Be More Mancroft

Scaffolds, Limewash, And A Lent Appeal For Papua New Guinea

• Edward Carter • Season 1 • Episode 9

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0:00 | 23:17

Spring brings repairs in the north aisle, a scaffolding climb that reveals hidden craft, and a hopeful turn into Lent with a focus on service and giving. We meet a mason on site, hear from the Bishop’s chaplain about Papua New Guinea, and welcome children who turn the church into a place of discovery.

• north aisle renovations with limewash and repair
• hidden window discovery and metre-square west window fix
• views from scaffolding and close-up stained glass detail
• carved eagle and historic marks found near roofline
• Lent as reflection through mercy and action
• Bishop’s Lent appeal for Papua New Guinea students
• boarding and uniform costs blocking education access
• focus on clergy children without stipends
• worship in PNG with dancing and remembrance of martyrs
• half-term trails, hidden animals and skull hunt engaging families
• clocks forward and spring routines

There are information sheets and Gift Aid envelopes at the back of the church. Please donate generously to the Bishop’s Lent Appeal supporting Malolo Memorial School in Papua New Guinea.


Welcomes And Signs Of Spring

SPEAKER_01

Well, hello and welcome to the March 2026 Be More Mancroft Podcast Edition. I'm Edward Carter. And I'm Judy Ball. And it's lovely you joined us again. Thank you so much. Well, Judy, March already. The year is flying by. Do you do you like March as a month? Is it a good month for you? Yes, because it's beginning of spring.

SPEAKER_04

It's lovely, lovely time. All the lovely flowers are daffodils and tubes a bit later. Snowdrops, of course, aconites. I've got all sorts of things in the garden.

SPEAKER_01

Wonderful, yes. And certainly the day's getting longer and a bit brighter. I think we have one or two days without rain, have we? I can't remember.

SPEAKER_04

We have. It's lovely to see the sunshine.

SPEAKER_01

So spring begins on the first of March, does it, or not? No, twenty-first of March. Twenty-first of March?

SPEAKER_04

My aunt always told me that because it was her birthday.

SPEAKER_01

Oh right.

SPEAKER_04

Well, that's easy to remember then, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Right, so twenty-first of March is official beginning of spring, isn't it? So she's always told me, and I've always thought it was. Well, I mean, she must be right, isn't it? Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, spring is a it's a good time of year. A big spring clean.

SPEAKER_04

Perhaps you're do you do a big spring clean each year, Judy? Well that yes, in a way I do. But you were talking about the sunshine.

SPEAKER_02

Yes.

SPEAKER_04

It shines on the windows, and although I have a window cleaner for the outside, I do the inside, but I look at them and when the sun comes on them and I think, oh my goodness, yes. So I go mad and I've got a lot of glass in my house. Right. So it it could take me a whole day actually, I think, to do all the windows, and it's not. You're a sort of uh professional indoor window cleaner.

SPEAKER_02

That's amazing. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

What about you? Well, spring cleaning, yes, I'm not very good at cleaning windows. Occasionally I do, but um not very often. And um No, I I don't know. Occasionally I suppose, yes, the urge gets me and I do a bit of tidying up and and cleaning, but um I'm probably not the world's biggest uh spring cleaner, I'm afraid. In fact, some I have known it get round till much later in the year, and I think that's I really must do a bit of a clean. But that's often a bit later than than March.

SPEAKER_04

And of course the nights it i the the afternoons now are getting longer. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Which is lovely.

SPEAKER_04

I mean it's the early mornings I find different. And I'm now going to communion. Yes when it's actually getting daylight.

Church Repairs And Scaffolding Tour

SPEAKER_01

The Wednesday morning communions, that's right, yes. Yes, there was a time in the depth of the winter when it was was dark as we all gathered for those services. But um no, it is lovely to be in the daylight. Yeah, yeah. Well, thinking about spring cleaning, there's a bit of spring cleaning going on at church. Well, more than spring cleaning, really, it's um renovations and repairs, but also a good a good clean and the scaffolding in the church at the moment, of course, on the north side in the north aisle. And I had a chance the other day to go up the scaffolding.

