Here's the lates from our Hitchin Nub News column on all the latest from St Mary's Church: A Churchwarden Writes…

Vimpels, Flags, secrets of St Mary's Tower and Mothering Sunday

As you walk around town and through the Churchyard, you may pause to look up and admire the flag flying on the top of St Mary's Tower, but do you ever wonder how it gets up there?

There are many fascinating aspects of life 'behind the scenes' at St Mary's and today we can exclusively reveal how one of them works.

If you have ever managed to go on one of our occasional Tower tours you will have seen a little trap door just at the top of the narrow, winding spiral staircase, by the exit which leads out onto the Tower roof by the spire.

Now imagine climbing up a ladder fixed to the wall, through that trap door and on to the base of the 15 foot flagpole itself. It's harder than it looks! That is what one of our congregation, Paul, does (safely) every time we change the flags over.

He definitely needs a head for heights to do this job, carefully taking the folded flag up and down the ladder, but luckily we don't ask him to repeat the task every day.

Every now and then it gets a direct hit from a passing seagull and Paul has to take it down for a quick wash and dry in the garden! (Paul with the flag & after washing)

We fly the Cross of St George flag for England, with the Emblem of the Diocese of St Albans in the corner, for significant days including Easter, Christmas, St George's Day and this week to mark the Annunciation. For the Queen's Birthday and Remembrance Sunday we can fly the Union Jack.

If there is bad weather, or no excuse to fly the important ones, then a Vimpel is used. A long pennant-shaped flag, which looks as if it should be on a Knight's jousting pole, it indicates that someone is 'home'.

We are looking at whether we can fly the Ukranian flag on the Tower within the rules, watch this space for news.

St Mary's is continuing its special collections in support of the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. All donations received are being routed via the Disasters Emergency Committee.

In the days from 4th to 20th March we have gratefully received cash and cheques to the value £3103.81 which has all been sent to the DEC. Details of how to donate are on our website https://www.stmaryshitchin.co.uk/

This weekend is of course 'Mothering Sunday', the 4th Sunday of Lent, and the day when we honour maternal bonds, motherhood and the role of Mothers in society. It is also linked to the idea of a 'Mother Church' in various ways, in the past people may have travelled back to the village or town where they came from at that time.

At St Mary's, volunteers from our flower arranging team will be spending Saturday morning making little bunches of Daffodils to hand out to the congregation, as is our tradition at our 10 am Service.

On Mothering Sunday we'll be looking at a broader perspective on Mothering; what it is, and the skills we all need to have to care for, nurture and protect people, projects, things that are important to us.

Also thinking particularly of those who are mothering through extreme and difficult circumstances as we continue to remember and pray for those affected by the war in Ukraine.

Our Trinity Chapel, behind the East windows on the riverside, remains open as a place of quiet prayer, where you can light a candle for the Ukrainian people in peace.

The Church is open, apart from services, from 11am until 3pm this Tuesday, Friday and Saturday, and from 11am until 1pm on Sunday.

Further updated details of our services, opening times and events are found on our public Facebook page @StMarysChurchHitchin .

Further information is found on our website:

https://www.stmaryshitchin.co.uk/

You can follow us on the following platforms: Instagram stmaryschurch_hitchin

https://twitter.com/stmaryshitchin_

https://twitter.com/@stmarysBFL