Churches around the Diocese of Chester have been marking and remembering the people who have died in wars. As Remembrance Day approaches, we round up some of the activities taking place in the diocese to remember the fallen. Please share your photographs and stories with Communications Team.
Wettenhall
Earlier this year the parish of Wettenhall remembered Corporal John George Rathbone in a special church service, held 100 years to the day after he lost his life in the First World War.
Bramhall
Bramhall Remembers 100 is bringing the local community together to create 7000 paper poppies. Together they will form a symbolic single installation in the church tower and will demonstrate the community's unity in remembering and giving thanks. Stockport Borough Council has kindly partnered with the church and paid for all the resources.
Birkenhead Christ Church
On Sunday 04 November, exactly one hundred years after he was killed, Wilfred Owen was the focus for a special episode of Songs of Praise, recorded at Christ Church, Birkenhead. All this week Christ Church is remembering the World War 1 soldier and poet as part of a series of public events in partnership with The Wilfred Owen Commemoration. Jackie Harness is a Reader at Christ Church and passionate about Wilfred Owen and the Armed Forces. She has been reflecting on her love of Wilfred Owen and why she believes that, despite the horrors of war, God was alongside every soldier that was killed.
Mobberley
St. Wilfrid’s church held a special service to remember all from the village who served their country in WW1. During the service, the parish Roll of Honour was read by civic and ecumenical church leaders. Whilst the Roll of Honour was being read children from Mobberley Primary School took large poppies into the graveyard to mark the 72 graves of those men who returned from war and are buried here.
New Brighton
St. James Church is having a special Service of Remembrance for those who have lost their lives from the parish in the Great War. Kay Redmond has spent hours researching and finding relatives of those who died so they can come and pay their respects. Stories from the fallen will be heard for the first time. Local poets will be contributing their war poems and the choir will sing a couple of anthems. We will be following the service by a ration peace supper of bully beef stew and peaches with evaporated milk.
Macclesfield
The four churches of Macclesfield Team ministry have been reflecting on three themes: Remembering, building peace, and finding hope and over 500 poppies have been knitted by church members and friends to mark 100 years since the end of the Great War. These have been put on an outside display making the number 100. There are also some purple poppies remembering the animals that died in the war. Mixed in with the poppies, on green leaves, are the names of people from the parish that were in the Great War, as well as quotes from war poems, prayers and the Bible.
People can see the display outside the church on Lyme Avenue.
Walton
The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust awarded St. John's church ten silhouettes as part of There but Not There, a national programme that aims to be the defining centenary commemoration of the end of the 1914-1918 war. The Revd Anita Raggett, said: “This is a wonderful award for St John’s, and a great opportunity for us as a community to remember with thanksgiving those who gave their lives in war. This year we remember particularly those who died in the First World War as we commemorate the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day. This award will bring the church congregation, the parish council, and other members of the community, in a communal act of remembrance which will highlight the sacrifices made by members of the local community.”
Lymm
Members of the community, organisations, homes and schools have created handmade poppies which will be displayed in a cascade of poppies at St Mary’s church.
Northwich
Over the last four months, teams from the church and the local community and schools have been working to prepare the church for Remembrance Day by knitting and crocheting hundreds of poppies which now adorn the lychgate through which the parade will process on Remembrance Day. Poppies have also been made and plated with the names of those from Northwich who lost their lives in the War. In the church, there are maps of the town, with a red dot showing the home of everyone who died as a visual reminder of just how devastating the war was on the local community.
Hale
St Peter's will display two silhouettes of soldiers in the church and a copy has been made of the names on the War Memorial and included in a card for people to take home. On Remembrance Day morning members of the congregation will read out all of the names.
Partington and Carrington
Members of St Mary's church and others from the local community have been knitting and crocheting poppies all year. This week over a thousand will be mounted and displayed in the church, stretching from the cross and altar and through the chancel and will be the centre-piece for Sunday's service.
Romiley
St Chad's will mark Remembrance Sunday with a special liturgy and Act of Remembrance. Churches Together in Romiley, Bredbury and Woodley will share the leading of a Remembrance parade from the war memorial in Romiley to the one in Bredbury, followed by a Service of Remembrance at Bredbury War memorial. Over 500 people are expected.
Edgeley and Cheadle Heath
St Matthew's church will be leading the commemorations with a special event called Looking Back / Looking Forward. This free event will take place on Saturday and will feature poetry readings from Write Out Loud, memorabilia from WWI and other conflicts, crafts for children, a "river of poppies", and music from the era. Local church members will be reading the names of the fallen from St Matthew's, St Mark's and St Augustine's churches.
Congleton Team
St. Peter's Church will be open on Saturday 10th November with eight Remembrance Silhouettes seated in church. People are invited to come and read the stories of some of the men who are listed on St. Peter's war memorial. There will also be an opportunity to remember those who lost their lives in World War 1 by using the Everyone Remembered website developed by the Royal British Legion in partnership with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
Mellor
The parish of Mellor will hold a special Concert of words and music entitled Mellor Remembers on Saturday the 10th November in St Thomas' church, led by the choir of St Thomas' and children from Mellor Primary School.
Whaley Bridge
At Whaley Bridge, a whole host of activity is planned, including a Centenary Concert and meal at the Uniting Church, a lantern parade, lighting beacons and ringing of the bells. The tenor bell will be tolled from 7pm. Whaley Bridge will also have 140 large poppies on lamp posts.
Cheadle
As part of the annual Remembrance parade in Cheadle and in collaboration with the local high school,101 large poppies will be produced and will join the parade, with the names of the deceased on them, to communicate visually what an impact it would have been to the local population.
Hale Barns with Ringway
A special Service of Remembrance will take place involving local faith groups including the two synagogues, Holy Angels Roman Catholic church, Unitarian Chapel representatives, Altrincham and Hale Muslim association representatives. Pupils at St Ambrose College will be reading the names from the Hale Barns war memorial.
Cheadle Hulme
At All Saints, a special service will take place at 3.30 in the afternoon of Remembrance Day. The service will be based on a recently discovered service booklet from December 1918. The service will contain some of the hymns and readings used in 1918 together with prose and poetry. The names of those who lost their lives will be read out and a wreath placed in their memory.
Sale
At Saint Paul’s, a service will be held on Saturday featuring performances from the local military parade, the local am-dram group, the church choir, the school choir and the community choir. There will also be an exhibition in the church hall on the 11th with special guests, including representatives from local schools, veterans and forces groups, uniformed organisations and descendants of some of those named on our WW1 memorial tablet. Names will be read out at the evening event and some descendants of some of the men named will be present.