The flags on St James'

Audlem Church Bell Tower – New Union Jack Flag

The flags hoisted on the Audlem Church Tower are constantly fighting a losing battle against the elements of wind, sun and rain. In fact, we were running the risk of finishing without a suitable Union Jack to fly on top of the church tower.

Hence, I would like to thank Ralph Warburton for financing a new Union Jack flag plus other loose flag material for the repairing of the flags.

I would also like to thank Olive Stretch for her always available support in repairing our flags.

Hopefully, we should be safe for at least another year.

The stock of flags in the Audlem church is now as follows;

• Union Jack Flags x 4:
• 2 new ones, an older patched-up one & a smaller but still suitable Union Jack from the HMS Onslaught submarine, a piece of naval history in itself! to use in case of emergencies.
• St James Flag x 1
• Diocesan Flag x 1
• Brand new loose blue, red & white & anti-fray material
• Old shredded flags for loose material

The new loose material will support Olive in helping us extend the life of the flags to the maximum.
Whilst flag making is not in any means what I would call rocket science; to ensure that we are armed with the best tools for the job, I did some reading to educate myself with some of its intricacies.

Unbeknown to me at the time, these flags are made of polyester – yes, plastic! the strongest I have been told, of flag materials.

The area which often shreds first is of course the edge furthest away from the pole, and here it helps to add the anti-fray material – which is a netting to kick down the 'stretching' thugs by the wind on the flag.

One joy in replacing the flag is the magnificent views from the top of the tower.

On the downside, the sight of the highly eroded red-stone decorations on the tower, like the gargoyles or the pointed decorations at the edges of the tower, is not the greatest.

Once again, I would like to thank Ralph and Olive for their dedicated support to the village.

Brian Bugeja