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In a special extra service this morning for members of the United Services Mess, Commander Mike Beardall the last captain of HMS Cardiff formally handed over the Ship's Bell to St John's for safekeeping. It was a splendid occasion, graced by the presence of crew members from HMS Cambria in uniform, former Cardiff crew and mess members, wearing their medals or in uniform. There were over ninety people present with the choir. The sun shone, and everyone enjoyed themselves. At the 9h30 Eucharist we had the largest congregation (just over fifty adults and children altogether) we've had over the summer months - and all this despite road closures all around the city centre which made it especially difficult for people to find their several ways into church.
The road closures on this occasion were occasioned by more modificatory work on the junction in front of the Castle. Some closure notices were erected a week in advance on main routes into the city, but these were not a model of clarity. If there was other publicity in the press, it didn't stop many people from being caught out by the road closures, including me. In the morning I went in by bike and simply didn't notice which roads were shut off, because that didn't affect my route into the city centre. For the evening service, since it started to rain as a made ready to leave, and I was pretty tired having already done four services earlier, I decided to take the car. The road closures were still in force, and the five minute journey took me twenty minutes. Just as well I left as early as I did, or I'd have been the last one in, of a congregation of a dozen.
In a special extra service this morning for members of the United Services Mess, Commander Mike Beardall the last captain of HMS Cardiff formally handed over the Ship's Bell to St John's for safekeeping. It was a splendid occasion, graced by the presence of crew members from HMS Cambria in uniform, former Cardiff crew and mess members, wearing their medals or in uniform. There were over ninety people present with the choir. The sun shone, and everyone enjoyed themselves. At the 9h30 Eucharist we had the largest congregation (just over fifty adults and children altogether) we've had over the summer months - and all this despite road closures all around the city centre which made it especially difficult for people to find their several ways into church.
The road closures on this occasion were occasioned by more modificatory work on the junction in front of the Castle. Some closure notices were erected a week in advance on main routes into the city, but these were not a model of clarity. If there was other publicity in the press, it didn't stop many people from being caught out by the road closures, including me. In the morning I went in by bike and simply didn't notice which roads were shut off, because that didn't affect my route into the city centre. For the evening service, since it started to rain as a made ready to leave, and I was pretty tired having already done four services earlier, I decided to take the car. The road closures were still in force, and the five minute journey took me twenty minutes. Just as well I left as early as I did, or I'd have been the last one in, of a congregation of a dozen.
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