Download - 2010 Report
 |
Churches stand at the Devon County Show 2010 |
 |
Churches stand at the Devon County Show 2010 |
 |
Rest, Refreshment & Reflection – plus really cute pigs to cuddle!
These three words probably sum up what the Churches Stand try and offer visitors to the three-day county show. Through free hospitality in the form of free drinks and a chance to sit down and rest from the hustle and bustle of the show, Devon Churches reach out to a wide section of visitors to the show each year.
Setting up for the show starts on the Saturday prior to the show, when a volunteer working party sets aside a day to clean the barn and prepare the marquees ready for the guest organisations to arrive and set up on the Tuesday. The Monday is spent find tuning areas of the site and putting up colourful banners, kindly loaned by Belmont Chapel, to brighten up the inside areas. This is alongside sorting the necessary logistical matters like making sure the dishwasher is working, to wash the many hundreds of cups need for the show days. The Tuesday is spent helping guest organisations set up and settle in, the Wednesday any last minute arrangements are finished off and then we start the show off in style with the Preshow Service in the YFC marquee followed by a reception afterwards. This is a great time where a whole selection of people from various areas of show life comes together for an hour prior to the show starting. Radio Devon always use this service for their Sunday morning service on the following Sunday. Devon Church Leaders take an active part in this service alongside a wide section of Devon communities and representatives form various areas of life in Devon.
Each morning a short act of worship, open to the whole site takes place on the Churches Stand at 9am and we are privileged and honoured to welcome both the president and president elect of the Devon County Show to these services.
On Thursday many United Reformed Churches from Devon, under the capable leadership of Tony Langmead, one of the Churches Stand committee members, served the free refreshments as people sat and listened to a Salvation Army Band made up from Salvation Army Members from across Devon under the leadership of Captain Ian Urmston from Devonport Morice Town, also one of the Devon Churches Committee.
On Friday Pinhoe Road Baptist’s, headed up by Val Wetherell, provided the tea team. The entertainment was provided by the very talented and skilled Graham Parkinson, a very gifted local musician who played a very wide spectrum of music for all tastes. Graham’s performances are always extremely popular and he is a welcome addition to the entertainment programme.
Saturday saw a variety of Methodist Ladies, led by Margaret Simmons, manning the tea bar and the site was awash with children who came to watch the very popular and fast moving No Strings Puppet Theatre Puppet Show, which included a life sized gorilla! People also enjoyed listening to Exwick Community Church Youth Band, whose members enthusiasm and love for what they do, could be felt by the audience.
On all three days Katherine Lyddon, the Exeter Diocese Children's Work Advisor and her superb team were kept very busy in the dedicated children area making badges, masks, whizzers, streamers, cards and loads of other bright and colourful things. This bright and colourful marquee provided a real haven for worn out parents to sit and rest while their children took part in the many free activities, including a free bouncy castle, in a safe and restful area. Katherine made up some homemade bunting on which she asked the children what they knew about Jesus and as well as being an attractive addition to the roof of the marquee made very interesting reading.
As always the huge the telegraph pole cross, such a prominent part of the site, was well used with people nailing things they wanted prayer for onto it. These prayers were then removed and prayed for in the 4pm prayer time in the Barn Chapel in the corner of the barn. Again another area of calm and serenity in the frantic pace of the show.
If this was not enough in the main exhibition marquee there were loads of cute and cuddly animals from Pennywell farm to cuddle, free Bibles to be had from the Gideon’s Stand, information on Cyprus & the Gulf from their stand. A chance to find out what the Salvation Army is up to locally, nationally and internationally from their stand. There was a huge colourful and very informative display from Devon Christian Youth Camps to look at, which included the line ‘wear the same boxers for a week!’ Everyone wanted a chance to try their hand at bell ringing with the Devon Guild of Bellringers and this added a lovely background sound to the stand. If you needed to talk then the Farm Crisis Network had a quiet corner where you could share your concerns. If you wanted a tasty something to eat with your free coffee or tea, or needed an energy boost, you could buy a host of delicious goodies for the Traidcraft Stand, headed up the wonderful Helen Barratt from South Devon, and you could even find something to read whilst you drank your drink from the Choice Words Stand. This Christian Bookshop, with branches in Newton Abbot & Paignton, run by the awesome and fantastic couple Pam & Roy Brittle marked their fifteenth year of joining with the Churches Stand this year.
