Village celebrates a very special day together (From Stroud News and Journal)

Village celebrates a very special day together

IN BISLEY, flowers on Ascension Day are as important as eggs at Easter or presents at Christmas.

Every year, 40 days after Easter Sunday, the whole village turns up to decorate the well. School is closed, work cancelled and relatives drawn together so that everyone can take part in the ceremony celebrating Jesus' rise to heaven.

The event honours the memory of Thomas Keble, former vicar of Bisley, who restored the well to commemorate the 1863 marriage of the Prince and Princess of Wales, later King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra.

Well dressings, though popular in Rev Keble's time, are now held only in Bisley and Derbyshire.

The Bisley festival, which has been organised by Diana Chapman for ten years and was run by her mother and aunt before her, recently featured on the cover of the paperback "Folklore in Gloucestershire" by Roy Palmer.

On Thursday, May 9, former Bisley-ites came from all over the country to take part in the service and watch the local children lay hundreds of flowers by the water.

They were welcomed to All Saints' Church by Reverend Ian Farrow.

The congregation included three representatives from the Church of South India and the Archdeacon of Gloucester, Venerable Geoffrey Sidaway.

After the service, Joy McDonald Richard said: "One of the problems we have in India is the difficulty of attracting young people to the church.

"The participation given to children in the well dressing is wonderful.

"We are very impressed by it."

He had heard a series of readings by Blue Coat School pupils, including Ryan Stewart, Daniel Riches, James Tyzac, Ryan Ponting and Jamie Batten.

Chief readers Alaric Garratt, William Gegg, Chloe Griffiths and Hannah Wheeler, the eldest children, wore the school's Victorian uniform.

Afterwards, Avening Silver Band led everyone to the well for the blessing of the water.

The procession included some familiar faces, such as Gwen and Mary Millin, Rene Jones and Edna Cook, who told the SNJ last year they had clocked up hundreds of dressings between them.

This year, Rene, 80, who has lived in the village for 52 years, said: "We keep coming because this is a historical Bisley tradition and we mustn't ever let it fade out.

"It's lovely to see the children. It's their day, really."

Edna, 61, explained: "It's something we always did when we were young. It's instilled in you if you're Bisley born and bred.

"Some people don't even know what Ascension Day is.

"But we do in Bisley."

Derek Brown and brothers Robert and Bernard Jordan also attend every year, though Robert, 69, moved away at 14 and now lives in Dorset.

He said: "Coming back reminds me of the old days.

"We used to have sports on the green and a big slap-up tea afterwards."

Last week's event, followed by afternoon tea at the school, attracted newcomers too.

Mike and Connie Macin, who moved to Bisley three years ago, took an afternoon off work to watch nieces Celia and Roberta Garland take part.

Mike, 42, a Cheltenham sales manager, said: "This is the first time I've been to the dressing.

"It's been great fun."

This year's flowers were donated by parents of the children taking part, who came from Bisley and Eastcombe primary schools.

Blue Coat headmistress Vanessa Jenns said: "All the parents, grandparents and villagers have, as always, put a lot of effort in.

"It's been a wonderful day."