This Wednesday, September 1st, filming for a series called The Dry will be taking place in our parish centre.  There will be access to the church grounds as usual for those attending our mid-week Holy Communion service at 11am.  Please do not be put off by the large number of vehicles and people that are usually involved on such occasions.
 The Dry, a comedy drama series directed by Paddy Breathnach, is a BritBox UK commission, in conjunction with Element Pictures, Screen Ireland, ITV Studios and RTÉ.

We had hoped that we would be able to have our annual Outdoor Service and Barbecue on the first Sunday in September. This had become one of the highlights of our year – until we were forced to cancel it in 2020 – as it enabled the parish family to gather to worship outdoors and to socialise together whilst sharing food expertly prepared and served by Linda and Frank Gunning and their team.
 As we all know, there has been considerable controversy recently over the regulations governing outdoor hospitality, which belatedly resulted in some clarification on what was permitted.  While the current guidelines are not insurmountable, even in a parish context they remain quite restrictive and intermingling is specifically discouraged. The informality, with the freedom to mix, chat and “catch up” after the summer, is what makes our event so special.  Under current guidelines I do not believe any of this is possible. 
 While it would be wonderful to be able to meet again as a parish family I just think that it is too soon and that the risks associated with such a gathering still outweigh the benefits.  So it is with a heavy heart that I have decided that the Outdoor Service and Barbecue should not go ahead this year.
 Despite so many unknowns there is a sense that we are finally over the worst of this pandemic but the threat from the Delta variant remains very real, even though most of us have been fully vaccinated at this stage.  As soon as the regulations allow, and it is safe to do so, we will organise a parish gathering that will enable us to meet again free of any concerns for our health and well-being.
 Meanwhile, please do everything possible to stay safe.

Best wishes,

Gary

Baptism services were cleared to resume from Thursday, August 5th, under the most recent Government update on Covid restrictions for Religious Services. However, they must follow all protective measures and social gatherings afterwards should be avoided. Baptism services had been suspended since July 5th, by a previous directive that also prohibited Confirmation services, and that ban still applies.