We are very grateful to Milk Link of Crediton who very kindly and very generously donated all the milk to go in the free teas and coffees given out on the stand.
All in all we hope that in 2010 the Devon Churches Stand provided something for everyone visiting the Devon County Show.
Devon County Show Churches - 2009 Show
|
Churches at the Devon County Show 2009 |
|
Churches at the Devon County Show 2009 |
|
Free Coffee, Free Milk, Free Paint & Free Blessings at the Churches Stand at the Devon County Show
2009 was the year that proved the Churches Stand at the Devon County Show could survive & even thrive during the credit crunch As well as the normal generous donations from all the church denominations, which keep the stand running year to year.
This year in addition, we were extremely blessed to have Fair-trade proper filter coffee kindly donated by Indigo Valley, all the milk for the show generously donated by Milk Link of Crediton and all the paint for tidying up things on the site supplied free by Rawle Gammon & Baker of Exeter.
People were extremely generous in their donations to the tea jars and we beat all records from previous years there also.
It was no means just about money. There were blessing in abundance too.
We saw record numbers attending our 9.00am morning act of worship and were privileges to have the president elect Mr Albert Cook and this year’s president Sir John Cave join with us on two mornings. We were honoured to have speakers from FCN (Farm Crisis Network), the United Reformed Church and the Rev Jez Brown the South West Regional Baptist minister also joining in with these services.
After a blowy and wet setting up day on the Saturday prior to the show the clouds seemed to have emptied themselves of rain and we had the best show weather for years This meant we could offer our full range of entertainment unhampered by the weather.
The children and youth marquee helpers led by Wayne Hackman of St Andrews Cullompton and Sean Schofield of Copplestone Methodist Church were kept very busy for all three days of the show with hoards of young people wishing to make badges (800 made over the three days), play games, sit and chat or add their comments to the various feedback posters on the walls. Again due to the fine weather the bouncy castle was in full use over the show.
The Salvation Army played a host of popular hymns and tunes outside, for the first time, due to the brilliant sunshine on the Thursday. The exceptionally talented duo of Graham Parkinson and his daughter Rebecca entertained the crowds on Friday and Saturday with a variety of Christian and secular songs, all with Graham’s unique twist and musical arrangement added to them. This was extremely popular and due to so many of the songs being so well known appealed to young and old, church attendees and non church attendees alike.
As always the Pennywell miniature piglets got well cuddled and were the cutest part of the stand. Although they had stiff competition this year from the baby goats and donkeys. The Pennywell and Street Pastor teams worked so well and incredibly hard ensuring that everyone entering the Churches Stand was spoken to and engaged with. These are two excellent and very valued teams, and we look to working more with both for next year.
The Devon Guild of Bell Ringers added a new dimension to the stand with their bell ringing demonstrations, and were kept busy all the time with keen spectators wanting to have a go at pulling the ropes. From old hands at bell ringing to complete newcomers the bells made a delightful sound regardless, and provided a lovely backdrop to the buzz of continuous conversation happening on the stand.
As always Choice Words Bookshop from Newton Abbot & Paignton led by Roy & Pam Brittle and the Traidcraft Team headed up by Helen Barratt provided eye catching and varied displays of books and Fair-trade items to buy, alongside a host of other goodies. These guys deserve medals for the amount of work they put in preparing for their stands, unpacking, displaying, selling and packing it all away again afterwards.
