St Mark's Church

Bring your pets to church

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It’s time to bring your dogs, cats (maybe not), guinea pigs, rabbits, hamsters, geckos, pet spiders, snakes, stick insects and any other animals you have living at home to church for our annual pet service which, this year, will be at St Mark’s at 11am.

Pets are a wonderful blessing to many of us and can help our mental and physical health. So let’s give thanks for them in all their shapes and sizes and bring them for a blessing. If your pet is too large or too nervous to come to church, you can bring a picture of them instead. And if you don’t have a pet, why not bring a favourite soft toy instead? Or dress up as an animal? After all, as the hymn says: all God’s creatures got a place in the choir!

Rev’d Lexi Russell said: “Pets are indeed welcome in all forms, fluffy or scaly. Their humans will be tolerated.

“I believe that God loves all creatures. Pets are a really important part of people’s families and we want to celebrate everyone in our families.”

Pictured below is Lexi and her dog Bugsy.

Art, Belief, Bible, Church Buildings, Events, History, Kitty Milroy, St Mark's Church

Come and see Kitty at our Heritage Open Days

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St Mark’s is taking part in the 2025 Heritage Open Days and welcoming people to the church on Friday, September 19th at 11am and Saturday, September 20th at 3pm, to see the Kitty Milroy murals and have all their questions answered by Nick Seversway who is an expert on the subject.

This is an ideal opportunity for anyone who hasn’t yet seen the murals, or would like to find out more, to come along and have a detailed look.

The murals, which are of significant national importance in the development of 20th-century mural painting, were painted between 1911 and 1920 by local woman Eleanor Catherine Wallace Milroy (‘Kitty’) using other local people as models.

They blend influences from European Symbolist painting and the Arts and Crafts Movement and have been featured in the national media. Comparisons have been made with pictures in The Watts Chapel and it is known that Mary Watts visited the area.

The murals are a celebration of faith, seen through the natural world, and include the words ‘O, all ye works of the Lord, bless ye the Lord’  (The Benedicite, a canticle taken from ‘The Song of the Three Holy Children’ from the apocryphal parts of the Book of Daniel) and ‘O give thanks unto the Lord’ (from Psalm 136).

They had deteriorated significantly over the years and in 2021 were restored by internationally renowned mural conservationists Stephen Rickerby and Lisa Shekede.

There is no need to book, so please come along on September 19th or 20th. Refreshments will be served.

Clothing Giveaway, Environment, Events, Giving and Fundraising, St Mark's Church

Cake and Clothes: Happy birthday Clothing Giveaway!

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A year ago the parish got together with the Hale Community Centre to start a new project—the weekly Clothing Giveaway and Café on Monday mornings at St Mark’s.

We didn’t know how it would work out but, 12 months down the line, we have queues at the door every Monday before 9am and several hundred free items of clothing or shoes go out of that same door before 11am. In fact, we are so pleased that we will be celebrating on September 8th with birthday cake!

The idea of the Clothing Giveaway is to encourage people not just to throw out their old clothes but to donate them—as long as they are in good condition and clean—and to fill the spaces in their wardrobe with clothes which may have been worn but still have plenty of life left in them. The current preferred expression for this is ‘pre-loved’ which probably appeals more than ‘second-hand’.

This has a two-fold goal: to help people save money and to help save the planet. Many of us are struggling economically after years of austerity and the fashion industry has a serious and growing impact on the environment in terms of water-use, emissions and landfill, as well as the human cost of poor working conditions (see here for example). We are doing just a little bit towards protecting the planet and its inhabitants, but the more people who do their bit, the more impact we all have.

The Clothing Giveaway has been able to have this successful first year thanks to a lot of hard work and generosity. Farnham Lions and Voluntary Action South West Surrey gave us grants; clothes, shoes, sheets, towels, and baby gear have poured in from donors; the Community Centre designed flyers and banners and keeps spreading the news; and St Mark’s congregation has shown a wealth of forbearance about having a section of the church permanently filled with clothes as well as putting out tables every Sunday for setting-up later.

