St Mary the Virgin Church

9th & 23rd March 9.15 am @ Cherrybrook           1st & 15th March BBC 1 6-7pm @ Cherrybrook BBC 3 5-6pm @ Danescroft BBC 2 6-7pm @ Danescroft         5th & 19th March 8pm @ Tuck Mill Cottage

Ash Wednesday… Love Lent, Love one another! As we fast track to February, with the red and green of Christmas now fading into another memory, we enter the repentant and reflective season of Lent – and the celebrations of St. Valentine’s Day. A saint steeped in legend and mystery, but one who points us to a time of year that is full to the brim of chocolate hearts, flowers and romance. This year Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day land together, on the same day. Valentine’s Day can offer a great opportunity to encourage the affirming of relationships with our loved ones, […]

The beginning of a new year is an ideal time to stop, look up, and get our bearings. To pause and think of those things that have passed….To look around at the present, the here! The right now….And to re -set the compass of our hearts, for what is to come… Rather than a New Year’s resolution, I much prefer to think about a new year recipe for 2018. Perhaps you can imagine Nigella Lawson or Jamie Oliver, in their kitchens, talking us through these next steps for a new start to a new year. Recipe for a Happy New […]

Does anybody have a keyboard that they no longer use? The church is trying to acquire one, so that it could be used occasionally for services. Contact Babs on 841409 if you can help with this. Thank you

Do you ever get any odd, unwanted or inappropriate Christmas presents ? They often come from relatives who don’t know you very well. My wife’s godmother, whose funeral took place recently, was very diligent in making contact every Christmas and birthday with a present by post to her goddaughter, but what was unwrapped was a bit of a lottery, and often wildly inappropriate. Once I remember being given liqueur chocolates, (not my favourite, and anyway I was only 13 at the time). The very best Christmas presents in my experience come from those who know you best – who know […]

BBC 1, 2 and 3 spent their social packing up shoe boxes for the Samaritans Purse Shoebox Appeal. We made 19 boxes, after two hours of wrapping, packing and labelling up. These boxes will then be sent off to countries around the world before being given to children on Christmas Day. These are children who wouldn’t have got presents otherwise, who live hard lives in poverty. For many of them it is the only present, the only luxury that they ever receive. Well done and a huge thank you to all who helped on the night or donated presents, it […]

The day has sadly arrived now That Cate Edmonds will retire Off come her shoes, slippers go on, And a chair gets pulled up by the fire. You must be joking, that’s not like Cate She still has a lot to do Caring for all those who need her, People like me and you. While all of us in this congregation, Who have known Cate for many years Accept her leaving with resignation We can’t help shedding some tears. So what will our Cate do now? One really cannot tell But she won’t sit in front of the fire That […]