Last week's Alderley Edge Civic Service was attended by dignitaries from across Cheshire East, members of neighbouring town and parish councils and representatives of various local voluntary groups and churches.
Amongst the guests were Cllr Michael Jones, Leader of Cheshire East Council, and Cllr George Walton, Mayor of Cheshire East, with his wife Veronica.
Having been resurrected last year, the Civic Service on Sunday July 1st was only the second to be held in the village since 2003.
The service was held at St. Philip and St. James Parish Church.
Revd Jane Parry said "Mr Michael Scaife gave an very interesting account of how Alderley Edge had previously celebrated Jubilees and Olympic Games. Revd Ben Clowes spoke in his address about our willingness and enthusiasm to join in with celebrations and parties and our response to being invited. Ryleys Choir, led by Mrs Jenny Grant, sang two beautiful pieces, 'You raise me up' and 'The Lord's Prayer'."
Readings were given by Cllr Mike Williamson, Chairman of Alderley Edge Parish Council, and Cllr Frank Keegan. Prayers were led by Revd Jane Parry and Mr Kevin Hanrahan.
Revd Jane Parry added "It was a truly uplifting and encouraging service and celebration of Alderley Edge.
"Thanks must go to Mrs Anne Ross (Alderley Edge Council Parish Clerk), Mrs Judy Povey (AEMC Office) and Mr Peter Spooner (Organist and Choirmaster) for their help in the preparation and organisation for this service."
The collection raised £360 which will go to the Alderley Edge Civic Fund which is a hardship fund set up to assist, on a one-off basis, anyone living in exceptional hardship in the parish who needs money for a particular purpose.
Cllr Frank Keegan said "We restarted the Civic Service the last few years and we have just got back to where we used to be. It was great to see good representation from our neighbouring towns and parishes. Now we are back in the swing we can start to attract people who didn't come."
Cllr Keegan added "It was terrific and there was a terrific crowd in the church."
A Prayer for the community of Alderley Edge from the Civic Service
Heavenly Father, as we gather today for this special service we ask your blessing on our community here in Alderley Edge. We ask that you guide and direct the Leaders of this community that they may always look to the good and wellbeing of the people over whom they have been given authority, and perform their responsibilities with due diligence and compassion.
We pray for the local businesses and those who work in and from this village. That their endeavours may be fruitful and honest, and their labours produce justice and integrity in the workplace. We remember those who, for whatever reason, are unemployed or unemployable and who are anxious for work that they may find appropriate occupations. We give thanks for those who through their vocations care for and tend the needs of the sick, disabled or aged that they may show consideration and kindness in their calling.
And for all who live and work here we ask your blessing and your grace, that we may live and work together in peace and concern for one another,
As we look back with gratitude for all that Alderley Edge community has accomplished for its people, so we also look forward with hope and confidence to what can and will be achieved through our endeavours together. Help each one of us to take on our own responsibility for all that each day and each challenge offers us, always trusting that you are with us and wanting what is best for each one of us.
All these things we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord,
Amen.
Next year's Alderley Edge Civic Service will be held at Alderley Edge Methodist Church who will be celebrating their 150th anniversary.
Photo: (l-r) Cllr Mike Williamson (Chairman of AEPC), Rev Jane Parry, Rev Ben Clowes, Cllr George Walton (Mayor of Cheshire East).
Comments
Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.
The Council is meant to represent and support all the people. It is divisive if it aligns itself publicly with religion and in this case with one particular faith group. We look to councillors to use their judgement and experience to manage our common affairs, not to seek guidance publicly from an Almighty in whom many of us really cannot believe. Keeping religion and the state separate is a cornerstone of democracy.
What a load of nonsense ............ messing about with religion and politics is dangerous.
I'd be more impressed with these officials if they did more work for the Council instead of running around on freebies.
Did they get paid for this whilst "On Council business" ?
Graham first: The Civic Service is held in rotation through the main 3 churches in the village, Methodist, Catholic and C of E. I am certain that if we had a mosque, it would get included. It is simply wrong to suggest that the Parish Council is aligning itself with one particular faith group.