SPEAKER_02

Oh my goodness. Yes.

Interview: Masonry, Limewash, Hidden Window

SPEAKER_01

I was very brave, and I did, and I met one of the uh the contractors actually working on on the on the job. So I th I made a little interview with him. Shall we shall we listen to that now? Oh yes. Well you can probably hear in the background nice sort of scrubbing sounds. Um I'm up on the scaffolding for the works which are happening in the North Isle at the moment. And I'm here with Rob from Gracefair Masonry. Rob, you're one of the key people here working on this contract. What's it like to be working here at St. Peter Mancroft at the moment? Um quite interesting. Found a few bits, found a window in the wall. Nice. Yeah, so w where there wasn't one at the moment, you mean? Yes. Well it's been filled in. Yeah, yeah. But we found the stonework and the evidence of a window, so yeah, it's quite interesting. So the h the basic job is to sort of strip things down and clean and then kind of build back on again, I suppose. Yeah, that's right. Yeah, just patch up all the all the loose render and then lime wash, redecorate. Excellent. Yeah. So what's the biggest bit of patching and repair work you've had to do? Well, the biggest bit is on the west window. It's probably about a metre square. There'll be a little bit of rebuild in there as well, so. Yeah. Okay, cool. So do you normally work on churches and old buildings or or is this a bit of an unusual job for you? That's pretty much all I do, really. Work on churches, yeah. Fantastic. Great. So other churches in Norwich, maybe? Yeah, Norwich all over Norfolk. Fantastic. That's great, good. And um so this work is sort of running through let's think, March and uh just maybe into early April. And what's the sort of final stage of the work, do you think, when when you're kind of nearly done? What with the final bits? Well, it's got to have three coats of lime wash all over it. Yeah. And then once all the lime wash is done, take scaffold down, clean everything. And then we're sort of hoping that might just be in time for Easter, aren't we? Because that's even so yeah. Let's hope for the best. Awesome. Well Rob, thanks ever so much. And yeah, I've got a number of colleagues up here as well working your way. So um we're we're really grateful for all of you doing here. And it's great to chat with you today. Many thanks.

SPEAKER_04

Three coats of limewash. I didn't realise I did three coats. No wonder it's going to take such a long time.

SPEAKER_01

Yes, yes, it's quite impressive. And actually I I saw down at ground level it was uh when I when I visited, all the buckets of the lime wash, and it was a huge number, yeah.

SPEAKER_04

Well at least they should be finished by well, hopefully, because at least they're working inside the church, not outside, so weather won't affect it too much.

SPEAKER_01

That's true, yes, yes. No, they're definitely definitely an indoor job. Yes. And they seem to be doing really well. They're making good progress, yeah.

SPEAKER_04

So you have been looking at and you, I believe, went up the scaffolding, isn't you? To have a look at the scaffold.

SPEAKER_01

Well that's right, yes, so they were letting away, oh, I suppose sort of half the height of the wall, maybe. Um I was very brave, Judy, going all the way up there, you know, with my hat on, you've got a picture of me. Of course. And I was it wasn't actually up dangerous ladders that wobbled around at all. It was it's very solid scaffolding. But no, it was amazing to go up actually that high. There were one or two points where you could kind of peek through the the plastic sheeting into the church.

SPEAKER_02

Yes.

SPEAKER_01

And it's an amazing view across. Um, there's one place where I looked down at the high altar on the east end of the church, just through a little gap. And it was it was amazing actually, really, really beautiful through through one of the archways. Yeah, and there were other things. Stained glass always looks amazing, particularly if you're standing somewhere away from it. But if you get up close, you it's a whole different thing.

SPEAKER_04

Yes, I suppose it would be.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, yeah, you see more more detail. And um yes, just some of the the um the little bits that the um you know the the skilled craftspeople who made it all those years ago actually.

