News & Features

Good Friday was the first ‘church’ event of April. It was perfect weather – not too hot or raining - for the annual walk of witness from St James’ Church to Rockland All Saints. A small group of nine (and two dogs) took part, carrying the cross from St James’, through the village and along Penhill Road. At the crossroads half the group headed straight up to All Saints Church and the remainder turned right onto Mill Lane to walk through into Rocklands. We made good time and arrived before the start of the 2pm service. We’d love a few more faces to join us – staying for the service at All Saints is optional and you don’t have to be a member of our ‘usual’ congregation.

Easter Sunday dawned bright and early with some of us attending the Dawn Service at All Saints Church. It was a little breezy, but eventually the fire was lit and we watched as the sun rose in front of us.

The ‘normal’ Easter Sunday service in St James was a benefice Holy Communion. The church was decorated beautifully with flowers on the windows and moss, bark, nests, eggs and flowers artistically arranged on the sills in the porch. A magnificent sight welcoming visitors – thanks to Anne, Anita and all those involved. The choir assisted with the hymns. Their anthem after communion was ‘No scenes of stately majesty’ led by Colin on guitar and Kathryn on flute. Easter wouldn’t be complete without eggs, so the chocolate variety was distributed at the end!

Our Pop-up café was well supported with a stream of visitors. On offer during April was Tia Maria cake, sausage rolls and the ever-popular cemetery buns!

In April is St George’s Day. As the patron saint of Scouting, members of Great Ellingham Scout Group paraded through the village to hold a service in St James’, including renewal of their promises. The parade and service were complete with a decorated dragon. Thanks to everyone involved!

If you read this in time – on 25th and 26th April, we are excited to welcome Heather, Judy and Matt into church for their local history exhibition, with archaeological finds. The event will be open 10am – 4pm and refreshments will be available. This is always very popular and everyone is welcome – if you have connections with the village, an interest in local history or perhaps looking for help to research your own family, then this is a worthwhile visit. The theme is ‘Every house has a story – Every story has a family’.

Looking ahead to events in May we have the following: Saturday 9th May - Big Breakfast for Christian Aid. 9am – 11am, in church. Come along for hot food (bacon or sausages or a cheeky both), plus cereals, toast or fruit. All donations gratefully received and will be raising money for Christian Aid as part of their annual fundraising week. Cash and Contactless donations accepted.

STOP PRESS! - we have just booked a Grand Second Hand Book Sale on Saturday 27th June, 10am – 4pm. There will be thousands of books on sale, from just 25p.

FOODBANK – Did you know we support Thetford foodbank with a collection space in the church? There are desperately in need of tinned tomatoes, tinned fruit, sponge puddings and instant mash. Donations can be dropped off at church, or at either Rocklands or Great Ellingham village shops.

It has been an eventful month at All Saints. Just before Holy Week, the stained glass East window, that had been removed at the beginning of January for specialist repair following some mindless vandalism last May, was finally returned and reinstalled. It is true that you tend not to notice what you have got until it is gone, and so it was with our window! The whole church seemed dark and dismal with the light from the east removed by the boards- and of course, with no electricity, it was difficult to rectify the issue! Now the window is back, we have all looked at it with new eyes and appreciate its full glory! Even the side panels are bright and clean and sparkle in the sunshine! The anomalous man in a Victorian ‘bowler’ hat lurking at the foot of Jesus is resplendent again and the subject of many a conversation! A neat guard has been put in place outside to prevent any further problems with vandals and the whole episode is behind us, hopefully. We are extremely grateful to all who generously contributed to the eye-watering cost of the repairs, as the insurance was only able to cover a small proportion of the work that was necessary to safeguard the future of the window. All are invited to the blessing of the window- date to be confirmed at time of writing this!

On Good Friday we welcomed those taking part in the Walk of Witness from St James, Gt Ellingham at a quiet reflective service led by Rev Sue and our LLM, Carol Bennett. In total contrast, on Easter Day, at dawn, about twenty of us from all corners of the new combined benefice met in the churchyard and welcomed the risen Christ to the accompaniment of the Dawn Chorus, watched by rabbits, deer and hares. It was truly magical, even though it was a shock to my system getting up at 5.15!! Most of us then went on to more traditional Easter Sunday services at other churches in the benefice, but the memory of watching the sun rise in such a beautiful ‘thin’ place, will stay with me for a very long time.

