 pupils of Sandgate Primary School. They were given a talk on the gardens, ceiling frescos in the nave, the chancel, the meaning of the stained glass windows and an exhibition of wedding dresses worn by brides who got married at the church dating back to 1968. The tour ended with an organ recital featuring the Wedding March which proved hugely popular and a rousing rendition of happy birthday! The members of the church were delighted with the enthusiasm shown by the children and nearly ran out of time due to all the questions being asked. They were given a worksheet to complete that they all did with great gusto and out of 55, four of them got 20 out of 20! For one of them it had brought back such happy memories of his time at Sparrows.

On Thursday 9 June a Special Sparrows was organised and open to all pre-school children. Many new babies and toddlers came and enjoyed the afternoon’s activities, some new faces too, that we had met at the Sandgate Farmers’ Market while promoting and selling St Paul’s merchandise. The children made stained glass windows out of card and coloured tissue paper, listened to a story, sang some songs, and had the freedom to play within the church while their parents looked at the displays. It was a happy time for everyone.

Our highlight of the week was in the evening of Thursday 9 June, when Terry Waite CBE visited and read passages from his book Out of the Silence which was interspersed with music played by the accomplished musician Vicky Yannoula. At the end she sang her own version of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah, accompanied on piano by Richard Baulch. Terry Waite’s books were on sale and he signed every copy sold and spoke to many many people afterwards. It was a wonderful evening that left deep impressions on everyone who came.

On Friday 10 June we held an Open Morning and members of the congregation were stationed in parts of the church to give guided talks and tours. Lots of people and residents of Sandgate came to view the wedding dresses, christening gowns, photographic and history displays of old Sandgate and memorabilia. There was so much to see and admire that visitors returned the following day. For those that were unable to attend we will keep these displays on view for the next month as they really do provide a window into St Paul’s 200 years within the community of Sandgate. 

Saturday 11 June saw a morning of coffee and entertainment with music played by Richard Baulch and talks from three long standing members of the congregation. The first speaker was Cynthia Acors, who has been coming to St Paul’s her whole life. Cynthia spoke about her time growing up and connections to the church - from her early beginnings to Sunday School, Youth Club, confirmation, wedding, deaths and her family’s involvement now. The second speaker was Christopher Phillips, son of past Churchwarden Charles Phillips, who spoke about his early life and introduction to St Paul’s. He mentioned all the vicars by name who followed, the great parish parties and other memorable events. The final speaker was our Churchwarden of over 40 years, Rob Hudson, who gave a detailed talk on the ceiling decoration by Charles Powell during the period of 1927 to 1936. Inside these blue and red crests sit white, eye-catching symbols that radiate the story of Christ’s Crucifixion. Rob revealed that Charles Powell got his ideas from the centre stained glass window above the high altar, where all these symbols appear. (For more information about the ceiling, history of the church, plus Rob’s, Cynthia’s and Christopher’s connection with St Paul’s please see the souvenir brochure; copies are still available to purchase). As always Richard Baulch played magnificently on the piano and it was a well-attended morning by people from all three churches and the local community.   

Sunday 12 June, to end our week of celebrations, Bishop Rose Hudson-Wilkin, Bishop of Dover, came to preside over our morning service. We were thrilled to have her and hear her powerful sermon on oneness and that we should never forget to Love Thy Neighbour. We were blessed to have five children among the congregation with their parents and it was lovely to see Bishop Rose take the time to bless each one during Holy Communion. The children coloured in a stained glass window of St Paul and had a photo taken with Bishop Rose. We were also delighted to welcome Revd Canon John Tapper and his wife, who contributed to our souvenir brochure.  

The church looked so beautiful with an array of floral displays organised by Catriona Themistocleous. The exquisite arrangement around the font that greeted visitors as they walked through the doors was created by Rosina Horton, Chair of Folkestone Flower Arrangers Club, and Janet Gallagher of Holy Trinity. The arrangement beside Catherine King’s dress, (right to the high altar), was by Cecilia Sleap, Vice Chair of Kent Floral Art and a member of Romney Marsh Flower Arrangers and Vanguard Club. The arrangement in front of the high altar was by Heather Parsons and Veronica Gardener of St George's, and the other arrangements were created by ladies of Hythe Flower Club.

St Paul’s is steeped in history and we would like to thank the eight brides who allowed us to display their wedding dresses: Sandra Willmott (1968), Gay Hurley (1978), Hayley Babot (2007), Carrie Thomas (2011), Penny Thwaites (2012), Tania Vanburen (2016), Sara-Jane White (2017) and Catherine King – the most recent wedding on Monday 30th May 2022! Additionally all the photo albums and other treasured artefacts, plus two christening gowns that added to the display. 

We are eternally grateful to James Willmott who photographed all our events and created a photo montage of the week’s events that he played on Saturday and Sunday after the service. James and Sandra Willmott also kindly organised the loan of eight mannequins from the Pilgrims Hospice for our wedding dress display. 

The specially commissioned tea towels and mugs proved very popular and will be on sale, along with the 60-page souvenir brochure, at Sunday services at St Paul’s. If you would like to reserve your copy please contact Carrie Thomas. 

If you were not able to see the exhibition there is still time to pop in, as we have extended it until July. Please see the calendar for more information on when the church will be open.