Farnham’s newest craft market, which opened in St Mark’s Church, Hale, on Saturday, July 17, has been declared a resounding success.
The market was opened at 10am on Saturday by Cllr Alan Earwaker, Mayor of Farnham, and a steady stream of visitors browsed the stalls for jewellery, textiles, glass, handmade soaps, hats, home décor, cards, pictures and much more, as well as sitting down for tea and home-made cake and listening to live music played on the fiddle, saxophone and double bass. People also took the opportunity to get a closer look at the newly restored murals in the chancel which were painted a century ago by a local artist, Kitty Milroy, and are now recognised as being of national importance.
Everyone – visitors, stallholders and the amazing team who put this on – had a good time and emails and social media messages have been coming in saying how much people enjoyed it. A lot of the stallholders have asked to book again and in August we will be able to have more stalls in the church. This month we limited the number because of Covid restrictions but we will be able to expand though we intend to remain cautious in the light of the rising number of Covid cases.
This was the first of a series of regular monthly markets which will take placed on the third Saturday of each month and the next one will be on Saturday, August 21, from 10am-2pm.
Anyone who is interested in a stall at the August or subsequent markets should contact Stella Wiseman on 07842 761919 or admin@badshotleaandhale.org
Farnham has a new market on the third Saturday of the month, starting on July 17 and it’s at St Mark’s Church, Alma Lane, GU9 0LT. It will run from 10am-2pm.
The market will be selling all sorts of creative products – jewellery, glass, ceramics, textiles, hats, face creams, bath products, art, home décor, cards – as well as homemade cakes and other refreshments. There are only a couple of tables left at the first market but it will be running every month and bookings are being taken for August onwards. If you want to book a stall, contact Stella Wiseman.
There is so much creative skill in and around Farnham and we are delighted to offer artists and crafters the chance to share this with others, and also to encourage people to buy from local producers who have been hit by the pandemic. Among the first stalls will be hats from award-winning milliner Mind Your Bonce, contemporary glass jewellery from Pure Glass, handmade face creams from Gloimoi, upcycled home and gardens items from Val Lee, fused glass, soaps and bath bombs, beautiful greetings cards. Come and browse.
The market will also give visitors the chance to see the newly restored Kitty Milroy murals in the chancel. They really are works of extraordinary skill and beauty and are recognised as being of national significance and the work of a previously unrecognised major talent.
The market will be open from 10am for visitors. Covid restrictions will remain in place for the July one.
Restoration of the Kitty Milroy murals is complete!
Thanks to the amazing skill of Stephen Rickerby and Lisa Shekede, wall-painting conservationists, the murals in St Mark’s Church have been stabilised and can be seen as they once were when first painted by Kitty Milroy between 1911 and 1920.
The murals were revealed on Friday to a small gathering of people, many of whom had donated to the restoration, and Nick Seversway, a picture restorer whose passion for the murals has driven forward the work, and Rev’d Lesley Crawley gave a joint talk on Kitty and on the content of the murals.
The murals themselves depict Biblical imagery, in particular the Annunciation, when the Angel Gabriel told Mary she would conceive and give birth to Jesus, and the Benedicite, a song which appears in some versions of the Bible and in which all parts of creation are called upon to praise God, from the heavens to the waters, the sun, moon, stars and elements, the mountains and hills, the cattle, the people, ‘all that are holy and humble in heart’.
We need to look after the murals for the future and are still fundraising to help do so, and to improve the lighting so that they can be better seen. We have set up a crowdfunding page to do so – please do support us. Click here to find out more.
On the evening when the murals were revealed there was also a presentation of a book by the Church Recorders, a group which has been recording everything in St Mark’s along with its provenance and history.
Because of Covid restrictions there are limits on the numbers who can see the murals at any one time but visits can be arranged. Please contact the administrator, Stella Wiseman, for details.
Calling all crafters, artists and other creatives!
There is a new monthly market starting at St Mark’s Church, Alma Lane, Upper Hale, on the third Saturday of each month, starting July 17. 10am-2pm.