In May, we are holding the Pets Service on 17th, and all pets and their well-behaved owners are welcome at this informal outdoor (weather permitting) service. It is always good fun so do please come and join us. (It has been decided to separate it from Harvest Festival this year, if you were wondering why the change of month from the past few years!)

Following the success of the last one, there will be another Coffee Morning in the Village Hall from 10.00-12.00 on May 23rd, in collaboration with St Peter’s church. Please come and join us for good coffee, tea, delicious homemade cakes and lots of chat and laughter! We look forward to seeing you there!

We are pleased to say that the ‘pop up’ Coffee Morning held in the Village Hall on the last day of February was a great success and each Rockland church went home with a profit of over £100. Very many thanks to all who came and donated generously, creating a lovely atmosphere, but especially to those who baked the delicious cakes and help during the event by setting up tables, serving, washing up and clearing the hall afterwards. It is hoped to repeat the event again later in the year! Watch this space!

Our next fundraiser is on April 11th when the Cheese and Wine Evening will be held in Village Hall from 7pm. The Roskettes have been busy practising their repertoire for weeks, so please get your ticket (£10) from the Community Shop, John Brown, Julie Dekker or Cath Jones. Not only does this cover the entertainment but also a very substantial buffet during the breaks and a glass of wine. There is a bar, where further supplies of drinks can be bought! All profits will be divided between the Rockland churches.

The vandalised East Window at All Saints was removed for repair at the beginning of January and we are pleased to announce that it is being returned at the end of March. It has been heartwarming to receive so many donations towards the eye-watering cost of repair from so many villagers and thanks to them, the window should be there for a few more generations of Rocklanders to enjoy. The window will be dedicated by Revd. Tori as soon as possible and all will be welcome at the service.

On Good Friday, the reflective service following the Walk of Witness from St James, Gt Ellingham will be at All Saints at about 2pm, depending on when the walkers arrive. It is always a very meaningful service to which all are welcome. On Easter Day (Sunday 5th April) there will be a different kind of whole new Benefice service to celebrate the risen Christ at All Saints, when we are holding a short service at sunrise as we watch the sun come up from the east (onto our newly restored window!) According to the little man in my phone, dawn should be at 6.28 that morning but please check that before you come!! There will be bacon sandwiches to follow, we are told! We haven’t tried a dawn service at All Saints before (at least in living memory!); we did attempt fireworks at midnight a few years ago which was great fun but sadly upset the local ewes about to give birth, which wasn’t our intention, so this looks like a good alternative that will not disturb anyone!

Our annual Spring Fair was held on Saturday 7th March. We had a lovely selection of stalls selling different crafts including jewellery, jams, wood and metal work, plants and paintings. Children from Great Ellingham Primary School entertained with their lovely singing, accompanied by Colin and Margaret. The BBQ was in full flow cooking bacon rolls and Anita and friends provided a gorgeous selection of cakes for sale. Emily and Lexi ran a children’s stall with tombola and ‘hunt the egg’ game. We thank everyone for supporting our event – whether donating raffle prizes, baking cakes, manning a stall or helping with the washing up. We raised an amazing £730, which is a great boost to church funds.

The funeral of Pat Partridge, a long-standing member of our PCC and church family, took place on Friday 13th March. She had chosen the hymns – Here I am Lord, Be Still for the presence of the Lord and Jerusalem. We welcomed Father Ken to preside over the service and give the address. There was a beautiful tribute read by her daughter Tina and grandson Robbie as well as a poem/reading from Elia and Michael. The church had been decorated with spring flowers. The service was a lovely tribute to an amazing lady and she will be fondly remembered, especially as our path through the churchyard is named after her, ‘Pat Partridge Way’.

The music group led our services of Café Church and Mothering Sunday. Café Church focussed on the theme of Lent and considered the bible story of Jesus meeting the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4). This was particularly well timed as the day was also Internation Women’s Day. At our Mothering Sunday service, we made flower posies which were then distributed to the female members of the congregation.

We are looking forward to hosting the Shellrock Benefice service to celebrate Easter on Sunday 5th April. This will be a Holy Communion service, starting at 10.30am. Please come and join us – there may be chocolate!

We will also have our popular pop-up café on Saturday 11th April, followed by café church on Sunday 12th.

On 25th and 26th April, we are excited to welcome Heather, Judy and Matt into church. They will have amazing displays, showcasing their latest village history research and archaeological finds. The event will be open 10am – 4pm and refreshments will be available. This is always very popular and everyone is welcome – if you have connections with the village, an interest in local history or perhaps looking for help to research your own family, then this is a worthwhile visit. The theme is ‘Every house has a story – Every story has a family’.