Farm Crisis Network, Churches Together in Devon, Cyprus & the Gulf and the 1100th celebrations were all represented as well and had good teams ready to tell visitors what all their valuable work was about. As well as providing entertainment the Salvation Army highlighted the excellent work they are doing in this area, especially at Devonport House in Plymouth where they have just won several awards for their outstanding work with the homeless and needy in society. Some of the beautiful woodwork created by the men they have helped was on sale at the show.
Andy Pidsley of API Communications ensured the techy side of the stand worked well and effortless, and we broke new ground by having a screen in the tea bar this year.
There was an awesome atmosphere at the show this year, crowds like we have never seen before, loads of people ready to talk and engage. It was a very special and enjoyable time and the importance of the stand and the churches witness at the show could be seen in the prayers nailed to the telegraph pole cross by people coming on to the site. There prayers as well as being prayed through at the 4pm prayer time are also circulated among the committee members to be prayed over the coming year.
The stand truly was a place of God on the site this year – but not in a way that was off putting to those who ‘don’t do’ ‘church., It was also a place to sit and rest, share a conversation, be refreshed by a drink, admire a display, listen to music, buy something, cuddle something, somewhere to have your children entertained or somewhere just to pause before you did the next part of the show.
Thanks to all those who made it possible in all areas and from all places.
|
Devon County Show Churches - 2008 Show
|
Churches stand at the Devon County Show 2008 |
|
Churches stand at the Devon County Show 2008 |
|
Churches Stand at the Devon County Show 2008
The Churches Stand at the Devon County Show felt slightly different this year with the Bishop of Exeter, the Right Rev Michael Langrish, being president and as a result the spotlight being more on the churches.
As usual the show kicked off on the Monday with the usual round of setting up and cleaning duties to prepare the area for the exhibitors and entertainers joining with us for the show.
On the Wednesday night the preshow service, where the Bishop was the key speaker, along with various input from representatives from Farms for City Children and others, took place at the YFC marquee as did the reception, instead of being on the Church Stand as it normally is. It was good to share this time with others from around the site
Guest organisations on the stand this year included the ever-popular Pennywell Farm and their famous miniature piglets as well as a host of other animals to be cuddled and cooed over.
Also Christian Aid highlighting issues relating to the world’s poor, a support team from the musical Cargo promoting the event in Plymouth, Churches Together in Devon, HOPE 2008, the Salvation Army and the Farm Crisis Network highlighting the very vital work they do with farmers.
As always there was a good stock of books and a variety of other items available to purchase from the Choice Words bookshop and all the fair-trade items from the Traidcraft stalls.
In the year of the Bishop being president of the show; the stand was completed with Exeter Cathedral's display and it was very interesting to see the intricate and skilful work of the stonemason, Tony, as he carved stone in front of very interested parties who do not normally get to see this line of work.
The cathedral also contributed to the entertainment side of the stand with the Dean of the cathedral, the Very Rev Jonathan Meyrick, performing a wide range of secular songs, including hits from Tom Jones and Flanders and Swan; which as always intrigued the crowds to see a dog collar wearing dean belting out old favourites.
The Salvation Army band played on the Thursday of the show and as always this was well received.
This year on the stand we focussed very much on the large amount of young people that come to the show and in addition to the usual free bouncy castle we offer and the puppet shows on the Saturday we had a dedicated marquee for children’s events where they could make badges, listen to stories, play a host of games, do a wide range of craft activities and be generally entertained all for free. To give you some idea of the amount of children that passed through this area – 600 badges were made over the three days of the show. This was all hosted and arranged by Wayne Hackman and his team from St Andrew’s Church in Cullompton.
On the Friday of the show we hosted, in partnership, with Bishop Michael, a Big Cream Tea as part of the HOPE 2008 initiative, and we are extremely grateful to Ollie Allen, the show secretary, for making this happen and to all those who came along
As always were kept to our mission statement to offer generous hospitality and sensitive conversation to anyone coming onto the stand; whether it be for a chat to someone, a free cup of coffee or tea or just the need to sit down and rest tired legs and feet after walking around the show.