Our farming families have been out hay making, dodging the bad weather in between and our Swallows are on the move, soon to leave the village until next April. I always think our Sheldon year really begins and ends with the swallows…but they were still here swooping around on August 25 for Jenna (Colin & Lindsey’s daughter) and Richard on their wedding day in our Church. We all enjoyed hearing the banns read over the past weeks, and 3.45 was the magic time on 25th August. Lindsey and Colin invited the whole village to join them in the Church and for champagne at Townend Cottage afterwards. Always a wonderful occasion. St Michael and All Angels the best place to be married and who better than the Guardian angels to watch over them for their future life together! No place better. Congratulations and all the best for a long life together, Jenna and Richard.
August was also a celebration for Julia and Mick Lester, their 25th wedding anniversary. It only seems like yesterday that I remember them on their wedding day at Sheldon Church….Hassop Hall afterwards then…and Hassop Hall now for their 25th as well! Congratulations and best wishes for the next 25.
Brilliant news about John, who, amongst many other things, is the webmaster and developer of this excellent Sheldon website. He has successfully passed all the assessment hurdles to become a police officer. He starts his training on Sept 3rd. When he told me he said: ”I think I’m still in shock to be honest!” Happy shock, but shock nonetheless. It is a most demanding process getting into the Police Force, and he deserves every possible pat on the back for being successful. Another success for Sheldon, again punching above its weight, as the Chief Executive of the National Park remarked several times when he visited the village recently and attended the start of our last Parish Meeting.
Then there was Sheldon Day. We took £4330.48 and made a clear profit of £3251.36. When you realise that we made over one thousand pounds AN HOUR, it puts it into proper perspective! It was my pleasure and honour to present the best of the best produce cup to Julia for her fantastic Victoria Sponge….this was the first time we had such a prize and the cup, a cup cake complete with cherry on top made out of wood on a beautifully made stand was all made by people from the village, and it will be presented every year. Julia also got a certificate to keep…the cup comes back to us! I also was honoured to present the Best of the Best shield in the dog show as well. The dog show was its usual noisy and most enjoyable success…39 entries this year, and as I said on the day, they all deserved to be winners! Walking from the car parking (what would we have done without Ken Brocklehurst’s kind offer of the use of his fields for the afternoon) where our busy car park attendants (thanks guys) were working out where to put the enormous number of cars down the village past the cake stall (where the cakes and goodies just fly off the shelves), past the queues waiting for their cream tea in the village hall, past all the stalls and games, the band, the dog show, and all the stalls on the playing field, it was an afternoon that will stay with me and everyone in the village for a long time. I always like to visit the Church to see the flower display and this year I dropped in several times during the day. They were magnificent, the flowers, the way they were arranged and the theme and the quiet music. The beauty of the place and the peace felt by all those who came to see our Church and its display gave an atmosphere that was truly spiritual and thoughtful and uplifting. Wonderful, always, I feel the centre of our Day, our Church. Then of course there was the Fell Race the Thursday evening before, again, a huge success, and thanks to Phil and the team for that…better than the Olympics. And then on Sunday at our Communion service Canon Tony spoke movingly of the relationship between Sheldon day and our intensely committed small local community and the community of the Church. Exactly right. The flowers were all still in the Church with the theme display, so the small congregation that morning all had to sit at the front…it took flowers and Sheldon day to get everyone to sit at the front, he said with a grin.
Meanwhile Sheldon life goes on. Andrew Lester has now finished college at Buxton, did very well in his exams and spent a happy Summer holidays working on the farm and fixing body work on cars! He’s currently thinking about options for the future, but one thing is for certain, it will involve cars in one form or another!
Ann Lomas and the whole family are back from a great week’s holiday together in Anglesey . We are all wondering if she managed to see Kate and William in their favourite supermarket; but Ann tells me she is sure she saw William fly over in his helicopter. If anyone could arrange it, Ann could! And she says she’s off back there again soon for another break. I was telling Ann about our recent short break in Llandudno…guess what, Ann has been to Llandudno every year for the last 60 years…can’t beat that. But good to see her out and about. Good health, Ann.
There was good Sheldon presence at the Olympics. Marlene and Brian are still in the clouds after a day’s trip to the Olympics for the first day of the Athletics. They reported a wonderful atmosphere and the organisation was excellent. Before that they also had a day at Wimbledon. Andrew Joly and the family went to the Fencing finals and had an excellent time. William is now keen to take it up! So won’t be long before we have a Sheldon Fencing Champion.
Vicar’s coffee morning: Tuesday Sept 4th in the village hall at 10am.