This book is a record of the people who have made a donation to install a Tom Denny Window at St John’s Church in 2024.
It is a snapshot of those people, their lives and how they are linked to Tisbury.
Each memorial is personal and can be as simple as only recording the name of the donor.
There are many different reasons why people have donated to the East Window project, and the words they want recorded will therefore also be very different.
To remember a loved one
To support St John’s
To record their family members
To remember friends
To help bring a work of art to the village
To say how much they like and appreciate Tisbury
Because they are involved in the village and community, or because they used to be.
Some only have names and dates, some only mention Tisbury and community, some describe how their friends and family were and are part of Tisbury history and community.
If you are struggling to think of how you write about yourselves, rather than a loved one, consider that the book will be around for generations. It will be read by visitors to the church who are interested in how the window came to be installed - and the story of the donors themselves will be just as important as those we consider important in Tisbury’s history today. Descendants may be looking for their family members and it will be meaningful to see them within a context of Tisbury life. All the names of donors will be listed alphabetically. Individuals mentioned in the memorials will also be listed alphabetically, and linked to the main entry.
If you would like some help, list the things you have done, how you came to be here, or what is important to you about the window, the church or Tisbury. Either myself or Vanessa will help to write something for you. It’s much easier to ask someone else to write about you.
The current words that we have received can be seen online using this link.
It is not in its final format, but I am sure it will be helpful to see what other people have written to give you inspiration.
If you would like to edit your words, please just send me the new version and I will update it. The link will remain the same.
Length:
Up to around 250 words. As you can see from the current version, this is enough to convey quite a lot of diverse facts and stories. It is also short enough to keep the reader’s interest.
Timescales:
I’d like to be working on a proper draft of the book over the summer, with as many entries as possible.
The earliest we can have a first version is once the window has been installed and has been photographed - so end October perhaps.
We want it to be part of the dedication of the window which will not be before February 2025. Printing is likely to happen early in the New Year.
As well as myself, Vanessa Harris (who has proper writing skills) can help you to formulate or edit what you would like to say.
A raincloud over Salisbury Plain would seem like an appropriate image for June (and it happens to be one of my favourite sections so far)
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