We are inviting all sorts of creative people to come and share and sell their work – jewellers, painters, wood carvers, milliners, knitters, artisan food producers, potters, glassmakers, textile artists….
It’s just £10 for a table, so book now as we will have limited space because of the need for social distancing.
If you would like to take part, please get in touch with admin@badshotleaandhale.org or call 07842761919.
The sun is out and so is the June magazine! This month’s magazine is packed full of news and events about our parish which isn’t confined to the villages we serve locally – lovely though they all are! Being online has allowed us to reach out far further and welcome people who can’t be with us physically.
Take the flower festival for instance. Among the 300+ entries were ones from friends of the parish from around the country. Take a look at some of the entries in the magazine and, of course, online.
There’s news of upcoming events – Father’s Day’s an important one as is the fete on July 3 – new classes, new rooms, a new business, our new youth hub, the new mayor and North Farnham councillor, along with lots more including Kitty Milroy and her media-starring murals, prayer, Jeremy Hunt, appeals for help, schools news, the Church Cat and more.
Following Kitty Milroy’s exposure in the national news, people have been asking us how we can carry on supporting the murals and give Kitty the recognition she deserves.
We need to ensure that they are protected and preserved for generations to come and also spread the news about her and her extraordinary talent. So, we are fundraising for the ongoing conservation and to pay for the roof which has had to be mended to keep the murals safe from the elements.
The Kitty Milroy Murals at St Mark’s have made the national news, following a visit by Sky News reporter Shingi Mararike.
The murals, which are undergoing restoration at the moment, have been recognised as being of national importance in the development of mural art and the work of a considerable, but so far unacknowledged, talent.
This year our festival has been sponsored by Florescence, an award-winning florist based at St Mark’s Church in Upper Hale. If you look at wonderful floral arrangements and think ‘I wish I could do that’, Elise from Florescence has made a video here to give you some tips. The finished arrangement can be seen in St Mark’s during our 11am Sunday service.
Thank you
Thank you to all who took part and to all of you for viewing this flower festival online. Our church flower arrangers have also placed beautiful displays in church which you can see at our Sunday services – 9.30am at St John’s, Hale; 10am at St George’s, Badshot Lea; and 11am at St Mark’s, Upper Hale.
The Covid pandemic has had an effect on our finances and the parish is more dependent than ever on donations. Please do give to support our work in the community. You can donate by clicking on the button below. Thank you.
Aspen Salisbury is a young artist who specialises in wildlife-inspired art and can be found on Instagram @byaspencrafts
Dawn Harcourt
Karina Fraser
Karina Fraser is a synesthetic artist who uses the neurological experience of synaesthesia, the cross wiring of senses, to explore and create abstract art. She can be found in her studio at St George’s Church and at www.karinafraser.com
Knitchings
Knitchings is a head of creative arts, a knitter, artist, ‘interior freewheeler’, owner of the world’s most patient and obliging cat – Gladys – and has a large (43k) following on Instagram where she can be found @knitchings
Linda Daruvala
Linda Daruvala is an author and artist.
