FESTIVAL OF FLOWER’S ANNIVERSARIES:- including Bishop’s 5th Anniversary

 

This weekend (until July 3rd) we are hosting a Festival of Flowers at St Mary’s Priory to mark many of this year’s Anniversaries, some of which are very significant for the country and for Abergavenny.

This evening we will be visited by the Bishop of Monmouth to see the displays including two of special interest to him:

• The display marking the 5th Anniversary of his consecration as Bishop, sponsored by the Holywell Community.
• The display marking the 15th Anniversary of the Diocesan Link with the Highveld, sponsored by St Mary’s Priory.

Bishop Richard with our NSM Curate Fr Jeff

Richard Pain was elected Bishop of Monmouth on July 23, 2013, having served as Archdeacon of Monmouth for the previous five years, during which me he lived in Abergavenny.

He has served in the diocese for nearly 30 years – as Vicar in Monmouth for 10 years and also Vicar in Risca, Six Bells and Cwmllery, and as a curate in Caldicot.

He is also the Visitor of the Holywell Community.

Fr Mark & Bishop Dominic on a vist to a Highveld Board of Responsibility Project.

On November 19, 2003, Bishop Dominic Walker of Monmouth and Bishop David Beetge of The Highveld signed an agreement linking the two diocese for five years.

The link was further renewed in 2008. Since then visitors have travelled between the dioceses and parishes have formed their own individual links – St Mary’s being first linked with the cathedral parish of Benoni and then with the parishes of Evanda with Secunda, in the north east of South Africa.

The other South African connection in Festival is  a display marking 100 years since the birth of President Nelson Mandela.

Nelson Mandela was born on July 18, 1918, in Mvezo, South Africa and died on December 5, 2013, in Johannesburg. He was a black nationalist and the first black president of South Africa (1994–99).

Arrested and imprisoned for his anti-aparteid acvities, most notably on Robben Island, his negotiations in the early 1990s with South African President. F W de Klerk helped end the country’s apartheid system of racial segregation and ushered in a peaceful transition to majority rule. Mandela and de Klerk were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1993 for their efforts.

 

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FESTIVAL OF FLOWER’S ANNIVERSARIES:- includes 100 years of Holst Planet Suite & 250 of the RA

 

This weekend  until July 3rd we are hosting a Festival of Flowers at St Mary’s Priory to mark many of this year’s Anniversaries, some of which are very significant for the country and for Abergavenny.

 

The arts feature in our Festival of Flowers:-

• Tomorrow at 6pm we have an informal concert with Baritone Simon Pratt soon to start studying at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, he has just graduated from Leeds University. Simon was awarded the Frank Toothill performance prize for the highest achieving performers. In 2018, he was awarded the Lord Snowden performance prize.
• One of the displays marks Holst’s Planet Suite first performance 100 years ago.
• Another display marks the 250th Anniversary of the Royal Academy of the Arts

 

Simon will perform music on the theme of flowers and love.

Programme includes Dichterliebe – Schumann; Die Lotosblume – Schumann; Widmung – Schumann; The Lilacs – Rachmaninoff; Du bist wie eine Blume – Schumann.

Simon Pratt

The Planets, Op. 32, is a seven-movement orchestral suite by the English composer Gustav Holst, written between 1914 and 1916.

Each movement of the suite is named after a planet of the solar system and its corresponding astrological character as defined by Holst. The premiere was at the Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh, on September 29, 1918, conducted by Holst’s friend Adrian Boultbefore an invited audience of about 250 people.

The first complete public performance was finally given in London by Albert Coates conducting the London Symphony Orchestra on November 15, 1920.

 

The Royal Academy (RA) was founded in 1768 by a group of 40 artists and architects who became the first Royal Academicians.

The first president was Sir Joshua Reynolds, whose statue now stands outside Burlington House, the home of the RA in London’s Piccadilly. It is home to Britain’s longest established art school and, every year since its foundaon, it has held an annual Summer Exhibion, the largest open-submission art exhibion in the world.

This year’s was curated by Grayson Perry.

