Villages such as Brightwell-cum-Sotwell are an intrinsic aspect of our
country's heritage. We should and, hopefully, do count ourselves
fortunate to live in such a community and to be able to play a part in
ensuring that this heritage is passed along for the benefit of future
generations.
Similarly St Agatha's, in addition to being significant on the national
scene as recognised by its Grade 11* status, is an important part of our
local heritage. Whether or not we are regular church attendees, we
surely accept that St Agatha's is a historical and community focus for
our village. It has contributed to the life of this locality since
Norman times, providing a place where everyone can meet or worship or go
for quiet contemplation.
These days we may go regularly to the Church for worship, we may attend
primarily for weddings, baptisms or funerals, or we may only go to
events such as the Son et Lumiere Millenium celebration or the more
recent Faure's Requiem. Most of us benefit in some way from the presence
of St Agatha's and its enrichment of our community. We therefore all
should be interested in the Church being utilised even more by the
public at large, to fulfil its potential for becoming a greater social
focus whilst not detracting from its position as a place of worship.
However this is constrained at present by the lack of basic facilities,
in particular toilet facilities.
This issue has been raised in The Villager on previous occasions
by Olive Sutcliffe. We now have a proposal for a small lean-to extension
to the Church, leading from the existing south door, to include toilet
facilities and a meeting room for church and secular use. By means of
the short questionnaire inserted in this issue of The Villager, we seek your views on what is proposed before plans are finalised. Please take a few minutes to give us your thoughts.
I have been invited to set up an Appeal Committee under the auspices of
the PCC to raise the necessary funds to allow the project to proceed.
Once all approvals are secured we will seek funds locally and from grant
providing institutions. We do hope that everyone in our parish will
support this very worthwhile cause.
Tony Lascelles
