Author: All_Saints

The Portloe 2016 calendar has raised an incredibly large amount of money. Father Doug accepted the ‘official’ cheque representing the proceeds of calendar sales on behalf of the charity MIND: an amazing £7,650.
An almost-impromptu party was held in the community hall (aka the church) in mid-June.
There were balloons, bunting, bangers, buns and bubbles – something for everyone.
The occasion? The winding-up of the 2016 calendar event, and the presentation of the
cheque to the charity ‘MIND’ What a tremendous community initiative – well done!Father Doug accepted the ‘official’ cheque representing the proceeds of calendar sales on behalf of the charity MIND: an amazing £7,650.

The church was filled to capacity for the party, with nearly all the ‘months’ there, accompanied by
family and friends. It is an extraordinary achievement which in the process has given so much to Portloe and the wider community. Of course, there’s now the question of next year’s calendar…Well, I guess we’ll have to wait and see !
On the subject of fundraising, £745 was raised for Cornwall Air Ambulance with events held in Portloe on the evening of the referendum, and another to celebrate the Queen’s 90th birthday. What’s next?
And a word of thanks from Jeanette Blamey, to everyone for their many kindnesses and for all the
help given to her during the past few weeks – it’s greatly appreciated.

Portloe’s congregation helped to fill to capacity Veryan parish church for
the ‘cluster’ Eucharist to mark Fr Doug’s last official service as parish priest.
And what a wonderful service it was – the sermon was exactly right, the
choir was superb, the hymns a joy to sing, and how good it was to hear the
organ in such splendid voice ! A truly memorable occasion.
Thank you, Fr Doug, with love from Portloe.

On Sunday 5th June a Cluster service was held at Veryan Church. The Mass was sung by a visiting choir, The Charpentier Consort. The service also marked the retirement of Father Doug as Priest in Charge of Veryan and Ruanlanihorne. The full service can be seen by clicking on the link below.

Photos from the service can be seen here:

Canon Doug’s Retirement Service

The tradition at Portloe of “Blessing the sea” took place
on a calm and sunny evening when the water looked inviting
and peaceful but we all know it is not always like
that so a blessing by our priest-in-charge is certainly a
welcome, nay perhaps necessary event for the fishermen
and faithful of the village.
Accompanied by a good number of people Father Doug,
resplendent in his best robes, led the procession from the
church down the slipway to the sea’s edge in Portloe
harbour. The steepness of the slipway ensures that
although those in the procession sing heartily on the way
down doing the same going back up has now been
abandoned!
The supper afterwards is probably the big draw for many
people in and around the village so nearly 50 people sat
down for a meal that is also part of the church anniversary
celebrations. After an excellent meal everyone relaxed
and enjoyed the evening’s entertainment, despite one
of Father Doug’s best awful jokes yet. As ever, there
were top quality contributions with sweet Polish
singing, stylish saxophone playing, a touch of Hilaire
Belloc and more poems and tales from that well known
“Voice of a Veryan Man”
.
It was the ninth blessing of the sea that Father Doug
has carried out and we hope that it will not be the last
despite his imminent retirement. Anxious that any
non-participation by him may jeopardize the state of
the sea and the fishing perhaps a village deputation to
the Bishop may ensure Doug’s continued involvement
in the tradition and so secure good fishing and safe
sailing off Portloe in the future.

Easter services were, as always, very special. It was especially good that Fr
Doug celebrated the Eucharist service here as it was the first time during
his tenure as priest in Veryan that Easter Day had coincided with our Anglican
service.
The Open meeting midmonth went well and all members of the Policy
Committee were re-elected en bloc. In addition, Annie Guy was unanimously
elected to one of the two vacancies.
The highlight of May (having ‘beaten the bounds’) is our Church Anniversary on the 15th.
We are delighted that Steve Nicholson will lead the Sunday service at 10.30am
The Blessing of the Sea ceremony on Monday 16th begins with the procession
from church at 7 o’clock, followed at 7.30 pm by the Anniversary Supper (£7-50
on the door). Please come and join us

Just a little news from Portloe this month!

We celebrated in style the last of the winter soup lunches which was as usual well attended and a very happy occasion .

Another happy event, and a very different one, was the Women’s World Day of Prayer, held this year in Portloe church. The order of service was written by Christian women in Cuba and it was great to have the church filled with such colourful music, songs of praise and thoughtprovoking prose.

Our Annual Church Open Meeting is on Monday 11 April at 7 pm

What little news there is, is all good – apart from the wet stuff falling relentlessly from our skies. But lighter mornings and evenings are a great joy, as are the marvellously sunny days we are currently enjoying. Sunday services continue to be well-attended, as was the last soup lunch – an all-time record with 31 of us there! Do come and join us for the last one on Monday 7th March. (By then we’ll have celebrated the first of the new-look Veryan markets on the morning of Saturday 5th, and St Piran’s evening on the 6th – always a treat, especially on Mothering Sunday! A reminder about the Women’s World Day of Prayer to be held here in Portloe on Friday 4th March at 2 pm. This year the service has been prepared by women in Cuba. Looking to Easter, apart from the church services listed, there is as usual the wonderful Sunrise Service on the beach at Pendower at 6.30 am on Easter Day. Also as usual Annie and Trounce are planning to follow the service with a feast of loaves and fishes. Come and join the celebration!

Christmas seems such a long time ago, doesn’t it? Suffice it to say that our ‘Celebration’ went wondrously well and the collection raised £220 for St Petroc’s. Midnight Worship was a truly memorable service, again with the Revd Aubin de Gruchy. It was good to send £100 to Children’s Hospice South West. Bishop Tim enjoyed the ‘wonderful calendar which I can assure you will find a good place at Lis Escop’. He also added his thanks to the community for all that it is doing and continues to do. The amount raised from the sale of calendars has now reached its target of £7,000 for Mind – isn’t that splendid! After Christmas and New year indulgences a bowl of home-made soup was obviously just the ticket, there being a full house for the January soup lunch. It was good to get together again, and we’ll hope to see you on Monday 1 February, 12.30ish.