ST JAMES’ CHURCH – CHINLEY and BUXWORTH PCC
About Dad and St James’ Church:
Dad loved St James’ Church in Buxworth, not just because we had family occasions there and it’s his local Church, but Dad spent time there virtually every day since his beloved Joyce passed away in 2015.
Dad would make it a daily trip to visit Mum and never missed a day except for the harshest of weather, but as his health and mobility deteriorated into his late 90s there were times when he just could not make it.
He struggled to walk so badly over the last few years that although he could actually drive down to see Mum, he couldn’t manage the walk from the car to her graveside and would often sit in the car for hours.
He looked at a Mobility Scooter but with a rough muddy path including a step, he could still not get near to Mum, but eventually a solution was reached.
The path suddenly was completely tarmaced, made smoother and the step removed and he then purchased a good quality Mobility Scooter with good road capabilities, and he would get him self wrapped up whatever the weather and could get graveside again.
He loved nothing more than the 5 mile return trip, often coming back in the dark, but it mattered not as all he wanted to be, was with his Joyce, my Mum.
2021 was a very hard year for Dad, and as he became more ill, he simply couldn’t manage to get to Mum and this broke his heart.
Dad has always supported the Church and he will be thrilled to know that any amount of money you can donate will go directly to them to support the place that he now lays in rest with Mum.
At Dad’s funeral we helped raise a few pounds for both St James Church and Blythe House Hospicecare, but in his memory we would like to use this page to help Dad add to the very generous donations he made to the Church, both in life and after his passing.
If you dont know about Dad, he was a Paratrooper, a Pathfinder from the 22nd Independent Parachute Company and was in the very first plane to drop on D-Day – 6th June 1944 at around 00:20, inland behind enemy lines, miles from the beaches, but carrying out important work to bring in Paratrooper forces from 8th Para to the east of Caen to destroy bridges to protect this flank.
Dad was eventually blown up, injured, captured, taken Prisoner of War, interrogated and after a spell in a field hospital , loaded onto a cattle train in horrendous conditions and taken to Stalag IVB as a POW until the end of the War.
I planned with Dad to follow this train journey on my bicycle and unfortunately for me, the Germans took him south before taking him north.
In June 2022 I completed this route, solo and gutted that I could not call him as he passed in August 2021.
I covered exactly 1924.45 miles .. ironically and spookily coincidental – Dad’s date of birth is 1924 -4 -5
The Church does need on going funds just for upkeep, but the main reasoning behind the fundraising for St James’ is for the important and urgent repairs and restoration and ongoing maintenance of the Church Organ to enable many more people and families to enjoy services, weddings, christenings and funerals.
This is a great Church and Im so pleased youve spent time reading this.
Your moral support is all I need for the cycling trip, (I will be posting daily up-dates on INSTAGRAM : rapid_rich ), but if you would like to give me a boost knowing that my efforts are helping Dad make money for this special Church, then any amount will be gratefully received.
Thank you
Richard Stoodley
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For any information regarding CHINLEY & BUXWORTH PCC please visit: chinleybuxworthcofe.jimdofree.com