We can’t know how St Mary’s would have celebrated the 75th anniversary of the ending of WW2 in Europe, but it is hard to imagine that the party would have exceeded that given for the 80th on bank holiday 5th May. Vivian Falk ensured that this important anniversary should be marked properly, and with Gill Caswell and many other loyal helpers, gave a tea party of which our church should be extremely proud. No sign of ration cards! A continuous stream of visitors made counting impossible, but there were probably around 400 guests in total. “It was lovely to see how many visitors we had, and how well they melded with the congregation members. People were chatting happily - some about their own war memories or the stories handed down by their parents; at least one had brought some of their own family’s wartime documents. But they were also chatting more generally, and clearly enjoying the afternoon - and feeling comfortable in the church building.” Although the aim was solely to provide a welcoming afternoon for residents and visitors to Saffron Walden, we ended up raising £579 from voluntary donations for the lighting fund.