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FESTIVAL OF FLOWER’S ANNIVERSARIES:- including 10 years as a Fair Trade town

 

From today until July 3rd we will have a Festival of Flowers at St Mary’s Priory to mark many of this year’s Anniversaries, some of which are very significant for the country and for Abergavenny.

In addition to  a display sponsored by the Town Council you can get Fair Trade Tea and Coffee in the Priory Centre during the Festival.

Abergavenny Fairtrade Forum was established in February 2006 to work towards gaining Fairtrade Town status for Abergavenny, which was achieved in 2007.

The Forum is made up of people from the local community and representaves from Oxfam, churches and the county council. It connues to promote Fairtrade and the sale and use of Fairtrade products by local businesses and organisaons.

St Mary’s Priory plays its part by providing Fairtrade.

Refreshments

During the Festival refreshments are being served in the Priory Centre by various local Anglican Groups

FRIDAY: Christchurch, North Street, in aid of the repairs to their Great East Window.

SATURDAY & SUNDAY: St Peter’s Church, Llanwenarth in aid of their roof and tower repairs .

MONDAY: St Mary’s Priory Choir, in aid of their singing week.

TUESDAY: St Mary’s & Christchurch MU Branch in aid of their work.

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FESTIVAL OF FLOWER’S ANNIVERSARIES :-including Town Twinnings

From June 29th – July 3rd we will have a Festival of Flowers at St Mary’s Priory to mark many of this year’s Anniversaries, some of which are very significant for the country and for Abergavenny.

Arranged by members of the Town Twinning Associations and sponsored by them are two displays to mark 50 and 30 years respectively of twinning,

In 1968, Abergavenny’s then Mayor John Lewis was one of a party of eight who made the trip overseas to Ostringen in the state of Baden Wuremberg to forge twinning links between the two towns. Despite small scale council and school exchanges, the association between the two didn’t really take off until 1971 when a programme of youth soccer exchanges began. The link has gone from strength to strength

In 1988, Abergavenny twinned with Beaupreau in Western France, about 45 kilometres from Angers and 309 kilometres from Paris.

 

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FESTIVAL OF FLOWER’S ANNIVERSARIES:- including 100 years since the cessation of World War 1

From June 29th – July 3rd we will have a Festival of Flowers at St Mary’s Priory to mark many of this year’s Anniversaries, some of which are very significant for the country and for Abergavenny.

Monmouthshire Regiment Troops line up for a blessing outside St Mary’s before going off to fight in World War 1

A display below the War Memorial will mark the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War.

It is sponsored by the Royal British Legion and Monmouthshire Regimental Association and designed by the wife of a former army medic – Gill Luter.

In early October 1918, Germany, no longer able to continue the war, approached the United States about an armistice. At 5:12 AM on November 11, 1918, in the Forest of Compiegne, the Armistice was signed in Marshal Foch’s train car.

The Armistice did not come into force until the 11am that day and fighting continued until the last minute – future American President Harry S Truman, then an artillery captain, kept his battery firing until the final moments.

Officially over 10,000 men were killed, wounded or went missing on November 11, 1918. The last soldier to die was Private Henry Gunther, from Balmore,USA. Ironically of German descent, he died at 10:59 in France.

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FESTIVAL OF FLOWER’S ANNIVERSARIES:- including 70 yrs of the National Health Service.

From June 29th – July 3rd we will have a Festival of Flowers at St Mary’s Priory to mark many of this year’s Anniversaries, some of which are very significant for the country and for Abergavenny.

One of the displays will mark the 70th Anniversary of the NHS – and it is hoped it will be arranged by a recent long term patient of the service at Nevill Hall Hospital.

On 5 July 1948, the NHS was launched by the then Health Secretary, Aneurin Bevan, at Park Hospital in Manchester (known today as Trafford General Hospital). For the first time, hospitals, doctors, nurses, pharmacists, opcians and densts were brought together under one umbrella to provide services for free at the point of delivery.

Over the last 70 years, the NHS has transformed the health and wellbeing of the naon and delivered huge medical advances and improvements to public health, meaning we can all expect to live longer lives. It is thanks to the NHS that we have all but eradicated diseases such as polio and diphtheria, and pioneered new treatments like the world’s first liver, heart and lung transplant.

