The voice of the Methodist Church in South Derbyshire
Mission Statement: Our purpose is to proclaim Christ being God's people in a world in need of love, peace and hope.
Copyright © South Derbyshire Methodist Circuit 2007 All rights reserved.
BIBLE BONANZA
Four Teams from Woodville, Trinity, Blackfordby and Church Gresley took part in the Bowyer Cup Competition. Activities included making Noah’s Ark out of junk, acting out a well known bible passage, karaoke (singing “I had a dream” from Joseph), bible based quiz and cake decorating for the wedding at Cana. Janice Hacon and Sue Rolls were the judges and everyone did really well and this showed in the results. There were only 4 ½ points between 1st and last place, but the winner was Woodville by ½ a point, so congratulations to them. The Bowyer Cup was presented to Woodville by Janice.
THE BOWYER CUP
A short while ago a young people's competition was held resulting in the winning team receiving the Bowyer Cup, but I wonder how many people now in the Circuit know the history and origins of the Bowyer Cup?
In 1959 the then Circuit Youth Council decided to hold a Circuit Eisteddfod for the children and young people. This was only four years after the amalgamation of the Woodville & Swadlincote (ex Wesleyan) Circuit with the Park Methodist (ex Primitive) Circuit to form the South Derbyshire Methodist Circuit. At that time there were Sunday Schools in most of the twenty-five churches and the amalgamation brought together the youth leaders and Sunday school teachers of all the churches and so the Circuit Youth Council was born with most of us in our twenties or a little older (how times change!). From this a committee was formed to organise the Eisteddfod.
The first Eisteddfod was a great success and as the expertise of the organisers grew a second one was held the following year and then by the third year it had grown into a really great event. When preparations for the third one began to take place, I had a visit from Rev. H. Bowyer, who was a supernumary minister in the Circuit at the time, to say that he was so thrilled with these events that he and his wife would like to give a cup to be presented to the winning Sunday School. This was gratefully accepted by the committee and so - the Bowyer Cup.
This third Eisteddfod in 1961 was a marvellous event and was held from 24th April to 6th May. There were sections for handwriting, art, flower arrangement, boys' handicrafts, girls' handicrafts, cookery, vocal solos, junior choirs, Bible reading, choral speaking, recitations, one act plays, piano playing, writing of short stories and poems, with guest adjudicators who were specialists in their own fields. Each section was divided into several age groups from under age nine to under age eighteen and each member of the committee was responsible for a specific section by organising it and collecting the entries, all of which had to be in by 1 st March. Points were given for first, second and third winners to be donated to the-respective Sunday School. The adjudication sessions for each section were spread throughout the churches of the Circuit with an exhibition of the winners of the practical subjects on display on the final Saturday, with a concert of all the winners and presentation of Certificates at West Street on which occasion the Church was packed. There were nearly eight hundred entries in all, bearing in mind each child could enter several different categories, for instance he or she might draw a picture and also sing a solo. The adjudicators set the pieces and activities for each section, and my job as general secretary for the
Eisteddfod, appointed by the committee, was to collate the whole lot into a brochure containing all entries which was then distributed to the individual churches. I still have a copy of this 1961 brochure and the programme for the Saturday night concert. The Burton Daily Mail reported the whole event in, 'South Derbyshire Jottings,' and also carried photographs. The winner of the cup for 1961 was Blackfordby.
Sadly, a lot of those members of that original Church Council have died - Helen Smith (nee Simpkin), Les & Dora Miller, Fred Aldridge, Doreen Hassell, to name a few; others Alan Hassell, Dorothy Deakia-saee Smith), Gwen Wortley (nee White), have left the Circuit. As far as I can remember only Mavis Winfield and myself are the only ones in the Circuit at the moment from that original committee. The Eisteddfods continued for some time but later that year I, myself, left the area for many years, but I understand some years elapsed and then the Eisteddfods were resurrected a few years later for a short while after which apparently the Cup was mislaid for a great length of time and eventually discovered at the back of a cupboard in West Street.
Many of the youngsters who took part in 1961 are now pensioners and I cannot believe it was fifty years ago, but times change, activities change, circuits change, Methodism changes, but the memory of one man who in his latter years cared about young people still lives on in the Golden Jubilee of the Bowyer Cup.
Beryl Greening