Beautiful new stained glass window commemorating Queen Elizabeth II to be installed in Felpham church

The window, commissioned by the church and designed by Bognor Regis-based artist Jan Simpson, pays tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II. Originally intended to commemorate the Platinum Jubilee in 2022, the design is now a poignant monument to Her Majesty’s lifetime of service.

“It’s important to remember her. Not only is she the longest serving monarch in our history, but she served this country in so many amazing ways,” said Reverend John Challis, I think it’s just a wonderful tribute, and it’s proof of the way that not just the church, but the community has come together.

“I think for us, it’s about paying tribute to our nation, to the queen, to the royal family, and the love and the care that we have for her and everything she represents.”

Fundraising efforts to pay for the new window have been ongoing for several years, and Reverend John made clear that the installation in December represents the hard-won fruits of a collective effort.

"There’s been so much fundraising in so many different ways. We had one chap who rose to the Isle of Wight for us, we’ve had sponsored walks, you name it.

"It definitely has been a committee job. The whole committee at St Mary’s has participated brilliantly; offering support, fundraising and guiding the artist Jan Simpson to help realise the design. It’s been a wonderful journey just to have her transform our words into the images – that first time we saw what she came up with, it was one of those breathtaking moments; you just think ‘wow’.”

The story of this new design goes all the way back to the Second World War, when a German bomb blew out all of St Mary’s original stained glass windows. Although they were later replaced by regular windows, the church community has been fighting to get stained glass back at the church ever since, and this new design joins other postwar efforts, like the William Blake memorial window, introduced in 2011.

To find out more about St Marys and donate to the ongoing fundraiser, visit https://www.stmarysfelpham.org/