December 2008

The inside of St Mary’s Church in Longfleet was transformed last week as it brought together over 150 women from a wide variety of communities across Poole to their annual Christmas Craft evening.

Armed with a glass of wine and goodie bag on arrival, ladies could choose from many different craft making activities. It ranged from simple tree decorations such as Christmas cranberry Hearts and wire tree decorations, to painted jewellery pots and hand made cards. The more ambitious Christmas wreaths have always proved to be one of the most popular activities at this event.

Organiser Fiona Perry has organised this event over the past 5 years and the idea has flourished and expanded. After finding her team of volunteers to assist her, many evenings have been spent together bringing their crafty ideas and then experimented making them. The evening is now so popular that tickets are gone within hours of their release.

“It is very exciting that so many women want to come along to make new decorations and presents for their families and spend time together in friendship and fellowship”.

Fiona based the idea of a craft evening from a similar event she attended at a church in Cheltenham. She is hoping that women from other churches will take the idea from St Mary’s and begin their own craft evenings in the hope that it will bring in non church-goers from the wider community.

Claire Taylor, a regular at St Mary’s and helper at the Craft evening agrees. “It’s a way of reaching out to the community to those who do not normally come to church – we hope that the evening will allow women to be themselves, doing something that is relaxing and enjoyable.”

Article written by Charlie Glennie.

Your house -making holly wreaths and discussing plans for Christmas

Hi everyone and we hope you are managing to keep warm and cosy now the weather has turned. This is the time of year when everyone wants to stay in (very sensible – I slipped while walking the dogs this morning and landed heavily in a puddle).

Even if some of us have taken a tumble, our social lives don’t need to take a nose-dive. Why not gather a bunch of neighbours for a warming mulled wine or winter punch and get the fireside stories going. Try making an advent wreath and telling the story as you light the first candle when it’s your turn to talk.

You can also make plans for Christmas while you’ve got them together. Anyone for Carol Singing???