Penny Fleet
Late Summer Sun
Summer Joy
Sunny Sunflowers
Sweet Joy
Penny Fleet is a mixed media artist, based near Odiham, who creates paintings, cards and collages on canvas, wood and paper using a combination of acrylic paints, inks, hand-decorated collage papers, thread, fabric and text. She can be found at www.pennyfleet.co.uk
Sorrell Price
Susie Lidstone
Gladioli
Lowndes Buildings, Farnham
Susie Lidstone is a watercolour artist well known for her paintings of flowers and buildings especially around Farnham. She can be found at http://susielidstone.com/
Businesses
Castle Vets
Denzil belonging to Rebecca, vet nurse
Garavoche, a foster puppy living with Emma Bunce, vet nurse
Nela, a puppy with a cleft lip, belonging to Natalia, vet
Daffodogs, Merlin and Jasper belonging to Emma Green, vet
Nibbs is a small family business based in Surrey, producing small batch artisan gin in two flavours – elderflower gin, using freshly picked elderflower from the Surrey and Sussex countryside, and a ‘Surrey Hops’ gin using Farnham hops as a botanical. www.nibbsspirits.co.uk
The Rural Life Centre
The Rural Life Centre in Tilford is a living museum which collects, conserves and displays the history and culture of village life in the countryside. rural-life.org.uk
Squires
Squires is a garden centre in Badshot Lea, part of a family-owned horticultural business across Surrey, Sussex, Middlesex, West London and Berkshire. www.squiresgardencentres.co.uk
Usborne Books
Usborne sells books for children, often via local agents. To order any Usborne books, contact judywilliams61@hotmail.com
Faith organisations
Ahmadiyya Muslim Women’s Assocation, Farnham
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Women’s Association, Farnham, is a socially active branch of Lajna, an auxiliary organisation of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. lajna.org.uk
Badshot Lea and Hale
The Bahá’í Faith
Bahá’ís believe the crucial need facing humanity is to find a unifying vision of the future of society and of the nature and purpose of life. www.bahai.org
The Spire Church, Farnham
The Spire Church is a newly formed church created through a partnership between Farnham United Reformed Church and Farnham Methodist Church. spirechurchfarnham.org.uk
Individuals
Angela Hall
The Buckle Family
Buds of Hope by Aly Buckle
Give me Joy in m y Heart by Aly Buckle
Hugo Buckle, 3, planting in Nanny’s garden
Oh, what joy to see the bluebells, by Derek Buckle
Carolyn and Gerry Weston
The Church Cat
Flowers? What is the point if I can’t eat them?
Diana Thomas
Gillian Geraghty
Gillian Hyman
Judy Dudley
Margie Powell
Maxine Everitt
Melissa Salisbury
Melvin Little
Pamela Marsham
Wendy Edwards
Sobriety – an arrangement celebrating a year of sobriety achieved during lockdown of by a recovering alcoholic, remembering both the hope of recovery from addiction through seeking help and trusting the God of our understanding and the joys of sobriety.
Local Groups
Alder Valley Brass
Alder Valley Brass is a brass band based in Farnham, and a small group of its members played at the recent St George’s Day Service at St John’s. It is a traditional brass band of 25 brass players plus percussion and also perform in smaller ensembles from time to time, and it is celebrating its 60th birthday. www.aldervalleybrass.org.uk
Hale Carnival Committee is a group of people who organise the Hale Carnival and fundraise during the year. Sadly the carnival had to be cancelled this year because of Covid but it will be back! www.halecarnival.co.uk
Hale WI
Hale WI is a lively group which, out of lockdown, meets at the Hale Institute on the second Wednesday of the month at 1.45pm. https://surrey.thewi.org.uk/find-wi/hale
Among the therapies offered by Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice in Farnham therapy through nature, where the sessions are designed to support participants to live well through access to nature, horticulture and the garden, offering the benefits of ‘the great outdoors’ indoors. www.pth.org.uk
Places of Education
Badshot Lea Village Infant School
Sun Class created 100 flowers
Paper flowers by Mars Class
Sunflowers by Sky Class
Fruit and vegetable smiles by Rainbow Class
100 pictures from Tice’s Meadow by Star Classas part of Captain Tom’s 100 challenge
This year’s Farnham Flower Festival will once more be held online over the weekend of May 15 and 16 here on the website with contributions from individuals, businesses, faith groups, charities, schools and other organisations, all celebrating the theme of hope and joy. Anyone who would like to is invited to send in photos or videos of flower arrangements or garden or wild flowers, or floral art to take part in the festival.
This is the third Farnham Flower Festival and the second one online, organised by the Parish of Badshot Lea and Hale in north Farnham. Rev’d Lesley Crawley, rector of the parish, said: “Our flower festivals celebrate colour and new life and the joy of God’s creation, and this year it feels more important than ever to draw attention to the hope and joy that we can find in nature and in the knowledge that God is here in the world, sustaining us.
“Please do send in your photos and videos and celebrate with us.”
This year’s festival is being sponsored by the award-winning florist Florescence who operates from downstairs at St Mark’s. Find out more about the company here.
The Parish of Badshot Lea and Hale 