St. Barbara’s Church Choir will celebrate 100 years of singing and leading worship with a concert on 22 February at 7pm at St. Barbara’s Church. The choir will sing from its extensive repertoire spanning many centuries and styles, plus instrumental music.

It was 100 years to the day that the first boys and men were admitted at a special service after evensong on 22 February 1914, not even three months after the consecration of the church in Palmerston Road.

All choristers had to be very well behaved, or payment would be reduced. An additional chore from 1924 until the move to the current building in 1931 was pumping the bellows of the organ; a lack of effort or concentration might cause temporary loss of wind and leave the organist and congregation stranded – a serious offence!

The St. Barbara’s Choir Guild, formed in 1920, did much to maintain the welfare of the choir and choristers. It organised concerts and outings and was responsible for the creation of the Coventry Church Choir’s Association whose Annual Festival Service was considered one of the most important in the country. The outings were a great attraction for the choirboys; the parish magazine of April 1935 records an interview by the organist Mr Allcott of a bashful boy named Sydney who wished to join because of a forthcoming choir outing. Happily, he could sing beautifully. A newsletter article in 1949 records a cheerful party of choirboys setting out from Coventry in heavy rain; by the time they reached their destination in Northampton the Heavenly Meteorological Office had relented and a sunny afternoon allowed boating and swimming.

 

Girls were admitted from 1975. However, for a while women had been allowed to sing in the auxiliary choir, which was formed in the 1920s to sing at the extra services needed to accommodate all worshippers in the small church in Palmerston Road.

The longest serving choirmaster and organist was John Viggars, who shared the post with Eric Simpson for 8 years and then served alone for another 19 years until 2007, when he took up a new post in Braunston in Northamptonshire. His record is beaten by Bert Freeman, who was a chorister for 70 years until ill health forced his retirement in 2004.

St. Barbara’s Church Choir became affiliated with the Royal Society of Church Music on 17 February 1948. Most members of the current choir receive training via the RSCM Voice for Life scheme; several have considerably improved their musical knowledge and vocal skills and achieved the bronze or silver award.

Katherine and Norman Owen took over at Easter 2007, serving as choir leader and organist, respectively. The choir grew quickly with regular numbers of about 20 expanding to over 30 for special services and occasions, of which there have been many in recent years, keeping the choir busy and in good voice.

 

NENA kicked off the New Year with a good turnout at its January residents meeting. NENA residents meet every two months to hear from invited guests. 46 people welcomed Graham Partridge from ECHO Community Newspaper and Nigel Lee from the Earlsdon Festival Organising Committee.

NENA residents were treated to a potted history of ECHO from its 70s roots, to become one of Britain’s longest running independent community newspapers. From its small beginnings it has become a well established and recognised part of Earlsdon life. Graham explained how ECHO is put together each month and that it is a newspaper with a definite emphasis on not only local stories but also local advertisers. NENA will continue to support ECHO in whatever way it can and promote it to its membership.

As well as Graham the meeting was also addressed by Nigel Lee of the Earlsdon Festival. This year’s Festival will run from 26 April to 5 May and Nigel gave an insight into the organisation of this popular local event.  Again the emphasis is on a festival organised by Earlsdon people, for Earlsdon people. As well as the widely known street festival on May Day there are a variety of other activities taking place through the week from musical events to talks and history walks. This year there is also a plan to introduce a food festival for the first time.

There were a number of items of business including a report on the Earlsdon Avenue Drinking Fountain. Peter Walters said that a similar water fountain has been restored in Essex and dated back to the 1860s. This is now a listed monument. The group had raised over £800 and a contractor in Glossop, Derbyshire, had quoted to undertake the work. Severn Trent Water has offered to restore the water supply free of charge. This would mean the installation of a modern cistern inside the fountain. The group was looking for other sources of funds. This included the Metropolitan Drinking Fountain Fund for £1,500 and the Heritage Lottery Fund for the balance. They had also been given assurances by Coventry City Council about wider improvements to the area around the fountain.

The meeting heard from residents in the streets close to Hearsall Common who were forming a group called HERA (Hearsall Earlsdon Residents Association). Paul Riess from HERA had been invited to the NENA meeting and both NENA and SENA were providing help and support to the new group.

An update was given on the cable laying due to take place in Spencer Avenue, although a start date was still not forthcoming. Residents heard that this will cause considerable disruption in Spencer Avenue and parking pressures are likely to spill over into neighbouring streets. Spencer Avenue residents will be notified by the contractor once a date has been agreed and NENA will keep members in all surrounding streets informed of what is happening.

Finally there were ongoing concerns from residents about the newly installed street lighting which is still causing problems in some parts of the NENA area. Residents heard from Mickleton Road where lights are directed into the properties opposite and from Spencer Avenue where there are dark spots. It was also reported that Anarchy Bridge is also now poorly lit as a result of the lighting replacement. Residents asked that NENA collect and collate all such reports and work with Councillors to resolve issues.  If you live in the NENA area and you are experiencing problems with your street lighting please tell NENA about it at nena.earlsdon@gmail.com.

You can also follow many of these issues on the NENA Facebook page. Their Facebook site will also keep you informed of their calendar of events this year, including the traditional NENA Summer Street Sale.

