HIDDEN away in the village of East Williamston is St Elidyr’s Church, and this was the venue for the most recent meeting of Carew WI.

Thought to date back to the medieval era, St Elidyr’s was built as a Chapelry of Begelly to enable locals to walk to worship.

The church is a hidden gem with a unique bellcote, in tower style, housing a bell made by Gould engineering New York in 1800’s, a Norman font with a blacksmiths repair and - best of all - a recent addition: the stained glass window over the altar.

During the time when the church was undergoing renovations and redecoration, members of the Church got together. With the help of Daphne - a valued member of Carew WI - and her mentor, Poppy, they mapped out a design and assembled a stained glass window depicting all the beautiful flora and fauna surrounding this church nestled in the Pembrokeshire countryside.

The stained glass window at St Elidyr’s Church, East Williamston
The stained glass window at St Elidyr’s Church (Ruth Ashworth)

Daphne, a skilled stained glass artist, showed the other Carew WI members her tools of the trade and pieces she had made for family and friends.

What better place to meet then for Carew WI’s 106th Birthday? Accompanied by Jean on the organ, members joined together to sing Jerusalem which sounded all the better for the accompaniment and the acoustics.

Daphne outlined the history of the Church and the involvement of each and every person in making what is an apt and fitting addition to a unique historic building. After tea and biscuits, the formal meeting of Carew WI took place in the Church. All arrangements for up and coming events, competitions and meetings were discussed, birthdays celebrated and preparations made for next months’s AGM and lunch.

Ruth thanked Daphne for inviting Carew WI to the Church, for sharing her talent and knowledge and for making the 106th birthday such a memorable occasion.