Can you help? We are looking for help to wash up and serve cakes over the history weekend (25th & 26th April). If you can spare a couple of hours please get in touch. Alternatively, if you can donate a cake, that would also be very welcome.

Foodbank

Did you know we support Thetford foodbank with a collection space in the church? There are desperately in need of tinned tomatoes, tinned fruit, sponge puddings and instant mash. Donations can be dropped off at church, or at either Rocklands or Great Ellingham village shops.

It was with great sadness that a much-loved member of our congregation and longstanding member of the PCC, Pat Patridge passed away during February. She could frequently be found manning the refreshments, not only at services but at events too. She organised flowers, church cleaning and held the role of verger, attending to funerals, weddings and baptisms. She had also been an active member of the benefice choir until ill health meant she had to take a step back. After a bad fall at home, four years ago, she had been living at St Edmond’s care home in Attleborough. Her funeral will be held at 11am at St James’ Church on Friday 13th March.

Our social Pop-Up Café was held on 7th February. It was a slow start to the morning, but there were plenty of delicious cakes available as usual. The PCC members who were on church cleaning, appreciated the refreshments! Next month we have our Spring Fair, instead of pop-up café.

The Spring Fair will be held on Saturday 7th March, 10am – 12.30pm. There will be plenty of cake available, but we also have the school singers joining us for provide a few songs from their repertoire. We have a number of craft stalls joining us – some new ones, some returning – selling a range of goods including crocheted items, plants, silver jewellery, jams, cards and resin gifts. Please come and support this event as it raises vital funds to keep the church open.

Our February café church followed the reading from Genesis, looking at creation. Instead of a formal talk, we each used our creative skills to draw how we thought the world looked at each stage. There was plenty of discussion about ‘now’ but the one thing standing out from the artwork was God being at the centre of the whole of creation.

On 17th February, we celebrated Shrove Tuesday with our annual Pancake Races. Thanks to Charles for organising the races, ably assisted by Pete, Sylvia, Colin, Emily & Samuel. The sun shone – up until we started the races – and there was an icy wind, so thank you to all the participants. Certificates were presented to those placed 1st, 2nd or 3rd. Under 5s: Marley (1st), Bradley (2nd), Bobby (3rd). Ages 5 - 7s: Florence (1st), Charlie (2nd), Macie (3rd). Ages 8 - 11s: Arthur (1st), Asher (2nd), Elsie (3rd). Ages 11 & over: Oliver (1st), Chloe (2nd). Apparently, there was a distinct lack of adult participation – maybe next year! Thank you also to the pancake makers (too many to mention), Margaret for supervising the toppings, and all those who lent a hand with washing up!

FOODBANK – Did you know we support Thetford foodbank with a collection space in the church? There are desperately in need of tinned tomatoes, tinned fruit, sponge puddings and instant mash. Donations can be dropped off at church, or at either Rocklands or Great Ellingham village shops.

VOLUNTEERS WANTED! We are in need of a couple of volunteers to run our raffle / tombola tables at our upcoming Spring Fair. Can you lend a hand for an hour? We’d love to hear from you.

We are still in need of help cleaning in church or with running coffee at our services. Can you spare an hour? It doesn’t have to be regularly, but our regular band of volunteers are struggling to manage on their own.

What a lovely ‘special’ service we had on 1st February celebrating Candlemas. The Shellrock Benefice music group led the singing of some lovely hymns, finishing with a rousing ‘This little light of mine’. Sadly, the homemade biscuits shaped like angels and doves met with a sad end after being accidentally dropped on the floor resulting in a pile of crumbs,but otherwise all went well and I think everyone went home feeling enlightened! We learnt about various customs around the world that take place at Candlemas (40 days after we celebrate Christmas and exactly halfway between the Winter Solstice and Spring equinox, so we rejoiced that this heralded brighter days!) We all made bracelets in red, black and white wool, following a Hungarian Candlemas tradition that should be worn until Easter Saturday (unless, like mine, they fell apart after only a couple of days). The moment when all the congregation held lit candles as the music group sang ‘Like a candle flame’ was very moving, as always, and made even more poignant on a dull, wet day in a church with no electricity and the East Window still boarded up after the vandalism last year. (The broken window is currently being repaired and is in the workshop.)