The Priory Trustees work in partnership with the Aneurin Bevan Health Board  and Criw’r efail in the delivery of Welsh Language excellence. The Board’s Welsh Language Unit is based in the Tithe Barn.

 

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FESTIVAL OF FLOWER’S ANNIVERSARIES:- including 100years of the Royal Air Force.

From June 29th – July 3rd we will have a Festival of Flowers at St Mary’s Priory to mark many of this year’s Anniversaries, some of which are very significant for the country and for Abergavenny.

Sponsored by the Abergavenny Branch of the Royal British Legion will be a dispaly below the laid up banner of the local RAFA to mark the Centenary off the formation of the RAF.

The Royal Air Force was formed as a separate Service on April 1, 1918, independent of the Brish Army and Royal Navy – the first time that any country had formed an entirely separate and independent air force. The ‘new’ RAF was the most powerful air force in the world with more than 290,000 personnel and nearly 23,000 aircraft, and flew over the Western Front in support of ground forces.

 

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FESTIVAL OF FLOWER’S ANNIVERSARIES:- include NAFAS

From June 29th – July 3rd we will have a Festival of Flowers at St Mary’s Priory to mark many of this year’s Anniversaries, some of which are very significant for the country and for Abergavenny.

Many of the displays are being arranged by Abergavenny Flower Arrangement Society, a member group of NAFAS who are preparing to mark their Diamond Jubilee. The display in their honour is sponsored by the Abergavenny Society.

Flower arranging clubs and societies joined together as the National Association of Flower Arrangement Societies. The Associaon has since been a unifying and guiding mainstay to thousands of men, women and juniors whose love of flowers has opened up a whole new world of creavity.

In 1984 NAFAS was granted charitable status in recognition of its educaon activities.

With about 55,000 members, it ranks among the most notable specialist national association.

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FESTIVAL OF FLOWER’S ANNIVERSARIES:- including 100 years of St John Wales

The Order visit the Priory Church, along with  replica Ambulance from 100 years ago.

From June 29th – July 3rd we will have a Festival of Flowers at St Mary’s Priory to mark many of this year’s Anniversaries, some of which are very significant for the country and for Abergavenny.

On the Eve of the Feast of St John the Baptist  and the day HRH The Duchess of Gloucester  GCVO GCStJ (Commandant- in- Chief, St John Ambulance in Wales) attends the Centenary Service of St John Priory for Wales at Llandaff Cathedral, we note that one of the anniversaries the Festival will mark will be its Centenary.

St John Cymru was established in 1918 and during it’s time provided the first ambulance service for the people of Wales.

Since then they’ve supported people through some of the country’s highs and lows, from rescuing soldiers on the battle-field in the First World War, to being pitch side when Wales won Grand Slams.

It is Wales’ leading first aid charity.

Our Vicar, Canon Mark Soady MStJ is Chaplain to the Gwent Council of Venerable Order of St John of Jerusalem, the sponsors of this display.

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FESTIVAL OF FLOWER’S ANNIVERSARIES:- including the 70th Birthday of HRH The Prince of Wales

From June 29th – July 3rd we will have a Festival of Flowers at St Mary’s Priory to mark many of this year’s Anniversaries, some of which are very significant for the country and for Abergavenny.

HRH at worship in the Priory church

This November sees the 70th Birthday of HRH The Prince of Wales, Patron of the St Mary’s Priory Development Trust. The wife of the Treasurer of the Trust are among those who will arrange this display sponsored by the Trust.

The Prince of Wales was born at Buckingham Palace at 9.14pm on November 14, 1948, weighing 7lb and 6oz. He was invested as Prince of Wales by The Queen on July 1, 1969, in a colourful ceremony at Caernarfon Castle, having spent a term at the University College of Wales at Aberystwyth, learning to speak Welsh.

He is Patron of the St Mary’s Priory Development Trust and has visited the Priory site three times since 2000 – to open the Priory Centre, the Tithe Barn and for the dedicaon of the Jesse Window. Last November on his 69th Birthday HM The Queen granted the title “Prince of Wales Courtyard” to the area between the Priory Centre and the Tithe Barn to recognise HRH’s strong links with the Priory.

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