Norfolk heroine honoured at church festival
 A festival to celebrate the life of Edith Cavell will be held in St Mary's Church, Swardeston on 8 - 9 October. The Norfolk-born World War One Christian heroine was executed 96 years ago.
Edith Cavell was the eldest child of 4 of the vicar of Swardeston Frederick Cavell who served in the church for 46 years.
Edith trained as a nurse and was nursing in Belgium in Word War 1 and was shot by the Germans for assisting allied soldiers out of the country to Holland.
She was well aware that the occupying regime might shoot the soldiers and those helping them if they were caught. Over about 8 months she helped around 200 men to get across to Holland before she and those involved were arrested. She and 32 others were tried and on October 12 at 7 in the morning she died by firing squad, along with a Belgian colleague.
Edith Cavell was a very fine Christian woman who was committed to service of others and was truly radical for her time.
The biennial festival at Swardeston church is held on a weekend near to her death. This year on Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 October the chrch will be full of amazing flowers, a new dvd telling her story will be shown as well as a guided walk around the village as she knew it. Stalls and refreshments will be served from 11am - 5pm each day and there will be two concerts on the Friday and Saturday nights. The festival will conclude with a commemoration service.
Funds raised will go to a variety of causes including disaster relief, the Day Centre for older people in the village and the efforts to tell the Cavell stroy at St Mary's Church.
Event details
Edith Cavell Festival 2011
Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 October 11am - 5pm
St Mary's Church Swardeston
Special events
- Concert: Friday 7 October 7.30pm Professor Michal Kaznowski plays 3 Bach cello suites and Gliere's Huit Morceaux with violin.
- Concert: Saturday 8 October 7.30pm - the augmented Moeran quartet play Bach, Mozart, Stamitz and Geminiano.
Tickets for these concerts can be bought on the door - price £6 for adults and £3 for under 16s)
- The annual service will be held at Edith Cavell's graveside at the East End of Norwich Cathedral on Saturday 15th October at 11am.
www.edithcavell.org.uk
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