Soroptimist International
At the speaker meeting on Tuesday, May 17, SI Tenby and District, were delighted to welcome as their guest, Mr. John Tipton. His subject was one in which he is an authority, 'Charles Norris, his life and his legacy to Tenby'. Before showing slides of the latter's drawings, Mr. Tipton started his talk with a history of the Norris family. Originating in Norfolk, they amassed their fortune in the silk trade. Charles's great- grandfather set up in London, leaving a prosperous business to his son Robert who lost it all. He was saved from the debtor's prison by his wife, Ellen Savage, a Warwickshire heiress. From that time on, the Savage family became the main influence in the family. Robert and Ellen had three sons, the youngest of which, John, became Charles's father. John sired five illegitimate children who were fostered in the name of Williams. Charles was the youngest of the five. John was himself artistic and drew up a set of the charts of the Kings and Queens of England which was later borrowed from one of his ancestors by Marion Crawford, governess to the then Princess Elizabeth, to instruct her on her family history. As the younger son, Charles only inherited a small sum from the huge estate. His brother was rumoured to be the richest commoner in England. He enlisted in the army, but resigned his commission after marrying a young lady he saw while on duty in Coventry and then eloping with her. In 1804, they were living in Bristol and in that year, Charles bought a boat, the Nautilus, and after a short stay in Milford, arrived in Tenby. Once settled, he set about what was to become his life's work, 'The Architectural Antiquities of Wales'. The main concentration of his work however was in Tenby and Pembrokeshire, and the unique value of those relating to Tenby, was the recording of the great changes that were taking place in the town. The town has been through a period of deterioration and neglect. In the Middle Ages and beyond, it had been a prosperous trading port, but this was followed by 200 years of decline. The recovery coincided with Norris's arrival, and it is thanks to him that we have evidence of what the town was like before the demolition and rebuilding. Although not having received any formal art education, Charles was a gifted and a prolific amateur artist. Between his arrival in the town in 1805 and his death in 1841, he produced at least 1,200 drawings of which at least 300 relate to Tenby. He became involved in the affairs of the town and in 1817, he leased land at Waterwynch Bay, eventually building Waterwynch House where he remained until his death. The story of Charles, plus accounts of his predecessors and children, was given by Mr. Tipton in an entertaining and humorous way. By the end of the narrative, they were like old friends. The slide show that followed was a fascinating insight into old Tenby before the demolition of so many houses within the walls and it was amazing to see a very busy market building where the Pam Pam now stands. Everyone agreed that they would look at Tenby very differently in the future. Warmly thanked by president Rosemary, she called on Mrs. Doreen Hammersley, to give the vote of thanks from the members. Doreen, an artist herself, and a fan of Charles Norris's work, said she knew that she spoke for everyone in saying that it had been a fascinating and informative evening and how Mr. Tipton's obvious affection for his subject coloured his talk. To add to the pleasure, Mr. Tipton gave each member a copy of his book 'Charles Norris and his legacy to Tenby'. A short business meeting had preceded the talk at which arrangements were discussed for the forthcoming weekend of celebration for the club's Golden Anniversary. Correspondence was dealt with and a reminder given that the service at St. David's Cathedral was on June 19, to be followed by a lunch. The next business meeting will be on June 7.
HESED CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP
Bank Holiday Sunday produced a record attendance at Carringtons Restaurant for Hesed's afternoon service - a record low! How appropriate, then, that Rev. Peter Richmond chose the theme of the mustard seed for his talk, eagerly received by all four listeners. Jesus said that the Kingdom of God is like a single mustard seed - something tiny and insignificant but with enormous growth potential and limitless benefits. "The kingdom of God has no boundaries of time and space, and it's still mighty even when it's obscured," said the pastor. "There are churches in hiding around the world, but the kingdom is still there; still growing." Jesus's ordinary, insignificant disciples could have been forgiven for thinking themselves no match for the mighty Roman empire, but ever since God has used individuals to change the course of history - men like Augustine, Luther, Whitfield, Wilberforce, and so on. Peter showed how Jesus then gave a similar parable which helped get the point across to the ladies. He said that the Kingdom of God is like yeast. Yeast has a remarkable effect on a lump of dough, even though it's invisible. Traditionally once it is started, yeast is kept alive in a bread starter which is 'fed' daily. A new bride used to receive a gift of some bread starter from the groom's family. "Even when the dough is knocked back, it just goes to make better bread," he observed. A sea baptism has been scheduled for Castle Beach, Tenby, at 12.15 on Sunday, June 12. After a short service on the sands, members and friends will have dinner at Carringtons Restaurant. To join in these celebrations, telephone the pastor on 01646 681805. Services are held every Sunday at 4.15 pm in Carringtons Restaurant, The Atlantic Hotel, The Esplanade, Tenby. All are welcome.
CHURCH SERVICES
Services for the Rectorial Benefice of Tenby with Penally, Gumfreston and New Hedges this Sunday (Trinity 2) include: St. Mary's, Tenby - 8 am Holy Eucharist; 10 am Parish Family Eucharist and Civic Service; 6 pm Evensong and Sermon. St. Nicholas and St. Teilo, Penally - 8 am Holy Eucharist; 4 pm Evensong. St. Anne's, New Hedges and St. Lawrence, Gumfreston - 11 am no service, members and friends are aksed to join with St. Mary's at 10 am. St. Julian, The Harbour - 4 pm Holy Eucharist.