SPEAKER_04

You must have found it really interesting.

Discoveries From Up High

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, yeah, and it was, it was fascinating. And actually the one the ma the most amazing thing I found was right up where the wall joins the roof and at the west end of the church, so near the organ of the front. Right. Well, sort of above where the font is, I found a carved wooden eagle um which I loved. Yeah, it was really lovely. In fact, I included it in one of my sermons at the start of Lent. Yeah, yeah. Um so I I did enjoy finding that. Yeah, and lots of other little details. Well, someone I think one of the carpenter uh carpenter had carved their name or their details with the date into one of the beans as well. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04

Of course we're coming into Lent, we're now into the season.

SPEAKER_01

Well, very very much in Lent, that's it, yes. Oh yeah, it's an important season of the year, yeah. Yeah, a chance to uh perhaps just reflect on what it is to be alive and maybe our mortality but in a good way. And um yeah, I always try and think a bit about, you know, the things that aren't so good in my life, the the failings if you like. Not not out of a sense of doom and despair, but more out of a sense of God's mercy, forgiveness and goodness really. Yeah, yeah. So I think I always find it a a hopeful time of year, but um but slightly sombre as well.

SPEAKER_04

I don't give up things for Lent, but I do try to do perhaps a bit more for perhaps one or two people I don't see much of or don't do anything for, and I think yes, I will try and do a bit more. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Um and so I do it that way.

SPEAKER_01

Oh, that's really good, yes. That sort of links with the fact we have a Lent appeal each year, of course, as well.

SPEAKER_04

Yes for the church. So I forgot. Um what is the Lent appeal this year?

SPEAKER_01

Yes, so so it's it's actually the Bishop's Lent appeal. Bishop of Norwich does a Lent appeal each year.

SPEAKER_02

Yes, it does.

SPEAKER_01

And um this year it's for Papua New Guinea particular project. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02

I do remember.

SPEAKER_01

And in fact, I I had a chance to meet with the Bishop's chaplain um the other day. She's she's been to Papua New Guinea as well, and had a I've actually made a little interview with her. So uh maybe we'll listen to that now. Yeah, yeah. Well, I'm actually here in the Bishop's offices and I'm with the Reverend Canon Sally Figston, who is the Bishop's chaplain, and she has uh Sally, you've got an office here. Do tell us what what does the Bishop's Chaplain actually do?

SPEAKER_03

Well, the Bishop's Chaplain tries to support the Bishop in his work, so I aim to do all the things that I can do to free him to do the things that only he can do. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Great. So you're a sort of right hand person supporting in every way.

SPEAKER_03

Uh my husband rather talks about me as a lady in waiting in a sense.

SPEAKER_01

Right. But I guess one of the things obviously there's lots of support needed in all sorts of ways, but one of the things is if the bishop's off doing a big trip somewhere, then you you might prepare the way and and and maybe even go with him, would that be true?

Entering Lent With Purpose

SPEAKER_03

That's true. I've been very fortunate to support him in helping to plan both a visit to Sweden, to Lulio, our link diocese, and to Papua New Guinea, which is uh our link diocese is within a province that's quite different than our own.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, Pap Papua New Guinea obviously almost the other side of the world. And this year's Lent appeal is actually connected to Papua New Guinea, I think, isn't it? And and the the church there. So do tell us a bit about about what that appeal is, but also the trip because I think you you that trip you made was last autumn, wasn't it?

SPEAKER_03

That's right. I went uh to Papua New Guinea last autumn and then ten years ago I went to Papua New Guinea with our previous bishop. Amazing. So I've been able to compare and contrast Papua New Guinea over a ten year period. So was there a big difference this time? Well i it was a rather different sort of trip, partly because I wasn't organising it ten years ago. So organising things brings with it additional pressures and uh and challenges.

