We now have a notice board!

Julian obtained an old notice board from a redundant church in the valleys and Tony Richards refurbished it brilliantly as you can see! He and his wife Lisa have now set it up and we have put some important information in it.

A Rolls Royce of an Organ

The French harmonium in the former St Lawrence Church, Lavernock, is of a good age – possibly built in the 1860s. It is likely that it has never been overhauled or even the interior cleaned. Revd Margaret was in a church in Dorset a few years ago where she met an organ builder called Michael Farley. She told him about our harmonium and, as a result of his interest, on 16th April he came up from his home in Devon, with his wife and assistant, Ladda, to look at it. The former church has no electricity, so Julian Owen, the St Lawrence Trust Chairman, produced his petrol driven generator and a hoover and Michael and Ladda gave the organ a thorough clean, inside and out. They also treated the woodworm and left us instructions how to keep the insects at bay. After a few minor repairs, the harmonium was looking and sounding very good. Michael played a few bars of Widor’s Toccata to prove it. He was very impressed with our harmonium, calling it a ‘Rolls Royce’ of instruments.

Anne, our regular organist, came and met Michael and Ladda and discovered that they had friends in common. Michael had worked on the organ in Christchurch, Totland, Isle Of Wight where Anne’s friend, the late Revd Ken White was Vicar. Anne was, of course, thrilled to see the organ she plays so enthusiastically being given a makeover.

When the organ was being cleaned, tea lights were

discovered underneath it – metal shells of tea lights, that is

to say, without any wax in them because it had been eaten

by mice! Sir John Betjeman could have added this taste for

wax to his verses in ‘The Diary of a Church Mouse’.

The late Margaret Lawrence, mother of Michael, one of our

volunteers, who played the harmonium for many years, would

be delighted that it has been receiving such good care.

The work will be paid for by a generous donation from an

elderly lady who died last year, Miss Mary Jones of Penarth.

We are grateful to her and to Michael and Ladda that we

now have a rejuvenated instrument to accompany our

services. Anne is looking forward to playing it at our next

service on Sea Sunday, 14th July.                                   

Happy Easter!