AFTERNOON TEA FEBRUARY 10th 2024 : A SELL OUT CELEBRATION.
"Meeting together on a Saturday afternoon in Winter was just marvellous"
A celebratory Afternoon Tea was held at the Church on February 10th 2024 to celebrate 10 years since the formation of ‘The Friends of St James the Less’. 10 years in which much has been achieved. The originators of ‘The Friends’ were Colin Burford and John Holt and they continued to be the driving force of the charity through the years, with Colin serving the first 6 years as Chairman.
The Friends have supported the PCC contributing to the installation of the indoor toilet, the brew station, the building of the covered area over the boiler room, new display units for Church information and cards. The parquet floors were sanded and the lighting in the church was updated and the 100 Club began. There was much to celebrate.
Guests were welcomed with a glass of Prosecco and canapés.
"It felt like I was walking into a party"
"It was such a joyful atmosphere"
Before the Afternoon Tea was served, guests were entertained by a close singing harmony group, The Ossie Sisters. From the Boswell Sisters in the swing era of the 20's and 30's,The Andrews Sisters in the 30's and 40's, The Beverley Sisters in the 50's and The Puppini Sisters in the early 2000's, we had the 2020's version THE OSSIE SISTERS, Rhian, Madeline and Hannah.
Rhian is a nurse, Madeline is a student teacher and Hannah is a social worker. They all met at St. Oswald's Church choir in Warton, hence the name The Ossie Sisters. The choir was under the musical direction of Colin Burford's daughter Stephany and as members of the choir, Rhian, Madeline and Hannah have sung together at Bath Abbey, Blackburn Cathedral, Bristol Cathedral, Whitby, The Priory and Lancaster Cathedral. They have performed at the Lancaster Tangent WI, the Coronation celebrations in Warton and various churches and village halls raising money for numerous charities including The Alzheimer's Society and North West Cancer. They have all been awarded the RSCM, (The Royal School of Church Music) Bishops's Award for Excellence.
The Sisters sang a medley of songs from Jeepers Creepers to Falling in Love Again to the classic Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy. Bodies swayed, feet tapped and the applause was rapturous.
"Brilliant singing from The Ossie Sisters"
"Please pass our thanks on to the wonderful OSSIE SISTERS"
Guests took their seats for the Afternoon Tea and the opportunity to catch up with friends and neighbours.
‘ The sandwiches, cakes, scones and meringues were all superb and didn't stop coming!’
"The delicious sandwiches and scrumptious cakes were a treat for all and the flowers and table settings made such a welcoming setting for a lovely event"
The event was clearly enjoyed by all with requests for a winter 2025 repeat.
"It was just the thing to enjoy after a gloomy spell of wintry weather"
The Service of Remembrance held at the Church of St James the Less on Sunday 12th November 2023 was led by lay reader Peter Osborne.
Parishioners gathered together to remember the service and sacrifice of all those who have defended our freedoms and protected our way of life
Our Harvest Festival was held on Sunday the 8th October 2023.
The Church was beautifully decorated in preparation for the Service.
Items were brought along in support of the Morecambe Bay Food Bank which was delivered to them later in the week. They very much appreciated the help and support and wanted to thank everyone who had contributed.
It was lovely to see the Harvest Service well attended and we were delighted to have Wenning Voices joining us on this occasion. Following the Service a ploughman's lunch was served when people could get together and enjoy friendship and a good natter.
On Saturday 16th September 2023 our Annual Grand Jumble Sale was held at Hornby Institute. This was a bumper day as usual. The team of helpers arriving from 8.30am onwards to deal with the staggering amount of donated jumble, bric-a-brac, books and toys. We are always amazed by what is donated. The doors opened at 2pm and the room was a buzz with buyers who rummaged through the items and went home happy with bargains galore.
The day raised an amazing £1,530.00 and we thank the buyers and of course our hard working team of helpers who went home exhausted.
We hope to see you again next year.
On Sunday 30th July 2023, following a well attended Benefice Service at St James the Less, we held our Annual Picnic in the beautiful gardens of The Old Rectory. We were so lucky with the weather and were able to continue into the afternoon with very competitive (and hilarious) games of Croquet, Boules and Jenga. A brilliant afternoon in delightful grounds with the friendship of many
Wray Scarecrow Festival Church Catering 2022:
At this year's Festival, the St James the Less Church "team" worked really hard to provide refreshments over the first Sunday ~ our usual "slot".
Rita Murphy was on hand to photograph some of the highly trained volunteer helpers....
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