SPEAKER_01

Yes. So do you pick out one or two um interesting highlights from from the trip you made last autumn?

SPEAKER_03

Papua New Guinea is one of the most remote and extraordinary countries I've ever visited. I'm a really ardent traveller. And so I was amazed in a country that is so mountainous that people are quite separated. So there's a huge number of different languages, even just across one mountain range, because of the inaccessibility. So the inaccessibility is was one of the major things that we encountered. And we particularly one of the highlights was going on a visit to where the missionaries first landed in Dagura, and it involved an extraordinary four-wheel based trip across the most difficult terrain and then a a two, three hour boat ride. And such were the challenges with all this that we arrived at our final destination in the pitch black, which was quite a an extraordinary thing, and left in the dark the following day. Gosh, that's extraordinary.

SPEAKER_01

Are you an adventurous person, Sally, or not?

SPEAKER_03

I think so, yes.

SPEAKER_01

That's a good thing, really, isn't it? Yeah. Amazing. But I guess obviously it was a church trip, so there must have been services and that sort of thing that you went to?

Interview: Bishop’s Chaplain On PNG

SPEAKER_03

Oh, certainly so, because we were encountering the primarily the Anglican church in Papua New Guinea. And so we met lots of people. What what really s changed it from many of the other adventurous trips I've been on is that we were really encountering people, people who lived there, and we were living alongside them. And so wherever we went to, the church communities would greet us, often in traditional wear, and singing and with our spears ready to greet us to see whether we were friend or firm. And just like a a parish visit in this country, we would be fed very much with a cafe that was spread out before us. Wonderful. So we were very well looked after. Lovely singing and church services.

SPEAKER_01

It's amazing how quickly you make new friends, isn't it, in that sort of situation.

SPEAKER_03

Absolutely so, because all our differences across uh the world were brought together because we shared uh worship and an understanding of Christ that was actually encompassing all of us.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, it's amazing. And even just our basic humanity is extraordinary, really, isn't it? And you you meet meet people, yeah. So the Lent appeal this year, the Bishop's Lent appeal, is for I think an education cause in Papua New Guinea. Have you got a bit more information about that?

SPEAKER_03

Certainly so. Uh currently, every other year, we've supported as a scheme or or some work in Papua New Guinea. And this year we're supporting the work of Maltes Memorial School, which is a secondary school in Papua New Guinea, where many people bored because of the difficulties as I've already spoken about of actually getting from one place to another across very mountainous regions. And so we are supporting students so that they can continue their education. Often their education is broken by not being able to pay the necessary fees, whilst the education fees are paid for through the government, the necessary boarding and sort of uniform fees aren't. So that's what we're trying to support. And we're particularly looking at clergy children because the clergy don't get a stipend like clergy here, often living hand to mouth. And it's very important that their children can have an education because these children often then go on to fulfil m important roles in Papua New Guinea society. Right.

SPEAKER_01

Interesting, yeah. Gosh, yeah, so it's interesting. No stipend at all for the for the clergy there.

SPEAKER_03

No, they tend to be reliant on the free will offerings of the people in their parishes. So very much a hand to mine with this.

SPEAKER_01

So, well I that's a fantastic good cause, and certainly at Mancroft this year we're we're encouraging people to to discover more and to donate generously to to that um appeal, which is great. Is there is there anything else you wanted to share about Papua New Guinea, perhaps uh a favourite moment on that trip you made last year?

SPEAKER_03

Well, I think one of my favourite moments was actually visiting the school, secondary school.

SPEAKER_02

Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_03

And because we cross the time in the church calendar when we think of the twentieth century martyrs of Papua New Guinea, which are very much key and important in Anglican church life, those missionaries, lay workers, priests who gave their lives during the Second World War with invading Japanese forces. And um there's a great celebration when the col colourful sort of celebration, because what they love to do in worship is to dance. So bring the collection up, dance, bring the bread and wine up, they are dancing. Amazing, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Oh wonderful. Well, quite a different way of worshiping in one sense, but in another sense, exactly the same kind of worship.

