Thanks to the parish where people still matter
It was heartwarming to see that country folk still continue to offer such wonderful support to the bereaved and are so willingly to make time to attend the funeral and internment of ordinary members of the parish. It made me feel proud to be Irish and a member of such a community.
From the bottom of my heart I say to the people of Bartlemy, and to all who attended the funeral, a very big thanks for your support and sympathy during this tragic period. A special thank you to the clergy who organised the ceremony and to John Arnold who took time away from his farming duties to transport my wife and me around the parish and to fill in the gaps in my knowledge since my departure more than 50 years ago.
Thanks also to Ann Roche of Desery, who looked after my brother since his wife’s death, and to my nephew, Joseph, and his wife, Mary, who had the greatest burden to bear and who did so with grace and dignity.
God bless you all and long may your community continue and prosper.
John Roche,
1, Bankfield Street,
Trawden,
Lancashire BB8 8BL,
England.
