Come to a musical evening on Saturday, May 7, at 6.30pm at St George’s Church, Badshot Lea, all in aid of Christian Aid.
There will be singing by In Accord and the Church Choir as well as soloists and a chance to have a singalong. There will also be saxophone music, piano, the organ, and much more.
Drinks and nibbles will be provided and all this for just £5, payable on the door. Children have free entry.
So join us at St George’s on May 7 at 6.30pm and help raise money for Christian Aid.
The Farnham Flower Festival is back at St John’s Church, over the weekend of May 14-15. There will be displays of flowers, art, craft, poetry, music, delicious cakes, drinks and a raffle. Entry is only £1. It will be open between 10am and 4pm on Saturday, 14th and 12pm and 4pm on Sunday 15th. It is sponsored by Florescence, award-winning florists who have a workshop downstairs at St Mark’s.
Among the exhibitors will be Hale School, William Cobbett School, Badshot Lea Bloomers, Hale Methodist Church, Arts at St Mark’s, the Parish Choir, artists Susie Lidstone and Alison Ridgeon, Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice, Weybourne Community Church, our own churches, Farnham ASSIST, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association, Elmaz Ekrem, winner of the Farnham Literary Festival’s poetry competition, and Florescence.
Bring your friends to see the wonderful displays and enjoy a community event here in the parish.
Richard Myers reviews an unusual evening at St Mark’s
‘Campfire’ was a show put on at St Mark’s on 8th April, advertised as ‘An evening of stories, song and hot cocoa. True stories told by members of the community’. We all had to pretend we were sitting round a campfire while these delights went on. The lights were low, and a few props and some real cocoa helped to create this impression, with a few sound effects at the beginning produced under instructions from the two talented hosts of the show, a poet and a musician linked with Farnham Maltings, Molly Naylor and Dominic Conway.
What was unusual about it all was that fact that it was largely people we knew who were the storytellers and musicians, with the hosts providing the framework. The two hosts had visited a few days earlier and coached those who wished on how to tell their story well. The stories took up the bulk of the evening. Some were extremely personal and very moving: regretting being mean at school, a hard evening in a difficult childhood, a long wrestle with the desire to have beautiful hair. Others were individual experiences of national events – an account of an Empire Day celebration many years ago, a memory of buying an ice cream on the day World War 2 started. A few were humorous – misunderstandings in teaching the Scouts. There was an account of being caught up in a terrorist incident in Paris. Speakers were old and young. The standard was very high. I liked the fact that some of the personal stories were quite difficult to listen to and broke through the general jollity to a more powerful note.
But this seriousness was balanced by the lighter stories and by the music. ‘Karma Chameleon’ figured and some others I am unable to name. There was a bit of a sing-along with some impromptu guitar playing by members of the audience. We were invited to list ‘family sayings’ during the interval, and these were read out in the second half – rather a clever idea with a nice feel – funny, but also with an insight into different family lives: one was ‘FHB’, said by the mother when she had under-catered, meaning ‘Family Hold Back’, i.e don’t eat very much.
St Mark’s was offered this ‘show’ by Farnham Maltings due to the part it had played during the Farnham Literary Festival; so I guess we all have to thank Stella for it, as well as Farnham Maltings. And we did well; the videographer there said we were a better audience and a better location than they had had the night before!
Pictured: Molly and Dominic at Campfire.
Come to our Easter Craft Market at St Mark’s, Alma Lane, GU9 0LT, this Saturday (April 16) between 10am and 2pm.
As well as some of the familiar favourites – like Orange Tree Glass‘s fabulous fused glass creations, and Brazilian truffles from Kay’s Treats – we have newcomers Anne Gurney with beautiful papercraft and new knitting from Veronica Cox. Ridgeway School has a stall and we also have cards, jewellery, soap, crochet work, candles and lots and lots of gifts.
What’s more, we are having an Easter egg hunt. Find the eggs on some – but not all – of the stalls, fill in your sheet and claim your prize!
All this, plus live music, refreshments, a happy atmosphere and the Kitty Milroy murals!
We all have a story to tell, but it’s not always easy to talk about yourself. Sharing our stories can help us reconnect with each other in an increasingly fractured world.
That’s why Campfire is coming to north Farnham. Campfire is a unique, magical event which celebrates the untold stories of people who make up a community.
We’re looking for people to tell true stories at the event, and to come to workshop beforehand so that they’re well-equipped to contribute. No story is too small! From mundane moments to miraculous misadventures, we want to hear it all.
All you need to do is show up to our free, fun workshop. You might come with an idea of the story you could tell, but it’s totally okay if you turn up with nothing. We’ll help you find and shape your story in a warm, supportive environment. Why not come to the workshop and see what it’s all about? You’ve got nothing to lose!
The workshop will take place at St Mark’s Church on 1st April, from 7.30 to 9.30pm. The campfire event will take place in the church on 8th April at 7.30pm.
This is what others have said:
I didn’t think I had any good stories to tell, but Molly gives you interesting prompts and helps you create a structure around something from your life you didn’t think was story-worthy.
It makes you realise how interesting other people are!
Exceeded my expectations!