Details of the Easter services will be available elsewhere, so I won’t duplicate them here!

On February 28th we are holding a Pop-Up coffee morning from 10am till midday in Rocklands Village Hall together with our friends from Rockland St Peter’s church, raising funds for the upkeep of both churches. There will be an endless supply of coffee, tea etc and delicious homemade cakes (with a pot for donations) and a stall with second-hand books for sale, as well as lots of chatting and laughter. Please come and join us if you can!

Looking forward, we are holding a Cheese and Wine Evening with entertainment from the Roskettes on April 11th from 7pm, again in Rocklands Village Hall and again together with Rockland St Peter’s church. Tickets will soon be on sale for this popular evening so please watch this space! It is always a fun event, so book early to be sure of getting a place!

As we approach the end of Epiphany and the Christmas season, we are looking forward to a special Candlemas service at All Saints on February 1st (10.30). This will be an informal service with music led by the Shellrock music group…….and lots of candles. All are very welcome to join us as we celebrate Mary’s purification in the temple forty days after the arrival of her firstborn son. In time-honoured fashion we will be dismantling the crib too. I am reminded of a poem I learned many years ago:

The baby had a birthday,

We made the brandy sauce,

We drank his health,

and spent our wealth

Upon ourselves , of course.

We had a lovely party,

and brightened up the place;

Profusely strung, the tinsel hung

But you couldn’t see his face.

Then, when the feast was over

and we’d run out of cheer,

We packed him in the trimmings tin,

Till Christmastime next year.

January started cold – but we embraced the first Sunday in the month by celebrating Epiphany and marking the door with chalk at our Morning Prayer service.  20 + C + M + B + 26  Christus Mansionem Benedicat – Bless this House.

We continued the theme into the second weekend with a Messy Church on Saturday.  The children that attended enjoyed the activities on offer – decorating a crown for the kings (plenty of opportunity here for glue and jewels), baking and decorating star shaped biscuits (for the star in the Nativity story) and making calendars for the start of the new year.  Thank you to our volunteers for running this session.  There isn’t another date planned yet, but we’re hoping to have an Easter theme – if we can fit it in!

Alongside Messy Church, was pop up café.  The numbers were small, but the cakes were splendid!  Charles tried out a new recipe – Eccles cakes.  There were several second helpings!  Our next pop up will be on Saturday 7th February.  Do stop by. 

Our second Sunday was Café Church – again with the Epiphany theme.  The talk centred on stars and included a hunt for stars hidden around the church.  We also used the opportunity to move the kings from the east window above the kitchen to join our stable scene.

We received six completed Christmas quizzes in our box – the draw for the winner is to follow....  Thank you to everyone who bought a copy (or who purchased Christmas cards) and supported us with our fundraising.  We will be planning our next event dates soon so watch this space....

FOODBANK – Did you know we support Thetford foodbank with a collection space in the church?  There are desperately in need of tinned tomatoes, tinned fruit, sponge puddings and instant mash.  Donations can be dropped off at church, or at either Rocklands or Great Ellingham village shops.

VOLUNTEERS WANTED!  We are desperately in need of some help with cleaning in church or with running coffee at our services.  Can you spare an hour?  It doesn’t have to be regularly, but our regular band of volunteers are struggling to manage on their own.  We have some who need to take a step back for health reasons.

Rain through our roof is becoming a challenge.  If you are interested in fundraising for St James, we’d love to hear from you!  Perhaps you could help organise an event – or have a suggestion.  Do let us know.

Happy new year to all! May it be a blessed and peaceful one.

Are you looking for a new resolution? We have the perfect idea! We are desperately in need of some help with cleaning in church. Can you spare an hour or two on the second Sunday in the month? It doesn’t have to be each month, but our regular band of volunteers are struggling to manage on their own. A whizz round with the hoover or duster would be amazingly appreciated – and there is the reward of a fresh home-made cake too. The next date will be Saturday 10th January, from 8.30/9am.

If you are reading this before the end of December, there is still time to get your Christmas quiz in! These have been available at £1 each (with the chance to win £20) and contain a mix of fun questions on carols, pantomimes and Christmas characters. There’s been quite a bit of rivalry from some of the congregation. This may become an annual fundraiser!

In December we had a Christingle café church with several young people attending. All made their own Christingle with a mix of raisins and fruit pastilles. It was a lovely service, led by Sue, who told us all about the history of the Christingle. We hope the candles were re-lit over Christmas to remind us of Jesus, the light of the world.

