Your February magazine is out now. Inside you will find a farewell to Lesley and Alan, news about the vacancy, events including our Snowman Drive – the seasonal equivalent of a beetle drive (well, it’s too cold for beetles) and a free Valentine’s Barn Dance. We also explore where Valentine’s Day comes from and what is this thing called love.
There’s also news about the latest Farnham Poetry Competition which the parish runs as part of the Farnham Literary Festival. This year the theme is friendship, so why not celebrate your friends and give it a go.
Don’t forget our wonderful advertisers while you are browsing. They help keep our magazine going, so please check them out, use them and support local businesses.
We’ve not seen much of the snow, but you can still create a snowman or two at our Snowman Drive at St George’s on Saturday, 24th February at 5.30pm.
This is a seasonal variation on a beetle drive and is a fun way to cheer up a dark winter evening. Create your snowman by rolling a die, then move move from table to table.
It’s £5 to enter, £2.50 children. Bring your own snacks and drinks. If you want a fish and chip supper this will be available for £10 but you must book ahead for this. Please also let us know if you are coming even if you don’t want supper as this will help us judge numbers. To book and/or order food, contact Kris by Wednesday, 21st February: warden.stgeorges@badshotleaandhale.org
We can never have enough carol singing! After Christmas there will be a chance to enjoy carols you may have missed at Christmas.
What are your favourite carols? Would you like to hear them sung? Vote for them and the favourites will be sung at St George’s on January 13th from 2pm.
To vote, download the form below, or pick one up at the back of church, or put the name or names of the carols on a piece of paper with your name and £1 per vote per carol, in a sealed envelope and give to your church warden by Sunday, January 7th.
You can vote multiple time for one carol or vote for as many carols as you want. Cheques can be made payable to Badshot Lea and Hale PCC. Even if you don’t vote just come and join the singing on 13th. It will be followed by tea, cake and a raffle.
Autumn is upon us so it is time for the October magazine.
Inside this month you will find articles on generosity, prayer, Kitty Milroy, our Taize services, verbal self-defence, even a carpet! There are notices about upcoming events, and lovely report on our farewell to Maxine, plus a few words from Maxine herself.
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On September 24th, celebrate the good gifts of the earth at our Harvest Festival services, held at all three churches. You can then also join us at the Harvest Supper, held at St George’s on the evening of September 29th.
There have long been celebrations around the time that crops are harvested each year, but the harvest festival that we know today probably dates from Victorian days. The first one is said have been the brainchild of the Rev’d Robert Hawker, priest of a church at Morwenstow in Cornwall, who in 1843 invited people to a thanksgiving service for the harvest.
The modern harvest festival is a time to give thanks to God for the gifts the earth provides and it is also an opportunity to share food, particularly with people who do not have enough. That is why the parish collects tinned and dried food for Farnham’s Foodbank.
The services will be at 9.30am at St John’s, Hale, 10am at St George’s, Badshot Lea, and at 10am at St Mark’s, Upper Hale, where we will first celebrate Apple Day with apple-y music, apple snacks and apple pressing. The harvest service will be at 11am at St Mark’s.
The Foodbank is currently in need of tinned fruit, UHT puddings, tinned meat and chocolate treats and these can be offered at the altar during the service and will then be passed on to the Foodbank.
Harvest Supper
On September 29th we will celebrate again with a Harvest Supper at St George’s from 6pm. It’s a fun evening for the whole parish with a meal, entertainment and a raffle. Tickets are available at each of the churches; Adults £10, children (under 16) £5, or by calling 07842761919 or emailing news@badshotleaandhale.org. If you can offer to be part of the entertainment, please let Kris know: warden.stgeorges@badshotleaandhale.org.
On Saturday, July 15th, at 11am, Doorstep Duets is coming to Hale Rec in support of the churches.
Three dancers from Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures, based at Farnham Maltings, will perform Back to Us. Choreographed by Glenn Graham, Back to Us is a short, original dance piece exploring the importance of friendship and the need for connection.
The dance will take place outside Southernhay, The Green, Hale, where there will also be a coffee morning in support of the parish.
Join us for some art, coffee and cake on July 6th at St. Mark’s at 10.30am until noon. Come and help us make some birthday decorations for July 14th to celebrate St Mark’s 140th anniversary.
Our summer holidays parish magazine is here, covering the months of July and August.
With summer here there is plenty going on both inside and out, and among the events featured in this issue are a free Barn Dance at St Mark’s on the evening of July 14th to celebrate the 140th birthday of the church (see page 26) and a performance of Doorstep Duets by Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures in support of a coffee morning for the parish on July 15th (see page 14).
There is also news of a talk on July 21st about how to support people with autism (page 36), family events run by Farnham Maltings at the churches (page 14), events at the Hale Family Centre (page 24), the return of Messy Church on July 9th and Pride services on August 20th (both on page 23).
Among the other articles and notices is a report on our fantastic fete (page 8) and the Christian Aid concert (page 12), plus Craig’s relicensing (page 11) and the Badshot Leader is back again (from page 19) with information on local developments, the environment, the Badshot Bloomers and a fascinating history of Walter Tice.
Join us at St Mark’s, Upper Hale, on the evening of Friday, July 14th, for a barn dance to celebrate the 140th birthday of the church. The doors will open at 6.30pm and the music will start at around 7pm.
Admission is free (donations welcome) and please bring your own refreshments, though tea, coffee, squash and cake will be on sale.
St Mark’s was opened in July 1883 as the daughter church of St John’s in Hale, to enable the residents of Upper Hale to get to church as many of them struggled to get down to St John’s. It was built by local residents using flint from the Common on land given by Bishop Sumner, Bishop of Winchester.
The church, now a Grade II listed building, is home to the Kitty Milroy murals, now recognised as key in the development of mural art in the 20th century, and the work of an unsung major talent. The murals were restored in 2021 and were shortlisted for a Surrey Heritage Award. It also houses ‘Emily‘, a fine Edwardian pipe organ.
St Mark’s is a working church and services are held every Sunday at 11am and Wednesday at 12noon.
It’s Coffee Artz again this week, on Thursday, June 15th, 10.30am to 12noon at St Mark’s Church.
Coffee Artz takes place on the first and third Thursday of each month and each time the group takes a different theme to inspire the art. No artistic skill is needed, no experience is needed and the equipment is all provided. Coffee, chat and cake are also provided!
The Parish of Badshot Lea and Hale 