SEASONS of mists and mellow fruitfulness.

Where does the time go? Already I can feel the inside of St Laurence’s Church start to get slightly colder and a tinge of humidity; autumn looks as though it’s on the way.

Whilst I hope you’re enjoying the bright days that the late summer brings, spare a thought for us, we’re just finishing preparing for Christmas; the advent calendars and candles, Christmas cards and nativity sets were ordered two months ago, and the carols services have nearly been signed off!

The last few weeks have been particularly busy, with hundreds of musicians from all over the globe enjoying courses and concerts; also the largest summer exhibition of the Ludlow Art Society has just begun.

During all of this we’ve also welcomed nearly 2,000 people to four funerals and a wedding; it really is the heart of Ludlow’s community.

Keeping the church well repaired is a challenge, and I’ve always enjoyed a challenge.

With this in mind, on September 2, I’ll be cycling 1,000 miles from Lands’ End to John o’Groats in aid of the Conservation Trust for St Laurence’s who help raise funds for repairs.

St Laurence’s is one of England’s largest parish churches, it needs almost constant repairs.

You may have seen the scaffolding arriving on site as we prepare to repair the tower, windows, roofs and surface gullies.

It’s a little known fact that we rely totally on donations and legacies to keep the building watertight.

Not up for cycling 1000 miles? Why not support St Laurence’s by making a donation towards the roof repairs, look us up on Justgiving: The Conservation Trust for St Laurence.