It will be hosted by musician Dominic Conway and poet and author Molly Naylor, with live music and cocoa. Here they are explaining more:
Molly is a poet, playwright and creative writing tutor. She has run True Stories Live, a sell-out event in Norwich where local people get up on stage tell stories, for the past five years.
Dominic is the award-winning musical director of Little Bulb Theatre who recently toured village halls with the wildly successful Mountain Music.
Interested? Email news@badshotleaandhale.org or call 07842761919.
2023: March 18, June 17, September 16 and November 18
Come to our regular Craft Market at St Mark’s. We now run this four times a year and the dates are above.
We invite local crafters to take part and we have a wide range of creative people there selling a huge array of gifts for yourself and others. There are jumpers, teddy bears, soaps and soap dishes, candles, cards, earrings, necklaces, hats and gloves, glass gifts, knitwear, pictures, pottery, sweets, notebooks, coasters, mugs to go on the coasters… and much more, with new stalls added regularly, and all of it sold to a background of live music and refreshments in the adjoining room.
If you would like to hire a stall, click here for a form, or call 07842761919 or email craft@badshotleaandhale.org
Come and join us as a shopper or a seller, or just to enjoy the buzz and friendly atmosphere.
Sadly, we have had to cancel our Barn Dance which was to be held on April 10. Any tickets bought will be refunded.
Get out those dancing shoes and shake off the Covid blues, dancing to the irresistible sounds of the Cajun Boogaloo trio.
There will be a light supper and you can bring your own snacks and drinks.
Tickets: £15 adults / £7 children / £40 family available from warden.stgeorges@badshotleaandhale.org and in church on Sundays.
Come to our craft market on Saturday, February 19, 10am-2pm at St Mark’s, Alma Lane, GU9 0LT, and buy lovely gifts and treats while supporting local businesses and individual crafters. There will be glass, sweets, hand and face creams, knitting, soaps, cards, pottery, candles and many other gifts, made by skilled local craftspeople. Along side this there will be live music and refreshments, plus a chance to see the Kitty Milroy murals.
And if you are a crafter, why not have a stall? Contact craft@badshotleaandhale.org or 07842761919.
Come and celebrate the Kitty Milroy murals and Kitty herself at St Mark’s on November 7th at a special communion service at 11am, with the Bishop of Dorking and the mural restorers Stephen Rickerby and Lisa Shekede, and a concert and talk at 7pm.
The now-famous murals were restored earlier this year and new lighting has been installed so that they can be seen in their full glory. They are now recognised as being of national importance and a jewel in Surrey’s crown. So, on the day before the anniversary of Kitty’s birth in 1885 and, coincidentally, her death in 1966, we want to invite everyone to St Mark’s for a celebration.
The morning celebration will be a communion service at which the Rt Rev’d Jo Bailey Wells, Bishop of Dorking, will preach, and there will be a chance to hear from Stephen Rickerby and Lisa Shekede who spent 10 weeks painstakingly restoring the murals between April and June this year. In the evening there will be music, talks on the murals and Kitty, along with refreshments and, of course, the chance to see the murals.
Everyone is welcome at both the service and the evening celebration and there will be no charge, but to keep numbers manageable, particularly in the face of Covid, the evening event will be by ticket only. To book your tickets, click here.
The murals were painted between 1911 and 1920 and depict the Annunciation – the meeting between Mary and the Angel Gabriel when Mary is told she will be the mother of Jesus – as well as scenes from the Benedicite, an ancient hymn of praise to God about the wonders of the natural world, and local views. There are figures depicting the natural elements and seasons, and the models for these figures are known to be local people. The whole is a stunning creation by a hugely talented artist and the murals and Kitty herself are finally being given the recognition they deserve.
Come and celebrate this amazingly talented artist and her work.
Wendy Edwards reports on the parish’s first Holiday-at-Home.
With restrictions eased, the Parish of Badshot Lea and Hale believed that a French Song Cure in a Covid-safe environment was needed!
At St. Mark’s Church on Saturday, 7th August, 70 people braved the English weather, sporting their berets and strings of onions, to revel in a French Holiday-at-Home with company, croissants, coffee, lunch, holiday slideshow and raffle.
‘Fantastique! and ‘Incroyable!’ (incredible) were comments received afterwards. There was also musical entertainment, with many talented performers giving their skills for free, Fleet U3A Ukulele band, Cajun Boogaloo, Wendy Edwards, Olivia Jasper, Roger Sanders and Lesley Shatwell, Mary Klymenko, and the Parish Choir, all performing French songs from several eras, some in French.
A total of £553 was raised for the St. John’s Tower and Youth/Community Hub. Thanks everyone for donations of money, raffle prizes, time, skills, and energy.
One classic World War 1 song was Roses of Picardy by Haydn Wood (1882-1959). Wendy Edwards, organiser, contacted Marjorie Cullerne, Haydn Wood’s great-niece, in Toronto. Marjorie sent Wendy a 100-year-old newspaper extract about Haydn Wood performing his song to cure speech-impaired, shell-shocked soldiers after World War 1.
As we start emerging from a worldwide pandemic, singing Roses of Picardy again as a Song Cure, for our Covid 19 separation, seems most appropriate.
The Parish of Badshot Lea and Hale 