St Mary’s Church, Tunstead is holding a working party at 10:00 am this Saturday 31st March for a general clear up outside. They are looking for people of the parish to come and help. If you can spare an hour please come alon
g and lend a hand. The church council would like to spruce up the church for a wedding the following Friday. Of special interest is that the bells will be rung for this wedding.
If you can help please just turn up and bring a rake and wheelbarrow if possible.
Thanks
On Saturday 29th July, St Mary’s Tunstead hosted a wedding ceremony. In order to prepare the church for this wonderful event, the church was decorated with boughs, blooms, and bouquets.
The decorations were held over into Sunday, so that the church community and members of the public could view them.
The church of St Mary the Virgin is of cathedral-like proportions with a high arching roof, and a central aisle and two additional ones on either side. So to decorate the church was no mean feat. Trees and saplings were brought in to mark the aisles, and floral wreaths decorated the pew ends. Candles were also placed at the end of the pews. 
The rood screen arch became a floral arch which led to the chancel. 
Pedestal displays and trees were also placed in the side chapels so to integrate the whole church into the theme.
A group of peripatetic bell ringers visited St Mary’s Church, Tunstead today, 12th July. 
I visited the church to capture the event in sight and sound.
Here is a sample of the sights and sounds of the “Engine Room”. The Ringing Master was kind enough to let me into the hallowed realm usually reserved for the bell ringing fraternity.
Here is an audio recording from the engine room. Listen out for the Ringing Master calling the changes.
Aubrey Foster restored and maintains the bells at St Mary’s. It took him and his friends 6 years to complete the task, but it is well worth it.
The bells will be rung again for the wedding on 29th July.
Here is a recording of the bells being rung at the wedding on 29th July 2017.