Most of all, I want to thank the volunteers who work tirelessly every week, sorting, folding, hanging and even ironing clothes; laying them out in a far more appealing way than I could ever manage; coming up with themes; taking bags of unusable clothes to be recycled; serving tea, coffee, cakes and pastries; chatting to those who come in; and generally keeping the show on the road. Amanda, Anne, Kay, Mandy, Sonia, Steph and Sylvie are there week by week with others dipping in and out when they can. Thank you all!

We could do with some more help, especially in clearing up at 11am on a Monday so if you think you could help, even occasionally, let us know. Email me at rev.stella@badshotleaandhale.org or call me on 07342508164 which is my number for curacy matters.

Come and see us on September 8th for cake and clothes, or any other Monday you fancy. We are open every Monday morning, 9-11am, apart from Bank Holidays and we will close over Christmas and New Year.

Craft, Events, Harvest, Inclusion, Kitty Milroy, LGBTI+, magazine, music, Prayer, Social Events

Your September Magazine is here!

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Autumn is, just about, here and so is our September magazine. Inside you can find news on upcoming events including our Pride services on September 7th, our Pet service, Craft Market, Harvest Festival, Harvest Supper, a concert from Out of the Shadows and Heritage Open Days. There is spiritual reflection and prayer, reports on events and the Church Cat and the Church Dog vying for your attention.

There are plenty of adverts too so please do use the companies who kindly advertise in our magazine. They enable us to keep going.

Download the magazine below:

September 2025Download

Church Buildings, Giving and Fundraising, St John's Church

The Work Begins!

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St John’s tower restoration

The scaffolding is up and work is about to begin to restore the crumbling tower at St John’s. This is thanks to the generosity of individual donors and grant-awarding bodies, and the hard work of parishioners who applied for grants and put on fundraisers to find the cash for the repairs.

The work will cost at least £32,500 and we’ve been raising the money for several years through a mix of grants, fundraising events and donations. At the end of July, we launched a final push to find the last £5,500 so that the stonemason could start in September. Publicity, including in the Farnham Herald, brought forth a flood of donations meaning that Anstey & Stone, stonemasons, can begin work now.

Rev’d Lexi Russell, rector of the church, said: “Thank you so much for the incredibly generous donations which have been made. They mean that a Hale landmark which has stood there for generations past will be standing for generations to come.

“We do know that because the church is old – it is 181 now – it is very likely that there will be more work needed and we will need more funds, so please, if you feel able, do continue to donate. And thank you all again for what you have done.”

Restoration work is expected to take six weeks to complete and should be finished by the end of October. In the meantime, further fundraising events are in the calendar, including a concert of 60s music by popular Farnham band Out of the Shadows on the afternoon of September 27, starting at 2pm. Information is available here. There is also a fundraising page here.

If we raise more money than we actually need for the tower itself it will go into a fund specifically for work on St John’s and will not be spent on anything else.

Events, Services

Taking Church Outside

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Church is moving outside on August 31st when we will be holding an outdoor service and picnic in the field next to Badshot Lea Community Garden at 11am.

It will be a united parish service (so no services in any of the churches that day) and everyone is welcome. Bring your own chairs, picnic blankets, picnics and your friends and enjoy worshipping God outdoors. There will be some gazebos to provide a bit of shade and the garden will be open for everyone to visit too.

Badshot Lea Community Garden is run by the Badshot Lea Bloomers and has allotment spaces to rent, heritage hops growing, a wildlife friendly pond and lots of plants encouraging biodiversity. They hold community events, support schools, encourage gardeners, keep the village tidy and colourful and are just an all-round good group.

Join us outside on August 31st at 11am. All welcome.

Giving and Fundraising, St John's Church

Final push for St John’s tower funds

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St John’s Church needs just another £5,500 to fund repairs to its tower which, at 181 years old, is crumbling.

Repairs to the tower will cost more than £32,000 and we have raised almost £27,000 through donations, fundraising events and grants. As the work is urgent and a stonemason is available in mid- September, we need to find the final £5,500 in time to pay the bill. There is another fundraising evening coming up in September. For details, click here.

