I have often looked back at memories of being in a church. My earliest memory was in 1936 (when I was four) at my sister’s christening in Southwold church. At the beginning of the service the huge font cover was raised above the font to hang above it before Jean could be christened.

 

As I grew up I went to Sunday school in Midhurst (in Sussex) and eventually became a leader in the Sunday school. When I was eleven I was confirmed in the same church. The memory here was deciding which kneeler I should kneel on and which my friend Coralie should have. We saw that one kneeler was taller than the others so I knelt on that one and Coralie on the smaller one as she was taller than me.

 

I went to school in Chichester and every year the whole school walked to the cathedral for a special service. When I left school I was one of the early intake of undergraduates to the University of North Staffordshire – now Keele University. Here a Nissen hut served as a chapel for services.

 

On leaving University I was teaching in Guildford where I watched the cathedral grow. I met my husband here. Some weekends I would go to his home and visit the daughter church next to his home. 

 

We were married in Midhurst church. One memory here was my two year old niece calling out “there are two Jesus’ mummy” (one was my vicar and the other my husband’s).

 

We left the Guildford school in July and moved to Coventry where we continued to teach. We lived in a little cottage next door to the rectory and the church at Binley. Later my elder son was christened here. We left the cottage and moved to Kenilworth and another church. Our second son was christened here. I have one memory of Nigel crawling under the pew which was rather dusty. Whilst in Kenilworth I became a member of the Mothers’ Union.

 

We left Kenilworth and came to Great Yarmouth. My husband started teaching at Great Yarmouth Grammar School. Our bungalow was in Caister. The day we arrived we were welcomed by the Curate of Holy Trinity Church, and that church has been our church since then in 1966.

 

Whilst on holiday I’ve tried to go to a service in a local church in countries like Switzerland, Mauritius, Guyana and South Africa. I was made welcome in all but one. In Durban whilst visiting my sister, I went to the local church. The priest said in his sermon that his church was a friendly church. Whilst I was there no one spoke to me. Since then Ihave  made sure that no visitor comes into Caister church without being welcomed. Visitors have come on holiday to Caister and have been welcomed into Holy Trinity.