So, all of a sudden we say hello to the builders who have started work this week in the church. We’ve looked forward to this moment for so long and now it is actually happening! Our priority is the roof over the north aisle as it has become very leaky over the vestry area and caused a few headaches when we get heavy rain. In the meantime the water for the kitchen and toilet will be laid in a trench alongside the path and across to the back of the church so if you are visiting either the churchyard or the cemetery do be careful how you go. There will doubtless be workmen in and out and vans parked in the road so we have to expect a fair bit of disruption for a few weeks. But it will all be worth it when we finally have 21st century facilities.
At present the church is locked in the daytime for safety reasons but our services will continue as planned throughout November and December with a small reduction in the number of seats available. Don’t forget our Benefice service this Sunday at 10.30 a.m. when we join with our sister churches St John’s and St Britius in St Mary’s for Communion. And as we move into November we will mark Remembrance Day at the War Memorial with Jeremy Lane and our friends from RAF Brize Norton at 10.45 a.m. followed by the service in the church afterwards. Please be punctual at the War Memorial so that we are all together for the 2 minute silence at 11 a.m.
Our harvest family service lead by Gary Long, Children and Families Minister, was a lot of fun as you can see from the photos above and a massive thank you to the flower arranging team who produced a display worthy of a flower festival – as the photos below attest.
We are holding our Christmas bazaar and coffee morning again this year on Saturday 18th November from 10am to 1pm in the church. All profits to the loo and kitchen project. We are looking for donations of either home made craft, jams, chutneys, etc which we can put on our stalls. If you aren’t any good at crafts then maybe a home made cake or tart? We hope to have some fresh faces this year with their goods for sale but whatever your talent we would love to see you for coffee and a slice of cake. If you are new to the village you are most welcome – we would love to get to know you!