The church was opened in 1844 and was designed by Benjamin Ferrey, a pupil of the famous architect Pugin. It looks older than many Victorian churches as it is in the Romanesque style which dominated church architecture in the 11th to 12th century. It was extended in 1897 to accommodate a growing congregation following the expansion of Aldershot as a garrison town.

Rector Rev’d Lexi Russell said: “What an incredible effort from everyone involved! The community has come together with creative ways to raise the funds to repair the tower of our beautiful church. We are now on the home stretch, with one final push to reach our goal before mid-September. St John’s has stood as a beacon of hope on Hale Road for generations, and with your continued support, we can ensure it remains so for generations to come.”

The parish has received grants from Farnham Town Council, the Church of England, Marshall’s Charity, the Surrey Churches Preservation Trust and Benefact Trust, and has fundraised through events such as the recent Pugs and Prejudice, a celebration of dogs in literature, especially that of Jane Austen. Individuals have also given generously, meaning that there is almost enough money to repair the tower of this much-loved church which has been part of the Hale landscape for almost 200 years.

To donate to tower fund, contact Rev’d Lexi Russell on 07792 233477 or rev.lexi@badshotleaandhale.org, or visit our fundraising page here.

Events, Giving and Fundraising, music, St George's Church, St John's Church

Out of the Shadows and into St George’s

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Enjoy a musical afternoon and raise money for the St John’s tower repair fund

St George’s will resound to the music of the 60s on the afternoon of Saturday, September 27th, when the band Out of the Shadows will give a concert to raise funds to repair St John’s tower which is crumbling and in urgent need of repair.

Out Of The Shadows are sixties covers band who enjoy putting on fundraising concerts in the Farnham area. This one will start at 2pm and will involve tea and cake! There will also be a cash raffle.

Tickets are £10 on the door or ahead of time – to guarantee entry – from Sue Lampard on 07596953138.

Come along and enjoy the music, tea and cake and raise money for the tower repairs.

Social Events, St George's Church

Pilgrims make progress to St George’s for singing, sausages and sleep

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On the afternoon of Saturday, August 23, a group of pilgrims from St George’s Church, Wash Common, Newbury, will arrive at St George’s Church, Badshot Lea, as part of a pilgrimage from Newbury to Guildford Cathedral.

They will be greeted by members of St George’s, St John’s and St Mark’s who are putting on a Top 10 Summer Hymns event to celebrate, and will be firing up the barbecue so that everyone can enjoy a meal together.

The pilgrimage is a regular event for the group. Peter Wright, the pilgrimage organiser, said: “St George’s has been undertaking a walking pilgrimage each year for the last 30 years. The current format is to walk for four days (40 to 50 miles) each August. We have never visited Guildford Cathedral, which is why we opted for Winchester to Guildford (starting at St Swithun-upon-Kingsgate) and using the St Swithun’s Way footpath.”

Pilgrims from St George’s Church, Wash Common, about to set off in a minibus to their starting point.

The pilgrims expect to arrive about 4pm for tea and cake and the barbecue will be at 6.30pm, followed by everyone singing the ‘Top Ten Summer Hymns’. The hymns will be chosen by votes which cost £1 a go. Votes are being collected by Kris Lawrence and need to be in by Sunday, August 17. There are voting slips and more details in all the churches or Kris can be contacted on warden.stgeorges@badshotleaandhale.org .

The barbecue will be £5 a head to cover costs and Kris will need numbers by August 17. Please contact her on the email above.

The pilgrims will stay overnight in St George’s before leaving for the cathedral in the morning.

Peter Wright continued: “The pilgrimage started off as a youth pilgrimage led by the then vicar in the early 1990s, but the adults soon wanted a pilgrimage of their own. Typically, we walk 40 to 50 miles over four days, staying in church or village halls and ending at a cathedral or abbey. In the last few years we have travelled Sherborne to Bristol Cathedral, Whitchurch to Christchurch Priory and Stratford on Avon to Lichfield Cathedral. Some of the pilgrims are from other churches in the diocese.”

Serving the Villages North of Farnham: Badshot Lea, Hale, Heath End & Weybourne