Tuesday 26 May 2015

Lambing Service, Wenningside Farm 24 May 2015

The May 24 2015: Lambing Service at Wenningside Farm, near Clapham Station drew over 70 people. Listen to the video to hear us singing.

(There will be a service on 20 May 2018 at 7pm)

Although organised by the Anglicans, people came from all denominations.

 The service was led by Revd Ian Greenhalgh (Anglican). Father Frank Smith (Catholic) led the prayers.

Revd Stephen Normanton (Methodist) gave the talk. He linked three points:- 24th is May this year is the day of Pentecost, the day the Holy Spirit came and the Early Church started. It is the Day when John Wesley's heart "was warmed". And we too can listen to the Holy Spirit in various ways.

A big thank you to Thomas Parker of Keasden who played the organ - and for bringing the organ again for this special service

and to Graham Taylor (the farmer) and family for having us at the service.


(You can see a transcript of the words on youtube)



The song is "Great God of All Creation" written by Mrs LM Porch - to the tune Ellacombe - you can get all four verses from:  http://www.arthurrankcentre.org.uk/worship-resources/item/download/1238 Here are verses 3 and 4

3. For herdsman and for shepherd,
We ask a special prayer,
That every gentle creature
Committed to their care
May live in quiet comfort
Supplying all our need,
And never be exploited,
To satisfy man’s greed.

4. We thank thee, gracious Father,
For all thy love provides,
With ever-growing wonder
For all that earth supplies,
Rich tokens of thy kindness
throughout the world we see.
With grateful hearts we offer
Our love and praise to thee.

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Parking in the Field,
Ingleborough in the distance.
Gorse bushes in bloom uphill of the field.


We enter the barn

The congregation assembles

See the sheep. and see Thomas Parker with his organ top left

Swaledale sheep have white noses. But the lambs have black noses when born.

Ian Greenhalgh talks to Father Frank

Modern adjunct: The bags of fertilizer.
(Out of the 7.3 billion people in the world in 2015,
we could not support 1/3 to 1/2 of
them - us - without artificial fertilizer

Thomas playing

Thomas playing - but with flash on camera








Somewhere in the congregation are Sheila and David Hazel who will be showing Settle Messy Church round their farm at Keasden Head on 21 June





Young Twaeblade.

Before  came to the farm I stopped in at Clapham cemetery, half way between the main road and Clapham Station.  I was DELIGHTED to find 17 species that are on the "Hay Meadow Indicator Species List" of the Yorkshire Dales National Park and  -then Nature Conservancy Council - now Natural England.  Any field with more than 10 of these is given the highest rating in their system. (I had discovered this graveyard when surveying Craven Outside the National Park in 1989-1990)

The graveyard was mown so most were not flowering - but the grass trimmings had been removed (Good).  To a botanist who know the plants, just seeing the leaves is inspiring. I can imagine the wealth of colourful flowers  that they could bear.. and am happy just to see the leaves there there.


Ajuga reptansBlue Bugle
Alchemilla filicaulis ssp. vestitaLady's Mantle
Alchemilla glabraHairless Lady's Mantle
Carex caryophylleaSpring Sedge
Carex flaccaGlaucous Sedge
Listera ovataTwaeblade
Conpodium majusPignut
Filipendula ulmariaMeadowsweet
Geum rivaleWater Aven
Hypochoeris radicataCat's-ear
Lathyrus pratensisYellow Meadow Vetchling
Leontodon hispidusHairy Hawkbit
Leucanthemum vulgareOx-eye Daisy
Lotus corniculatusBird's-foot Trefoil
Luzula campestrisField Woodrush
Orchis masculaEarly Purple Orchid
Prunella vulgarisSelf-heal

Father Frank was actually in the graveyard at the same time, with a family. And this is just a month before the Pope is due to give his encyclical on the environment.



1 comment:

Greensleeves said...

Sorry Judith but you state that we are producing enough food for 7.8 billion people and could only feed half of these without artificial fertiliser.

In fact we are producing enough food for 14 billion people already and artificial fertiliser has played its part in the low quality food that now prevails in our food system. We have been over producing for years.

We need to produce less food but of high quality on holistic systems that do not damage the environment and change distribution methods to ensure it reaches everyone.