Home bottom

THE CHURCH GARDENS are home to a very special memorial, a Rose Garden dedicated to the memory of the 148 passengers and crew who lost their lives when Dan Air charter flight 1008 inbound from Manchester to the Tenerife North airport of Los Rodeos crashed in the nearby forest of La Esperanza on 25th April 1980.

The anniversary of the disaster is marked each year at the Sunday service nearest to the date as the congregation gather in the garden to remember those who died that day.

The crash happened after the flight deck crew wrongly executed an unpublished holding pattern in an area of high ground, resulted in the aircraft’s destruction. The aircraft was flying in cloud when it struck the mountain. The impact resulted in the aircraft’s complete disintegration, killing everyone on board, and leaving a debris trail 350 metres long.

The official (Spanish) investigation concluded that the cause of the accident was that the pilot in command, without taking account of the altitude at which he was flying, took the aircraft into an area of high terrain and thereby failed to maintain a safe height above the terrain.

However, a British addendum to the report found that tardy and ambiguous directions from air traffic control regarding the unpublished hold directly contributed to the disorientation of the aircraft commander. The addendum also found that the unpublished track onto which the aircraft was directed required tight turns to be flown. These were practically unflyable, making entry into the region of high ground inevitable for an aircraft flying this track, even without the navigational errors.

Further, the addendum found that the directed altitude of 5,000ft was inadequate for this holding pattern, and that the minimum altitude for entry into the holding pattern should have been 8,000ft, with a minimum altitude of 7,000ft for the pattern itself, had a minimum safe altitude calculation been performed ahead of time by a competent authority. The addendum concluded that the accident would not have occurred if the aircraft had not been cleared below 7,000ft.

A memorial in Southern Cemetery, Manchester commemorates the victims of the disaster, whose names are inscribed on a series of slate tablets within a small grassed enclosure.

A NUMBER OF group activities take place at the church throughout the week.

A ladies sewing group meets on Thursday mornings to make articles to sell on the church stall at the Car Boot Sales held once a month in the church grounds during the winter months.

A men’s maintenance group meets at the same time, tackling the many jobs required for the upkeep of the many buildings that occupy our two-acre site.

A gardening group meets on Tuesday mornings to look after the gardens of both the church and the English Cemetery down in Puerto de La Cruz.

THE PARSONAGE can be found with the grounds and to the rear of the church. It is the focal point of many of the church’s activities.

The building was completely reformed in 2009, a task made necessary by the discovery of an extensive termite infestation.

It is a two-floor building designed to accommodate the incumbent on its upper level, while on the ground floor there are meeting rooms and offices as well as a fully-equipped kitchen to meet the catering requirements of social functions.

ALL SAINTS CHURCH has responsibility for the upkeep of a walled cemetery in the town of Puerto de la Cruz It is situated in the heart of Puerto de la Cruz, next to the headquarters of the National Police, in an area surrounded by hotels.

Over many years, several generations of foreign families who settled in this tourist town have been laid to rest there.

Recovery of the English Cemetery at Puerto de la Cruz owes much to the great effort made over many years by All Saints and the contributions made by the church and its parishioners in meeting the expenses of maintaining the site.

Burials, at present, are infrequent; this does lead to difficulty in retaining a maintenance fund, but the premises are kept in good order and reasonable repair. A group of volunteers keeps the grounds tidy.

Recently a ramp has been installed to make access easier for wheelchairs and the whole cemetery has been re-plastered and repainted.

IN THE CHURCH grounds to the and to the right of the church itself is a memorial garden, where the ashes of deceased members of the church congregation can be interred.

This shaded and sheltered area provides a place of quiet contemplation for family and friends.