Dame Joanna Lumley enthrals our AGM audience at All Saints’ Lydd
The Romney Marsh Historic Churches Trust was delighted to welcome Dame Joanna Lumley as guest speaker for the 2023 AGM, held at All Saints’ Church in Lydd on Saturday 20th May. The AGM is hosted each year at one of the 14 churches that the Trust supports; an opportunity for members to come together and celebrate their collective contribution to the medieval churches on Romney Marsh.
Not only an acclaimed actress, Dame Joanna Lumley is also widely known for championing charitable causes. At the event she acknowledged both the historic importance of the Romney Marsh churches and the vital role that shared community spaces play in bringing people together, especially in rural areas. During her childhood, Dame Joanna attended schools in nearby Rolvenden and Hastings and she still has friends in Appledore. She visited the marsh throughout her childhood and has fond memories of the churches. Dame Joanna is also Honorary Patron of local community choir, The Marsh Choir.
Dame Joanna entertained a significant audience at the “Cathedral of the Marsh” and also praised the work of the Trust in its vital work to preserve the historic churches. Ever generous with her time, she kindly stayed to greet members and Trustees after the event.
Rye News provided an absolutely fabulous article about the event, including an interview with Team Vicar, Revd Christopher MacLean, who said: “The members of the Trust were enthralled by her talk which began by marvelling at the interior of All Saints, Lydd and regaling us with her account of the magnificent Coronation ceremony in Westminster Abbey. This allowed her to explore her experiences making her travel programmes around the world and enjoying visiting the wealth and diversity of churches and centres of worship – recognising the importance of our churches here in our communities. She praised the philanthropy of the trust for their work. The talk lasted about fifteen minutes, delivered without notes and without deviation, hesitation or repetition.”
Dame Joanna Lumley joins the Trust’s long list of special guest speakers who have addressed the AGM over the past 40 years. In 2022 the speakers were Charles Moore (Lord Moore of Etchingham and former editor of both the Daily and Sunday Telegraphs) and Mervyn King (Lord King of Lothbury and former Governor of the Bank of England). The Trust has been highly successful in garnering loyal supporters, not forgetting of course our wonderful members, many of whom have been attending the AGM for several decades. As usual, in advance of the AGM, the Trustees welcomed the opportunity to catch up with those who attended the Members’ Lunch, hosted at Lydd Community Hall. Many thanks to local caterer Kerry’s Kitchen for the delicious food.
The generous contribution of our Members and Volunteers enables the work we do; thank you for playing your part to ensure the historic churches of Romney Marsh can continue to thrive for many years to come.
Individual membership costs just £15 per annum, with further concessions for students, couples and over 60s. A sign up form and further details can be found here. You can also support the churches through donations, volunteering or buy purchasing our books and cards. We would love to see you at one of our next events.
Did You Know?
In addition to providing grants to support the maintenance and restoration of the historic churches, the Trust also supports organisations to run education projects about the history, architecture and features of these unique buildings. Find out more on our projects page and learn more about the churches with our Virtual Tours and Audio Guides.