Our next Messy Church is on Saturday 10th January at 10am. This will be themed on Epiphany –the arrival of the kings. There will be craft and cookies to make, alongside our bible story. Everyone is welcome and this is especially suited to families with primary age children. Adults need to stay with their child/children. Refreshments are available as this runs in the chancel at the same time as Pop-up café.

Our monthly cafés have been well attended and we look forward to continuing these on the second Saturday. Cakes are all homemade, mostly dairy free, and we usually also have gluten free options available (shop bought though). Donations are welcomed for this, card or cash. Anyone can drop in, and well-behaved dogs can come too! Our next will be on Saturday 10th January, 10am-12noon. If you’d like to help with these, do let us know.

Rain through our roof is becoming a challenge. If you are interested in fundraising for St James, we’d love to hear from you! Perhaps you could help organise an event – or have a suggestion. Do let us know.

Welcome to our December entry!

It is that time of year where we enjoy the festive period and appreciate the friends and family we have around us all that bit more.

We have raised a wonderful £350 for Children In Need with our Pudsey Lunch. Thank you for all those who contributed items, food and time as well as a thank you to those who attended. We had some lovely food and a good chit chat!

Thank you to all those who joined us at the Remembrance Flower Bed. It was very well attended and very poignant. We raised £60 towards the Royal British Legion’s Poppy Appeal 2025. Some of you joined us back at the Village Hall afterwards; thanks for sticking around!

Santa visited our Winter Market on the 6th of December.

Our Winter Market, at the Village Hall, hosted a lovely selection of local treasures that can be gifted for Christmas and enjoyed over the festive period.

We have been made aware of two recent losses. A few weeks ago, we lost Wendy Skitmore, who many people will remember as an integral part of their childhood when they attended the village playgroup. Our thoughts and prayers go to her family and friends. We have also lost another much-loved person, Marshal Skitmore. Our thoughts and prayers go to his family and friends, also.

Many thanks to all who attended the Advent Carol service at All Saints on the last day of November (St Andrew’s Day) from across the whole benefice. Somehow, we managed to fit everybody in, and all cars were parked safely. As always, it was a very powerful service to ‘kick off’ the new church year and to start the preparations for the birth of Jesus. It was lovely to meet so many lovely folk from the Hingham and High Oak benefices.

Just a week later, the church was packed again for a very different service- the annual Christingle. This year, 48 children and their families made Christingles in the old schoolroom (many many thanks to Emily Donald for helping to create the individual packs of materials in the morning) and made their way safely in the gloom and heavy rain across to the church where the Shellrock music group led some lively singing and clapping before the mood changed, the candles were lit on the Christingles and the children all sang ‘Away in a Manger’ a cappella. It was a magic moment……then we had a communal blowing out of the candles and the adults breathed again!!! We were very pleased to welcome children from the Rocklands School choir who sang beautifully for us- thank you! The youngest children present helped to set up the crib and a mental note to self was made to try and make the camel stand more firmly next year!! Once again, the service helped to remind us that even though the world can be a horrible place, there are pockets of hope if we know where to look, and our children are a good place to start the search!

Sadly, a third funeral in recent weeks took place at All Saints on December 5th when we said goodbye to Marshall Skitmore. Our love and thoughts go to his family at this sad time.

The PCC join with me to wish you all a very happy Christmas….see you next year!

The Harvest Supper was another successful event for All Saints, with nearly 70 people enjoying a lovely meal, followed by entertainment from the Roskettes. Very many thanks to all who bought tickets, provided a contribution to the loaded food table, helped set up and clear away, washed up, returned various bits of crockery and cutlery to their rightful place or did anything else to add to the enjoyment of the evening!

We have had two funerals in the last couple of weeks, one of which was exceptionally large, but we managed to squeeze almost everyone inside, out of the rain. Again, thanks to those who came to help with parking (we were grateful to a local farmer who offered the use of his farmyard for overflow parking). Both services were a lovely memorial to men who were obviously well-loved by their friends and family, who had both expressed the wish to be buried in All Saints churchyard near their parents and other family members, even though they themselves did not live in Rocklands. RIP Mick and Paul.

As you know, the ‘Big Benefice’ Advent carol service is being held at All Saints on November 30th at 10.30. This is always a lovely service, and we look forward to welcoming you all. Please be reminded that parking is VERY limited along the lane to the church, so please car share as much as possible. Those who are able, may prefer to park in the village and walk (it’s about 10-15 minutes and can be wet underfoot).

