THE charming church of St Peter's, Dixton are hosting a very special service on Sunday. Not only will parishioners be celebrating Harvest time, they will also be witnessing the blessing of a new gallery and screen, begun seven years ago and now nearing completion. Treasurer Liz Wills, explained how the project began. "I'd always wanted to improve the back end of the church - the pews had been taken out and it always looked untidy. I was walking out of church talking to Keith Kissack and he said there had been a gallery there until 1860 - and I said we'll have one again!" Liz set about researching church records and discovered that there had indeed been a gallery in the west end of the church. Her idea to reinstate the gallery was taken up enthusiastically by the Parochial Church Council; the necessary permission from the Diocesan Council was finally obtained and the mammoth task of raising the necessary funds set in motion. "I'd been spreading the word the whole time and with odd bequests and donations, we were up to £14,500," said Liz. "I knew it was nowhere near enough and was about to embark on a major campaign to raise money when I had a phone call from a member of the congregation who offered to donate a very large sum towards the project. I thought I had won the lottery!" Funds were further boosted by a grant of £5,000 from the AONB. All local craftsmen have been employed on the project, with Brian Cooke carrying out the structural work in Forest of Dean Stone and the beautiful screen, of Hereford oak , constructed by Gerald Harris, As well as enhancing the west end of the church, the gallery and screen will serve a practical purpose, providing a store house for perishable items in the event of the church being flooded. Delighted with the new gallery, the Vicar, Revd Kevin Cecil said: "It's transformed the back end of the church - people love St Peter's but it looked a bit shabby and unloved - this has given it a new heart." The blessing will be carried out by the Bishop of Ludlow, Rt Rev Michael Hooper, who was Archdeacon of the diocese at the time when the project was mooted. Also present at the service will be the Rev Jean Tunnicliffe, now retired, who was the first woman priest in Wales to celebrate Holy Communion. Eleventh century St Peter's is unusual because while geographically in Wales, ecclesiastically it is in a Church in England, drawing people from all over Monmouth and beyond.