SPEAKER_02

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01

Oh, brilliant. Well, Sally, thank you so much for just sharing a few of those thoughts about um Papua New Guinea and for explaining a bit about what it is to be a bishop's chaplain. I mean, so the office here is just near the cathedral and next door to Bishop's House.

SPEAKER_03

Yes, it's part of the Bishop's House complex.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, yeah. I imagine it's a a busy place to be, isn't it?

SPEAKER_03

Well it's a good place to be. Uh with some uh wonderful colleagues who helped the administration and uh what what more wonderful environment to be in than to be e able to eat one sandwich lunch in the bishop's garden.

SPEAKER_01

Well that's true, yes, that's true. And I'm sure you do a great I know you do a great deal of uh work supporting Bishop Graham. So on behalf of us all, thank you for for that, but also for for chatting with me today. It's been lovely to catch up with you.

SPEAKER_04

Thank you, thank you very much.

SPEAKER_03

Delighted.

SPEAKER_04

I enjoyed listening to that. It must be quite a responsibility being a bishop's chaplain. I mean lots of things to have to organise, and of course going out to Papua New Guinea and organising it as well. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Have you ever been a bishop's chaplain?

SPEAKER_01

No, I haven't. No, no, no. I uh my last job before coming to St. Peter Mancroft as Vicur here was at Chalmsford Cathedral and I was the canon theologian there, so I wasn't the bishop's chaplain, but I did occasionally do things for for the Bishop of Chalmsford's, you know, little theological snippets or assistances or things. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, no, I'm not sure I'd want to be a a bishop's chaplain, really. There's a you know there's a lot of graft behind the scenes and uh you're very much working for someone else, of course.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah. So how long uh he didn't say how long they were out in Papua again?

SPEAKER_01

No, I I don't know exactly, but probably a couple of weeks, I think. By the time you've gone there, then you know you can't it's not just like an overnight trip. Well no. Sounds of also mountainous terrain and I think um there were probably some hair-raising moments, I'm sure. Because it's in a way quite a a wild country, but but beautiful as well, very forested, I believe. Yeah. I've never been at all, no.

SPEAKER_04

But going into the school. Yes. And the children, encouraging the children and uh and also bringing dancing into it, of course. Yes, yes, but the old time. I know, I know.

SPEAKER_01

Worship with dance. Well you know, there are some churches here in um I think in this country that w that have some dance in their worship. Yeah, but we don't really at Mancroft very much do we don't We concentrate on the singing and the bell ringing and the organ playing, you know. Although, hang on a minute, so perhaps we should have some dance. I mean, you you and I often are at the um eight o'clock communion on a Sunday morning. What do you think?

SPEAKER_04

A bit of dancing on a Sunday morning? Good good. I think we might shock one or two people.

SPEAKER_01

Might be a bit of a a bit much, perhaps. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, I shall watch that next time as a service on a Sunday I'll be looking, Judy, to see if you're just twitching your fingers.

SPEAKER_04

I used to love dancing. That's how I met my husband. We danced, yes. Oh, how wonderful, yeah. Unstrictly type of thing. Well, no, not as exaggerated as the strictly dancers nowadays. Okay, okay. A proper dancing, proper ballroom dancing.

Education Appeal And Boarding Costs

SPEAKER_01

Well, I promised to pray very carefully about whether we should have some go get you dancing on a on a Sunday morning. How exciting, yeah. Yeah, yeah. But but actually the the Lent appeal itself is is a great thing. It is. Um just to think of the the youngsters who who will be helped through that. So certainly um I should have a careful look at that.

SPEAKER_04

Uh I think there's paperwork then there are things in the back of the church, aren't they? There are. All through Lent.

