Herald - Issue 398

Page 40 • The HERALD • 19th November 2020 v SAY YOU SAW IT IN THE HERALD v Fully polished Granites 30” high from £555 inc VAT Fully polished Grey/Black Granite 24” high from £455 inc VAT You are invited to BETHANY CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP Rollestone Road, Holbury Every Sunday, 6.30pm C hristian W orship & T eaching 023 8089 2153 Everyone Welcome to our COVID-secure service (Restricted numbers allowed) Yours Faithfully... Send your local news to The Editor, The Herald, 2 High Street, Hythe SO45 6AH or email editor@herald-publishing.co.uk MARCHWOOD WAR MEMORIAL Update from the War Memorial Refurbishment Project team e nal stage of the War Memorial refurbishment project (the replacement of the footpath around the memorial itself) was completed in August 2020. is has resulted in improved access to the memorial, to the church hall and to the footpath through the churchyard. e opportunity was also taken to repair and refurbish the churchyard entrance gate adjacent to the memorial. A comprehensive re-dedication event to mark the centenary of the (refurbished) Marchwood War Memorial was planned for 11am on Friday 23rd October. is event was to take the form of an open-air service with invited guests representing the various groupings that had enabled the war memorial refurbishment, with refreshments and discussions a erwards. Unfortunately, due to increasing COVID- 19 constraints, it became increasingly apparent to the project team that it would be problematic to run this event safely. As such, a er seeking and taking advice, the project team decided, reluctantly, to cancel the planned re-dedication event. e project team, however, considered that the Marchwood War Memorial centenary date was too important to pass without some recognition being made of its signi cance. As such it was agreed that a short re-dedication service would be held around the refurbished Marchwood War Memorial at 11am on Friday 23rd October, with the service conducted by the Priest in Charge, St. John the Apostle Marchwood Parish Church, Reverend Simon Hones. e only other people present at the re-dedication service were the four members of the refurbishment project team, WO1 (RSM) Mark Calverley RLC of 17 Port & Maritime Regiment RLC (who read out the names of the fallen commemorated on the memorial) and Andy Browning (a relative of one of those named) who laid a wreath. e weather was overcast with numerous showers that morning and they had umbrellas at the ready. Fortunately, there was a break in the showers just before and during the re-dedication service. A er this the party made their way into the church itself, where a commemorative posy was laid on the shelf underneath the war memorial plaques. roughout all parts of the re-dedication service and commemoration, COVID-19 constraints were followed. e refurbishment project team now need to wait until the COVID-19 situation becomes more clear before scheduling a revised date for the full formal re-dedication event to occur; updates will be issued, in due course. Marchwood War Memorial (Photograph taken by Alun Jenkins) How Lockdown is Affecting Places of Worship and ash scatterings can also continue with up to 15 people in attendance. Anyone working there is not included in these numbers. Social distancing should be maintained between people who do not live together or share a support bubble.Weddings and civil partnership ceremonies will not be permitted to take place except in exceptional circumstances. Places of Worship will be closed, unless they are being used for: • Funerals • Providing online broadcasts of worship • Individual prayer • Formal childcare or where part of a school • Essential voluntary and public services, such as blood donation or food banks • Other exempted activities such as some support groups Up-to-date government guidance can be found at: www.gov.uk/guidance In this uncertain time churches are doing what they can to support their local communities with a number of them moving services online. Government guidelines state that funerals can be attended by a maximum of 30 people, and it is advised that only close friends and family attend. Linked ceremonial events such as stone settings