Secondly, the suggestion that the separation of church and state is a cornerstone of democracy is factually incorrect in this country. The monarch is the head of the Church of England, the ESTABLISHED church. We give Bishops seats in the House of Lords and therefore in Parliament. In this country there is no separation between church and state - unlike the United States where the constitution prohibits the creation of an established church.
As for David's comments, As the story suggested, the service was mainly populated by: "dignitaries from across Cheshire East, members of neighbouring town and parish councils and representatives of various local voluntary groups and churches". Parish Councillors are not paid anything for their efforts on behalf of the community and voluntary groups are just that, volunteers.
The only three Councillors who would be in receipt of allowances who are reported as attending are Frank, George Walton and Michael Jones. They get a set salary and so its hard to tell whether you can say they were being 'paid' for attending the Civic Service any more than you can say they are being paid for sleeping in their own beds at night !
The only place you might have justified cause for complaint would be on travelling expenses. I would hope that Frank did not try to claim the 400 yards from his home to the Church but I would expect that George and Micheal would have claimed the mileage to get to the service.
George is the Mayor, whilst I personally voted against Cheshire East having a Mayor or being a Borough, i was overwhelmingly outvoted, and so we have a Mayor, whose job is to wander the Borough attending Civic events and representing the Borough at those events. So long as he spreads his net wide, I can live with the occasional attendance at Civic Services, just as I can live with attendance a Boy Scout, Girl Guide and Guide Dogs for the Blind events. The Mayor's diary is horribly full and he spends his life running around the Borough - its therefore only reasonable that he might claim travelling expenses.
As for Michael - well - maybe he is duplicating the efforts of George - but I will not die if the new Leader of the Council (and pretty new Councillor who lacks a long history of connections with the great and good of Cheshire East ) tries to get out into the Borough and meet the Parish Councillors who have great local knowledge. A Civic Service is a great chance to meet lots of Parish Councillors from PCs surrounding the Alderley area and it seems to me that if anything, there is an economy of scale in Michael networking with Parish Councillors at a Civic Service.
And finally, as for calling it a 'freebie' - have you ever attended a Civic Service ? I have never seen a more tedious waste of time. It's not exactly fun.
In conclusion, lets call our Parish Councillors names and make allegations against them when they deserve it, they do provide sufficient opportunity for that as it is, but posting ill informed and inaccurate comments about them is sadly a waste of bandwidth.
Thank you to the Parish Clerk for inviting me to the Civic Service again this year, its always nice to be invited, even if the prospect of attendance is somewhat less attractive than having my eyes poked out with needles.
Now - let's wait for the backlash from the zealots .......
Thank you for taking the trouble to address and refute the allegations I posted.
I am quite satisfied with your comments and answers.
Many thanks.
The Church of England is indeed ‘established’ and there are bishops in our Parliament, but that is surely an anachronism from another age. In our country we have managed over the centuries to reduce the power of the Church and achieved a (largely) secular society. In so doing we have secured freedom of religion and thought for all and a society where laws are made by people we elect and not by reference to some holy book or supposed divine guidance. Regrettably many countries do not yet share those freedoms.
The promotion of a civic service feels like a step backwards. It’s not a huge issue, I concede, but just out of kilter with the direction we should be travelling.
The end of the Civic Year is marked by a Chairman's Evening - at Festival Hall - for all of the same groups who started the year to celebrate all of the voluntary effort which has happened over the Civic Year in Alderley Edge.
Personally I like that habit.
I do feel that a sense of proportion needs to be brought to your comments. Parish Councillors (as far as I am aware) are invited to attend the Civic Service and the Remembrance Sunday Service; some also attend the Good Friday Services. This accounts for a total of, at most, three days out of 365 when they are publicly "representing" myself and other Christians. They have the remaining 362 days of the year to represent atheists, or those of other faiths, if they so wish. I'm unclear on how the mixing of politics, with Christian principles such as forgiveness and compassion for others, is "dangerous" as you suggest.