Latest news with #StLawrenceChurch
BBC News
3 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Return of Bigbury church bells celebrated with flower festival
A Devon village has celebrated the restoration of its historic bells with a flower centuries-old bells at St Lawrence Church in Bigbury had been unsafe to ring for 20 years until they were brought back to life in church was decorated with floral displays and visitors were invited to try their hand at bell-ringing in the newly restored celebration formed part of the Bigbury Flower Festival, the first to be held in the church in more than 20 years. "This is a celebration by the community for the restoration of the bells," said Dane Vanstone, one of the local organisers. "It's been decades since we've heard them, and it's been quite a boost to the community."A small group of local residents, including Mr Vanstone, have taken up bell ringing and now practice regularly. "We're really enjoying ourselves," he said. "I'm not sure our neighbours are enjoying the music just yet, but we're getting better."The flower festival continues until 18:00 BST on Sunday.
BBC News
27-03-2025
- BBC News
Towcester church volunteers send sixth ambulance to Ukraine
A town that twinned with a city in Ukraine last year has delivered its sixth ambulance to the war-torn vehicle, packed with medical supplies, left Towcester in Northamptonshire on Sunday and arrived in Ukraine on Rotary branch paid for the ambulance using cash collected during last year's British Grand Prix.A gift from the people of Towcester was handed over to the mayor of the city of Zhydachiv to celebrate the twinning agreement. St Lawrence Church in Towcester started sending aid to Ukraine in March 2022, soon after the Russian the help of the local community, they have distributed an estimated 30 tonnes of humanitarian and medical efforts for the latest trip began with a concert featuring Towcester Studio Band and a local singing group, The Songbirds. On Sunday, the marathon journey to the beleaguered country ambulance was driven 1,350 miles (2,173km) to Lviv by Alex Donaldson, who was making his sixth journey to the city, with Steve there, they travelled another 40 miles (64km) to the city of Zhydachiv, a place that is keen to develop its twinning relationship with the similarly-sized town of collected formal twinning documents to take back home and presented the mayor with a gift on behalf of his opposite number in Towcester. Returning to Lviv, the two men met Rotary members and handed over the ambulance and its contents to Tetiana Rudnik, who founded the Ukraine aid organisation, drove 335 miles (539km) to the capital, Kyiv, where she planned to deliver the supplies to various hospitals, paramedics and medical equipment included life-saving bleed control packs, purchased through fundraising, and 14 children's portable ambulance was then due to be handed over to military paramedics in the far east of Ukraine. Mr Challen said: "Thanks to the goodwill of Towcester Studio Band, the Songbirds and Towcester Rotary, we have been able to deliver an ambulance full of medical items which will help save countless lives."We came to deliver a lifesaving ambulance today, but have been overwhelmed by the gratitude and hospitality we have been shown during our stay in Zhydachiv and Lviv." Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
