There’s only one week left in our Win a Minibus competition – and Wednesday is a bonanza day for tokens.
The Courier’s Win a Minibus competition has energised our readers, with entries flooding in from all points of the compass.
People have been furiously buying up copies of The Courier to collect the tokens that could bag a bus for their school, organisation or club.
* See Wednesday’s Courier for a bumper token giveaway
Among them is Elizabeth Lee of Ceres, Kemback & Springfield (CKS) Parish Church.
CKS was formed as a union of three historic Church of Scotland parishes that serve a rural area south of Cupar in Fife.
“Ceres is a lively village with a great deal going on; Kemback has a scattered population of farmers and commuters, and Springfield is a growing settlement with many young families,” Elizabeth says of the parish.
“Besides providing opportunities for worship in the three churches, we host soup lunches and concerts, talks and carpet bowls, whist drives, a Sunday school and a youth club. Members of the church visit local care homes, and in the summer go further afield on jaunts and visits.”
The rural nature of the parishes and the fact many of the flock are elderly and no longer drive are two of the main reasons why Elizabeth hopes CKS Parish Church wins The Courier’s minibus.
“The parish is five miles long and three miles wide, and although it is fairly easy to get to Cupar, to the north, it is often quite difficult to go from one end of the parish to the other, except by private car,” she continues. “Some areas are not well served by public transport, especially at weekends.
“We are, historically, three separate communities, but we are growing together. Having a minibus would mean that those at the ends of the parish could more easily attend services and events five miles away, and profit from the diversity which we enjoy.
“Some of our members are elderly, and do not find it easy to drive at night. Some do not drive at all. With a minibus, it would be much easier to bring them to events which it might be difficult for them to attend.
“It would increase the range of activities of our youth club and make it possible to bring in participants from outlying parts of the parish who are at present unable to join. When jaunts and excursions, or courses and seminars take place outside the parish a minibus would be a great advantage.
“We think of ourselves as being a church ‘at the heart of the community, with the community at its heart’. Naturally, we would seek to put a minibus at the service of the community, and do our best to share it with other local organisations.”