The following Sunday, December 7th, is our annual Christingle service which is always a magical service held as the light fades and only the candles on the Christingles light the way home! A more traditional ‘Midnight’ Mass is held on Christmas Eve at 10pm, which is also candlelit. Looking at my calendar with all the events and services taking place over the next 6 weeks or so, I realise how busy we will all be, so RAS PCC join me in wishing everyone across the Benefice a blessed and happy time…..especially Rev. Tori and the rest of the ministry team who will be completely exhausted by the end! Happy Christmas everyone!

Winter has arrived at last and Christmas is fast approaching. The festive season is always a busy time with its many services and events in our church and the rest of the benefice. As well as supporting the other churches we have our Carol Service on Monday 22 December starting at 6.00pm and a Christmas Day Morning service of Holy Communion at 10.30am. It is a time to welcome people who do not often, if ever, come to church so it is a special time in many ways.

Our Pie and Pickle Lunch with the Village Hall was very successful. The food on offer was up to its usual high standard judging by the clean plates left behind. There was room for more customers but we were so grateful to those who did attend as well as those who cooked, served and helped in whatever capacity. The funds raised were split equally between the village hall and our church.

Like so many of the churches in both our two benefices, we are surviving only with the support of a relatively small band of people. Cutting the grass, cleaning the church building, flower arranging, our ministry team leading services, and the many other tasks carried out by a dedicated band of almost entirely volunteers. We cannot survive without you; thank you.

On behalf of our PCC, a Merry Christmas and, whatever it brings us, may 2026 be a good year for us all.

As this is being typed, the busyness of the Christmas Fair weekend is fading! The weekend was not without its challenges as Storm Claudia brought rain – which found its way through the roof. With water dripping down the tower for several hours, it unfortunately made its way into the electrics and created some hastily amended plans for lighting on the Friday night. It also led to a pond underneath the kitchen area – again requiring changes to powering the hot plate for the mulled wine. We got there though! (Luckily, Saturday proved to be drier with only a momentary power cut!) So, thanks must go to everyone involved in the Fair. We couldn’t put on the fair without support.

• Thank you to those who braved the elements to support it (particularly on Friday evening)!
• Thank you to our stallholders for bringing their creative wares and beautiful gifts!
• Thank you to the cake bakers, sausage roll cookers and bacon roll fryers!
• Thank you to the volunteers drafted in to run the ‘church’ tables – tombola, raffle, games and refreshments.
• Thank you to Charles for rigging some lighting, to those who helped move chairs and tables.

It was a successful event raising over £1000 for church funds. To put this in context – that is slightly over a third of our annual insurance premium or covers 60% of our gas bill or pays all our electricity with a little left! It costs approximately £18/day to pay the basic bills and keep the doors open to the church - without considering the maintenance and upkeep of the building.

With November being the month of Remembrance, St James was the last stop on the route this year for Remembrance Sunday, which started at Little Ellingham and went onto Deopham. With the weather warmer than previous years, the service was held outside in front of the tower, where a stone commemorates villagers lost in WW1.

In December we look ahead to Christmas! We are selling Christmas cards – with designs by Christine Fuller – at £5 for a pack of 12. This is alongside a fun Christmas Quiz, just £1 (you have until the end of December to complete it). This goes towards our church funds. Both will be available at events and services at St James throughout December.

Look out for your Shellrock benefice Christmas card which will be delivered through your door – it contains all our December services. If you aren’t on a delivery route, stop by at Rookery Meadows Farm Shop or Great Ellingham Village Stores where you should (hopefully) find a spare one or two.

We also have pop up café on Saturday 13th December, with the jigsaw puzzle and preloved toys returning, alongside jams and chutneys by Margaret, the Quiz and Christmas cards! Our Café church service on Sunday 14th December will be a Christingle service. Breakfast from 9.30am and Christingle making from 10am. Do come along!

If you enjoy singing, don’t forget our popular Carols around the tree on Thursday 18th December at 6.30pm.

Finally, if you are interested in fundraising for St James, we’d love to hear from you! It would be great to put together a plan towards roof repairs. Likewise, if you are free on Saturday 13th December (or any second Saturday) and could assist with some cleaning (1/2 – 1 hour will be sufficient), then call in. The church is a parish building and the PCC are a small band of willing volunteers, but they are in need of a boost!

Wishing you all a very happy and peaceful Christmas and New Year from St James’ Church.