Date: 21 April 2022
The end of term service for Holy Trinity Pewley Down School was quite a monumental one.
Some 650 people attended the service in Holy Trinity Guildford a couple of weeks ago, with singing, readings, addresses and celebrating the last term.
It was the first time the whole school community – pupils, staff and parents – had gathered in one place since the start of the pandemic.
Headteacher, Clare Brunet, said, “Bringing the children together again from across all seven year groups to celebrate Easter in our parish church brought great encouragement. The joyful singing lifted our spirits at the end of a very long and challenging term.”
Revd Robert Cotton, Rector of Holy Trinity and St Mary’s, found it particularly moving. “It was truly spine-tingling. It started as wonderful, became even better – it was a moment that kept on giving!”
He thought it was great to hear the children sing and talk about climate change not being an insurmountable problem, but as a challenge that is fun and energising.
The chorus of their last song read:
’Cause I am an air-breathing, water-drinking earthling.
I like it when nature is in balance.
If you are an air-breathing, water-drinking earthling,
then let’s work together to bring harmony to
My planet, your planet,
our planet, everybody, all of us.
This planet, one planet,
we are all a part of planet earth.
According to Robert, the best moment was during the first song as the pupils sang about Palm Sunday.
Years 1 and 2 sang the first verse with the next year group joining in as each new verse started, until the whole church was filled with everyone at the top of their voice.
This became one of ‘those moments’ that Robert thought would stick with many for years to come. “I know that to be true as wedding couples will often refer back to an experience as such in response to ‘why do you want to get married in church?’”
Robert hopes moments like this, joining young and old, those of faith and no faith, and seeing the great work of Holy Trinity Pewley Downs will encourage people to see that there is still very much a place for church schools.