SPEAKER_01

Yes, there are there are some information sheets and some some gift aid envelopes and uh plenty of ways of making a donation. So Yeah, I know that's really good. Yeah. I mean encouraging the young generation is is always important. Yeah, yeah. And actually just last month, it was half term at the end of February, and we had uh lots of youngsters in St. Peter's Bancroft.

SPEAKER_04

I know, I saw some of them. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

It was really busy. I mean hundreds and hundreds of families. And um I actually had a chance just for a little chat with one of our young visitors and made a little interview with with him. So I'm gonna I'm gonna play that now.

SPEAKER_04

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_01

Well, I'm here in the church and it's uh it's actually the February half term week and lots of people uh coming to the church, and I'm with someone visiting at the moment. I'm just asking why you've come to the church today and what you've enjoyed about it.

SPEAKER_00

Um the science festival has been today and there are some science in the church of history.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, fantastic. And so have you been looking around the church and and finding interesting things?

SPEAKER_00

Yes.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, and what what interesting things have you found?

SPEAKER_00

We have found some anals all hidden around.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, uh but they were very hard to find.

SPEAKER_01

Awesome. But what what was the what was the most fun animal you found?

SPEAKER_00

I'd say the dragon.

SPEAKER_01

That's brilliant. Thank you so much. I'm so pleased you came to visit today. Thank you.

SPEAKER_04

Well that was great, wasn't it? Lovely boy. He wasn't very old, I don't think, was he? No, no, I think quite quite young and enjoying his half-time. Exactly. But dragon, I don't remember seeing a dragon.

SPEAKER_01

No, actually no, I'm not quite sure where the dragon is, so there must be one somewhere, I suppose.

SPEAKER_04

The other thing he said is about things hard to find.

SPEAKER_01

Yes, hard to find. Well that of course made the uh those trails around the church could come, because if it's too easy, then uh that's that's not fun at all. So yeah, no, there were lots of people hunting around, certainly for animals, as you said. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04

But I mean I I had a l took me a long time to find the skulls.

SPEAKER_01

Yes, the skulls. So there was a that's right, there was search for skulls, there were quite a number to look for. One or two couldn't be seen because of the works in the North Isle, but there were a a good number that you could find. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04

It took me ages.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, yeah. Yeah, no, there's one um there's a particular skull with crossbones on the wooden door, which is just at the bottom of the bell tower. I don't know if if you remember that one. No, I don't. Yeah, no, so actually that was my favourite on on the on the the sheet with all the skulls.

SPEAKER_02

Ah right.

SPEAKER_01

Um because it just looks a bit like a pirate ship, really. Yeah, yeah. And it's it's quite low down, so even the the the the smaller children could find it easier.

SPEAKER_04

It's lovely to have so many children in the church and thoroughly enjoy it.

Worship, Martyrs, And Dancing

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, no, it was very busy the half time weekend um yeah, and and good fun, lots of lots of good visitors. Yeah, yeah. Well, March. The day is getting longer and daffodils in the churchyards, wonderful, yes. And then the end of March, the hour goes forward. Yes, spring forward, fall back. That's yes, spring forward. The hours for the plots will go forward. What does that mean? And I was tempted to make something up, but I but I don't think I did. Yeah. What can you be the patron saint of, do you think?

SPEAKER_04

I don't know. Changing the hour? Well no.

SPEAKER_01

That's a good idea, yes. Patron saint of the changing of the hour. Every March and then in the autumn as well, I suppose. Unless that's a different saint. Good old St. Peter Mancroft. Yes. Patron saint of putting the clocks forward in spring. Yes. Oh yes. Splendid. Well, that's very good, isn't it? Well, Judy, thank you so much for um for meeting up again.

SPEAKER_04

Um I've enjoyed our channel. I enjoyed chatting. It's great.

SPEAKER_01

Yes, yes, really good, isn't it? Uh catch up about things and to hear so much about the life of of St. Peter Mancroft, all that's going on. Yes. And thank you all for joining us as well. It's been lovely to have you with us. And uh we look forward to uh to uh seeing you again next month.