Your February magazine is here, full of news and what’s on this month.
You can download it here:
Category Archives: Events
The Farnham Poetry Competition is back!
Calling all poets – beginners, experts and those who dabble from time to time. Get writing because the Farnham Poetry Competition is back again.
The competition, now in its fifth year (we started with a lockdown poetry competition in 2020), is run by the parish as part of the Farnham Literary Festival which takes place from March 6-16.
The 2025 poetry competition has the theme of Unity/Being Together and entrants are asked to write a poem about what unites people or what they wish would unite people, or what it means to be together.
There are four age categories this year: up to age seven, eights to 11s, 12s to16s, and over 16s. Poems should be sent to poetry@badshotleaandhale.org or to St Mark’s Church and Community Centre, Alma Lane, Farnham, GU9 0LT to arrive by 5pm on Monday, February 24. Please include your name separately from your entry and, if entering the 16 and younger categories, add your age to the bottom of your poem.
The children’s poetry competition is being judged by popular children’s poet and author Coral Rumble and the adult one by poet Linda Daruvala.
The competition is free to enter and there will be prizes for the first prize-winners and runners-up in all the categories. The winners will be announced at the poetry final evening on Saturday, March 15, at St Mark’s Church, Upper Hale, at 5pm, when there will also be an open mic for anyone to share their poetry, and the two judges will also perform their work.
Entries should include name, contact details and age if entering the 16 and under categories, but the name should not be written on the actual poem. There will be winners and runners-up in all categories and these will be announced at the awards ceremony and open mic on March 15.
Your February Magazine is here
Christmas is probably a distant memory for most of us, but Christmastide actually ends on February 2, which is known as Candlemas and is 40 days after Christmas Day. It’s also known as the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus Christ, when the baby Jesus was presented in the Temple. Traditionally that is the last date for having Christingle services which is why you will find the two parish ones advertised in this month’s magazine.
Alongside this in the magazine is an update on the vacancy, details on fundraising for the tower at St John’s,information on our poetry competition (part of the Farnham Literary Festival), news, events, prayer and, of course, our dedicated advertisers who keep us going. Please do consider using their services.
To download your magazine, click on the button above.
Your November Magazine is Here
The November magazine is here and this month you can find out about All Souls’ and Remembrance, what it means to different people and why some wear red poppies, some wear white and some wear both. There is a piece about our new series on contemplative prayer, information from Hive Helpers, plus the Badshot Leader and the Church Cat who has something to say about not putting people in boxes.
There are also events, reports, news, prayer and, of course, our dedicated advertisers who keep us going. Please do consider using their services.
Happy reading!
Your October magazine is here
The October magazine is here and this month you can find out how Bishop Sumner is linked to Farnham Rugby Club, check out what priests wear in church, and discover joy with the Church Cat.
There are also events, reports, news, prayer and, of course, our dedicated advertisers who keep us going. Please do consider using their services.
Happy reading
Clothing Giveaway
We’re delighted to report that our new Clothing Giveaway, which takes place every Monday morning at St Mark’s, has got off to an excellent start. Every Monday we open the doors to the church at 9am for people who would like to select some clothes for them and/or their families, totally free of charge. We also serve coffee, tea, squash, cake or similar in a café in the Community Centre part of the church, again free of charge.
The Clothing Giveaway is not just for people who are struggling financially, but for anyone, regardless of economic status. We want to encourage people not to spend so much on new clothes but instead to fill their wardrobes with good-quality second-hand clothing. We are also trying to encourage recycling so that old clothes do not end up in landfill (at the moment around 350,000 tonnes, that’s around £140 million worth of used but still wearable clothing, goes to landfill in the UK every year).
We take donations of old, goodquality clothes, shoes and baby equipment and are always happy to welcome volunteers to sort out the clothes. We usually sort on a Sunday afternoon. The Clothing Giveaway is being run in conjunction with the Hale Community Centre and is open at St Mark’s on Monday mornings 9-11am. Please look out your old, goodquality clothes and shoes for children and adults. You can bring them to church (in bags/boxes please) or bring them to St Mark’s on a Monday morning, or let Stella Wiseman know if you need them to be picked up: revd.stella@badshotleaandhale.org or calling 07842761919.
Come to our Autumn Craft Market
Sat, September 21st, 10am-2pm, St Mark’s Church
St Mark’s will be buzzing next Saturday (21st) when we hold our Autumn Craft Market, starting at 10am and running until 2pm.
Come and browse the stalls for pottery, toys, handknits, cards, jewellery, candles, needlecraft and all manner of gifts. There is live music and a café to meet you friends and eat homemade rolls and cakes.
What’s more, you can see the beautiful Kitty Milroy murals, painted in the early 20th century and restored in 2021. These have been recognised as nationally important in the development of mural art and an exceptional example of the Arts and Crafts Movement.
It’s free to enter and always a lovely atmosphere.
It’s time to Ride and Stride
Raise money for the churches and have a day out
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Every year on the second Saturday of September—this year September 14th—the Surrey Churches Preservation Trust runs ‘Ride and Stride’. People are encouraged to travel between churches in the area and be sponsored to do so. You can walk, cycle, use a mobility scooter, drive, ride a horse, roller-skate, dance, play the fiddle, whatever is your preferred mode of transport.
This is a great way to raise money for our churches because half the money goes to the churches which participate and the other half to the trust which exists to stimulate interest in Surrey churches and to make grants for their repair and conservation.
Why not have a go? You can download a C1 sponsorship form from the trust as well as a list of Surrey churches.
Wanted: your clothes for our new Clothing Bank
We’re collecting clothes and shoes for the new weekly Clothing Bank at St Mark’s, which is opening on Monday, September 9th, 9-11am. Free clothes and shoes for anyone who would like to come and take some. There will also be a café serving tea, coffee, cake and biscuits. It will run every Monday 9-11am.
Please bring any good-quality used clothes and shoes to St Mark’s on Thursday (29th) 9-11am, and/or Sunday, September 8th, 2-4pm. This is a new initiative between the church and Hale Community Centre .
We also need volunteers to help sort clothes and/or help at the clothes bank and cafe. Please let us know if you can help. Thank you.
The Parish of Badshot Lea and Hale 