The Whittlesford "Caring" Stained glass window
For the story of the Whittlesford Stained Glass Window, see here.
For more photos, see here.
For the celebration party video see here
Back in January 2000, at an open village meeting held at the school, it was decided that we would commemorate our special 1000th year, 2022, with a permanent memorial in the form of a new Stained Glass Window in the Parish Church. Within months, we were deep in the first lock-down of the pandemic. So, when it came to suggesting a theme for the window, there was unanimous approval for Ant West’s suggestion of “caring”, to celebrate and give thanks for the care we saw throughout the village during the pandemic, caring professions and Christian compassion.
The window tells many interweaving stories of caring, both specific to Whittlesford and touching universal themes. We believe it is unique and certainly the first stained glass window to depict the pandemic. The text is “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you”. It is our hope that this message – of human caring and God’s love – and the window itself, will be a source of encouragement and solace to people going through difficult times for many years to come.
None of this would have been possible without generous donations from many in the village, for which we are extremely grateful. One person living abroad, with a connection to the village, has been especially generous. The names of donors, who wish to be publicly acknowledged, are displayed in the church.
The last thanks must go to Ben Finn, the artist who drew all our ideas together, added many of his own, selected the glass and then created, constructed and installed the window. We feel privileged to know him and be able to call on his creativity..