Children's banners

When the service for the institution of the new Team Rector, Ian Coomber, was being discussed, the question of involving the children was raised.  A suggestion was made that two banners should be made for St Paul’s church in Grange, one representing the place he was coming from and the other where he was coming to. 

The Team Curate, Ruth Crossley, contacted the local primary schools and the new Rector’s wife, Jill, contacted the schools with which he was involved in the Portsmouth diocese, and all willingly agreed to be involved.  Carol Sisson, from the parish of Lindale, came up with the design and masterminded the whole venture.  Different-coloured materials were sent off to the various schools and the children drew round their hands and signed their names.  The ‘hands’ were returned to Carol, and various members of Grange parish diligently cut round the outlines. 

A small group then gathered in the library at the Grange Primary School, and with the help of a small band of children brandishing glue brushes, the hands were assembled into the designs that Carol had chosen. 

The end result was two banners, each 6’ 6” by 3’ 3” – one displaying a Cumbrian scene with sheep on the hills, and the other a coastline featuring the ferry plying its way between Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight.  The banners were erected in Church in preparation for the service, and the new Rector used his brolly to get them straight!

A framed picture showing a dove with the names of the schools along its feathers was presented to Ian during the service by Carol Sisson and Colin Milner, the head of the Grange CE Primary School, with two children, James Thedham (Grange) and Bethany Latham (Allithwaite).   The primary schools involved in Cumbria were Allithwaite, Cartmel, Flookburgh, Grange and Lindale (all in the Cartmel Team) plus Satterthwaite & Rusland and Leven Valley in the Windermere Deanery.  In the Portsmouth diocese, the primary schools were Botley, Curdridge and Durley.   The Team Council would like to thank Carol Sisson for her inspired help.