 

The next vicar of St. Barbara’s in Earlsdon will be Rev. Tulo Raistrick. Tulo is married to Sarah, a GP, and they have three children: Peter (aged 8), Greg (5) and Libby (3). He is currently curate at St. Thomas’s with St. Stephen’s Church in Telford Park, South London.

After growing up in Suffolk, Tulo graduated with honours from Oxford University, before going to work in Soweto (near Johannesberg), South Africa during the last three years of apartheid and transition to democracy. Subsequently, he worked for 12 years with Tearfund, a major Christian international relief and development agency, as their churches’ training and development manager. In this capacity he co-authored and published a series of best selling training manuals (now translated into 20 languages and used in 30 countries around the world) for the development of church-based community development initiatives. His pioneering approach has been adopted by the Primates (Archbishops) of the Anglican Church in Africa, is widely promoted by major denominations and is currently being used in 3,000 communities around the world.

Mr Raistrick says he has been inspired by the work of the worldwide church, and is committed to the importance and centrality of the local church to the work of God in the world.

In his spare time, Tulo enjoys time with his family hill walking, and playing sports and board games. He has a deep love of history and enjoys exploring historical sights. He follows many sports, especially cricket and football.

It is hoped that Tulo’s induction as vicar will be in May 2014.

 

 

The 21st Earlsdon Festival will take place from Friday 25 April to Monday 5 May and organisers are calling on the community to be part of it.  Festival Chairperson Nigel Lee said  “Last year was brilliant. 10,000 people enjoyed the festivities in glorious sunshine and we had fantastic fringe events in the lead up to May Day.  It was a fabulous celebration of all that is good about Earlsdon and raised thousands of pounds for charities and good causes. This year is extra special as it will be the 21st Festival.  We aim to make it better than ever but we need help from local organisations and the public to ensure we can achieve this.”

 

FESTIVAL MAKERS NEEDED!

Can you spare a couple of hours on May Day?  The Festival needs volunteer stewards to staff the road closure barriers that will keep Earlsdon Street traffic free from 6 am to 6 pm.  No experience is needed but you must be aged 16 or over and of good character.  You will be fully briefed before starting and duties will include greeting people, handing out the May Day flyer and answering questions from the public and motorists.  All stewards are equipped with 2-way radios to keep them in touch with the Festival Coordinator which enables any queries to be resolved quickly.  Nigel said  “Our stewards are absolutely crucial to ensuring the May Day celebrations can take place, they are our ‘Festival Makers’.  I have to be honest and admit it has been a massive struggle to get volunteers for the last two festivals and we are indebted to those who have helped us on those occasions.  Please don’t assume others will step forward.  If you can help please get in touch with us as soon as possible.”

Anyone wishing to volunteer should contact Festival Coordinator Helen Atwood via e-mail at: helenatwood9@gmail.com

 

BOOK A STALL!

The stalls on May Day have proved a big hit with traders and the public alike since being introduced in 2012.  Demand is always high and if you have had one in the past you should have received a booking form by now. The fully weatherproofed stalls are ideal for selling your wares or promoting your brand, charity or good cause.

Nigel said “The stalls add the flavour of a country market to Earlsdon Street. Businesses and organisations from the ECHO area are always well represented but we would welcome more. Don’t forget that stalls can be shared by more than one trader – it’s a great way of cutting the hire cost for the many home-based arts and crafts ventures that exist in these parts.”

To obtain a booking form or further information please contact Sam or Tilly via email at: sales@tinderboxtoys.co.uk

 

FESTIVAL FRINGE

The “fringe” was established in 2012 to enable venues and locations across the entire Earlsdon area to play a full part in the Festival. It takes place from Friday 25 April to Sunday 4 May. Venues and organisations are encouraged to organise their own events and ones that benefit charities or good causes are particularly welcomed. From this year, the Festival will be asking for 10% of takings from any events that charge an admission fee.

Nigel said “The fringe is going from strength to strength. We have already had proposals to stage a Festival Race, a Festival Walk and a 5 a-side Football Tournament to complement the Tug of War competition at Hearsall Common. The diversity of events last year was amazing – we had talks, concerts, poetry readings, sporting taster sessions, a scratch choir, community gardening, quizzes and the incredibly popular antiques valuation day at the Gilbert Richards Centre. It is a great opportunity for venues and locations that are not on Earlsdon Street to put themselves in the spotlight so please get in touch if you wish to be included.”

Please email Simon Shaw at: ginger.simon@hotmail.co.uk or leave a message on the festival Facebook page to register your event or find out more.

 

CORPORATE SPONSORSHIP & PROGRAMME ADVERTISING

Nigel said “The cost of staging the Festival rises each year.  Advertising and sponsorship revenue is a crucial part of funding it. If you are a business that would like to support us then please get in touch. 5,000 copies of our programme are printed and distributed to homes and shops in Earlsdon and we have a strong online presence where your adverts will also be featured.”

To find out more about Corporate Sponsorship packages, please contact Nigel Lee. Tel 7667 5772 or by email at: nigel@theleelot.com.

 

If you wish to advertise in the Programme, please contact Helen Atwood by email: helenatwood9@gmail.com or Mary Lee at: mary@theleelot.com.

To keep up to date with Festival news and view photographs from previous ones please visit the Facebook page: www.facebook.com/earlsdonfest.  There will of course be updates in each issue of ECHO from now until the Festival and also on our website and Facebook page.

 

There are plans for a public meeting in mid-February but a date, venue and time were not confirmed as ECHO went to press.