ST. JOHNS CHURCH
On a warm and sunny Bank Holiday Sunday, a large congregation were greeted by Connor, from the junior church, reading the words of welcome. The Rev. Nanette Lewis Head then added her own welcome to the service. The singing group were in excellent voice and led us into the opening hymn. The congregational reading was Psalm 34 with its opening phrase, 'I will bless the Lord continually. His praise shall be always in my mouth.' The minister's address to the children concerned the foolish man who built his house upon sand and the wise man who built his on rock. The children agreed that a house built on the South Beach was not to their liking and they would have much preferred the cliff top for their home. Mr. Lew Day then read from the Gospel, Deuteronomy Ch.2 v 18-21 and 26-28 and Matthew Ch. 7 v 21-29, and once again we were reminded of the wise and foolish men. Nanette's address reaffirmed the words of the Gospel reading and the way that Jesus uses a simple story so that his listeners could more easily understand His message. Matthew tells us that many in the crowd, listening to Him, were amazed at the authority with which He taught. Nanette thanked all those who had been involved in the charity lunch and coffee mornings to raise funds for Christian Aid and congratulated them on their excellent efforts. The service closed with the Doxology sung by the singing group, with Mr. Alan Adams at the organ. Thank you Nanette for once again leading us forward in faith. This Sunday's service, which will be at 10.30 am, will be led by our own minister and will include Holy Communion. A warm welcome is extended to everyone.
DEER PARK BAPTIST CHURCH
Mr. Ron Hopkins made all welcome at the door of the church. It was good to have visitors with us on this lovely Bank Holiday Sunday. Pastor Tom Torok opened the prayer and gave the family news. A march through the town is planned for July 2 to support a march in Edinburgh, which is being held to raise awareness of the unjust regimes that lie behind continuing world poverty. If you would like to join in, please contact Mrs. Sharon Hardwick. This was followed by a lively Songs of Praise, led by Keith on the keyboard, with Kevin on guitar and Aran on drums. The children then left for their own worship. Mrs. Carol Ansell led prayer time. Special prayer is asked for the CU House Party being held at Swansea University on July 6-8. Mr. Colin Joy, the visiting preacher, began by reading from Isaiah Ch.54 v1, 'Sing O Barren, thou that did'st not bear; break forth into singing.' A strange instruction, one difficult to comprehend unless you too are having a barren time in your life! A difficult one to follow! God sends tribulation into our lives to teach us. 'I have led you, to prove you and to humble you; to know what is in your heart, whether you will keep my commandment to the latter end.' God sees things in a different perspective from our own and the difficult times that he leads us through will be for our good in the long run. There is no better Biblical example than that of Job, who was tested by the loss of his wealth, health and family, but could still say in the midst of his tribulation, "I know that my redeemer liveth and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth" (Ch.19 v.25). What faith! And at the end what rich blessings were showered on Job. Many felt that the Holy Spirit was working throughout this service and that there was an important message for us all. This Sunday, June 5, Pastor Tom Torok will be preaching. The prayer breakfast will be held as usual at 7.30 pm in the vestry of the church.
Tenby AND DISTRICT bridge club
A total of 16 pairs played on Wednesday, May 25, with results as follows: 1. Ray Bowen and Doug. Silcox 67.86per cent; 2. Jill and John O'Sullivan 64.01; 3. Aileen and Martin Neilan 58.79; 4. Margaret Day and Sheridan Bradley; 5. Wendy Thornton and Wally Heaton 54.95; 6. Irene Warlow and Rosemary Hathaway 54.12. Twelves pairs played on Friday, May 27, with results as follows: 1. Marnie Owens and Sheridan Bradley 65.19; 2. Denzil Evans and Bert Barnikel 61.11; 3. Mairi Rees and Liz Crockford 60.37; 4. Marjorie Wilkinson and Doug Silcox. Duplicate bridge is played every Wednesday and Friday evening, commencing at 7 pm sharp, at the Kilgetty Community/Information Centre. New members and visitors are warmly welcome. For membership, ring secretary, Irene Delahunty, on 01646622002. For partners, ring chairman, Sheridan Bradley, on (01834) 814560.
TENBY AND DISTRICT CAMERA CLUB
The club participated in the recent Six Club competition at Llanelli and were pleased to walk away with the Llanelli PS Challenge Trophy ('The Sospan Trophy'). Despite being only in third place at the halfway stage, they came through strongly in the second stage to overcome and were eventual winners with 92 pts. Some excellent slides were shown and the event was not won until the last viewing when Dave Wilson scored full marks (20 pts) with his slide 'Spring Thaw', this being the only full mark of the evening. The club have their annual day trip on June 12, when a coach has been booked for a day in Cardiff, with optional visits to the Millennium Stadium/ Millenium Centre or Cardiff Castle - seats are still available. A summer programme is in place and includes on June 16, 'Placing images on CD' by Harry Gardiner, and July 7, 'An informal viewing of photographs of our trip to Cardiff'. Further details of the programme and venue, together with bookings for the trip, are available from Mr. Doug Williams on (01834) 811190. New and old members are most welcome.
CATHOLIC CHURCH
St. Teilo's, Five Arches - Saturday Mass 5.30 pm; Sunday Mass 11 am. St. Bride's, Saundersfoot - Sunday Mass 9.30 am. Priest: Monsignor Brian Kinrade (842692).