events – Page 7 – Friends of St Mary's Hawkesbury

August 2021 News

Lisa Overton, Secretary of the Friends of St Mary’s, provides our latest news round-up:

AGM

A full report on the AGM, which took place on Sunday 25th July, will be included in our September news round-up.

COMING EVENTS

Once again, the Friends of St Mary’s will be hosting the Pimm’s Tent on Hawkesbury Show Day (Saturday 28th August). Come and see us in our new location with a ringside view.

We would welcome any volunteers to help serve the drinks and manage the tent. Please contact Colin Dixon (coldix365@gmail.com) if you can assist.

We hope that as restrictions ease, we can hold more events in the autumn, including a performance by the Bristol Male Voice Choir and a newly-commission composition by Andrew Heath to celebrate the Hawkesbury bells.

Our annual FOSM Service of Nine Lessons and Carols will take place on Sunday 19th December.

MEMBERSHIP

We are very keen to recruit new members of the Friends of St Mary’s as we emerge from the constraints of the last 18 months. You do not have to belong to the Church of England or be a parishioner, just be someone who would like to support our beautiful parish church and preserve it for future generations to enjoy.

Subscriptions are:

Annual membership – £10 singe, £15 joint
Life membership; – £200 single, £250 joint

Subscriptions are due 1st August each year. If you are a UK taxpayer and would like to GiftAid your subscription, we can supply the relevant form, which can be signed and returned along with a cheque or online donation to our Treasurer, Mr Michael Bendry, 14 Hunters Mead, Hawkesbury Upton GL9 1BL.

AUGUST SERVICES

We are delighted that we are now able to hold services in St Mary’s again. Please bring masks when you come to church and obey the social distancing rules. Our sidesmen will help to keep everything in order.

1st – 9.30am – Holy Communion
8th – 6pm – Evensong
15th – 9.30am – Morning Praise
22nd – 6pm – Evensong
29th – 9.30am – Holy Communion

Online video services will continue to be streamed at 10am at www.youtube.com/c/badmintonbenefice

June 2021 News

Lisa Overton, Secretary of the Friends of St Mary’s, provides our latest news round-up:

The blessing of our new bells took place on 22nd May, and the next few weeks will see the bells hoisted up through the tower hatches to their new hanging frame, followed by final adjustments, and the start of practice by Colin Dixon’s team of bell ringers. We hope many parishioners will enjoy the sound of the new bells ringing out across our woods and fields.

INAUGURATION OF THE BELLS

On 10th September, a service of inauguration will take place. This will complete our major project on the tower of St Mary’s, and our thanks must go to all those who have supported and contributed over recent years – it has been a terrific achievement.

CHURCHYARD PROJECT

Our next project is to clear the ground on the south side of the churchyard following the removal of the fir trees: we have made a start, but there is plenty more to do and we would welcome any volunteers to help with this during the summer. Rewards for the hard work include tea, coffee and cakes, and the opportunity to bag up and take away some rather good compost. When finished, we will be able to complete the yew hedge round the church yard, planting in the autumn, repairing the stone wall next to the cemetery, and planning the provision of an eco-loo for community use.

AGM (25th July)

We plan to hold this year’s AGM at 5pm on Sunday 25th July (not the 11th as previously advertised) with Evensong, in the church – and what a blessing that will be.

Further events, we hope, will follow in the late summer and autumn, so please keep an eye on our website.

SAVE THESE DATES

Saturday 28th August: Pimms Tent at the Hawkesbury Show
Sunday 19th December: FOSM Service of Nine Lessons and Carols

JUNE SERVICES

6th – 9.30am – Holy Communion
13th – 6pm – Evensong
20th – 9.30am – Morning Praise
27th – 6pm – Festal Eucharist
4th July – 9.30am – Holy Communion

Online video services will continue to be streamed at 10am at www.youtube.com/c/badmintonbenefice

St Wulfstan Joins the Hawkesbury Scarecrow Trail

This autumn the Friends of St Mary’s are pleased to support Hawkesbury Pre-School’s annual Scarecrow Trail, which runs from Saturday 24th October to Sunday 1st November.

The theme is Superheroes and Villains, and who better to nominate than St Mary’s local hero, St Wulfstan?

Wulfstan was parish priest at St Mary’s almost a millennium ago, and was canonised after his death. He’s designated the patron saint of vegetarians because he gave up meat after once finding himself distracted from prayer by the delicious smell of a roasting goose.

He’s the first stop on the Trail Map now for sale in Hawkesbury Stores, which lists an amazing 26 scarecrows to see all around the village. The map costs just £1 and all funds raised go to Hawkesbury Pre-School.

To find out more about St Wulfstan, including the stained glass window installed in his honour visit his special page on our website here.