Bank Holiday Weekend - Easter Monday

There were at least many, many hundreds of visitors to Witley today, making the most of the splendid Bank Holiday Easter weekend weather which was so kind to us this year. This was no doubt the best period for visitor numbers for many a year, which helped to compensate for the rather dismal start to 2011. The church tea-room was at one stage completely overwhelmed with customers who were queuing up to be served outside the door, but Gill and her team coped extremely well and deserve a special mention for thier efforts. Let's hope the season continues as good as this.

Easter Bank Holiday Weekend - Easter Sunday

Once again the church was exceptionally busy today with a well-attended Communion service in the morning led by the Rev. Robin Walter and Evensong at 5 o'clock. In between times well over four hundred visitors were recorded as coming into the church between 12 o'clock and late afternoon (possibly even an under-estimate), this figure probably being a record number in a day in recent times and which kept Ruth Butler and two assisting stewards on the go all the time. For my own part I was assigned to look after the visitors to the Earl of Dudley's tomb in the crypt which the P.C.C. had decided to open to the public for the first time on a trial basis. Further public openings are now likely to follow on selected days, as today was considered to be a great success. Thanks also go to Gill and her staff in the tea-room who coped magnificently with the visitors who came to sample the excellent fare available. The weather was exceptionally good over the whole weekend period with English Heritage also very busy next door at Witley Court.

Easter Bank Holiday Weekend - Saturday

After there being a wedding service in the morning, I gave assistance to the booked steward John Savage, as it was thought likely that the afternoon would turn out to be very busy. That it was, with almost one hundred and fifty people through the door by five o'lcock. Dr Paul Johnson paid us a visit and ended up giving an impromptu talk on the history of the church to a good audience of visitors. A little later on a number of the good ladies of the parish came in to decorate the church with flowers for Easter.

Spring Sunday at Witley Court

I payed a visit to Witley Court today which was a glorious warm spring day with almost unbroken sunshine. It was nice to see Gill, Nancie, Mary and the staff again at the church tea-room, after an almost six- month break, as well as Valerie who was duty church steward in the afternoon. My latest grandchild was born in the early hours to my youngest daughter, Hannah. An 8 lb. girl, Lexie Lorraine.