Please could Parishioners get any material for weekly News Sheets to the Parish office by 9.30 a.m. on Friday mornings.  We generally do an update for this web page on Friday evening….or maybe Saturday morning if webmaster gets home from work too late!

Our online calendar is set out in the tab “Parish News and Events” - or you can click through to Google Calendar.

New and urgent items:

The Children’s Society

A note to thank box holders – our total this time was £365.27 from 26 boxes ( out of a possible 36) – so a huge thank you from the Society who are so very appreciative of all the continued support. These modest little boxes represent over £2million raised annually throughout the country. Largely just containing pennies “it is amazing how the money mounts up (& more especially if it is gift aided) so, if you do not already, please think about having one. I am happy to deliver and collect the boxes. Next opening will be November 2012. Many thanks Lynda Mortimer 0208 398 0406. Parish Co-ordinator for The Children’s Society.

“Wembley to Soweto”

Wembley to Soweto is the acclaimed international photographic exhibition of images taken by 8 disadvantaged teenagers, championed by Nelson Mandela’s grandson Kweku. “There is no better way to communicate across cultures than with an image that takes your breath away….One photo can change a life” This exhibition is on display at All Saints Church, Chestnut Avenue, Esher  KT10 8JL  until February 20, daily from 10am -7pm.  Admission is free.

Last week’s or prior news repeated:

The Queen's Diamond Jubilee  ₂

We are hoping to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee at St Nicholas' by hosting a Street Party in the Church Hall car-park (or in the Church Hall if the weather is inclement) on Saturday June 2 in the afternoon. Further details will follow later but do please put this date in your diary!

Dittons Fair on Sunday 13 May 2012  ₂

As last year, we shall be running a stall at the Dittons Fair on Giggs Hill Green on Sunday May 13 from 13:00 to 16:30. Last year we had a display with information about the Church Restoration Fund, alongside a Splat the Rat! game. The event was most enjoyable and very well attended. If you would like to volunteer to man the stall for a short period during the afternoon, your help would be very much appreciated - and, in any case, do put the date in your diary and come along and support us.                                                                          Alex Dunne 020 8398 1571

Parish Office ₂

The Parish Office will be closed at half term from Saturday Feb 11 to Wednesday  Feb 15.  It  will  be  open  as  usual  on  Thursday  16 at  9.30 a.m..

Fun fundraising  ₂

Many thanks to a parishioner who looked after a dog recently whilst the owners were on holiday and who then gift-aided the proceeds to the Restoration Fund. If you are able to do likewise, by offering services that members of the congregation might purchase elsewhere, such as dog-walking, holiday pet-care, babysitting, home-cooked food or home-made gifts, and then to donate the proceeds to the Restoration Fund via Gift Aid, that would be wonderful. Amanda Eccleston

Flowers in Church  ₃

The new rota is on the notice board at the back of church. If you would like to provide flowers on an occasional basis, please put your name on the list. All that is required is an arrangement or vase of flowers on the small table at the altar. Flowers and greenery from your garden would be fine. Please help if you can. Margaret Triance  0208 398 4360

Events:

Alpha in Thames Ditton

A new Alpha course has start as a joint venture with the United Reformed Church. Meetings will take place on Thursday evenings from January 26 to March 29 at 7 p.m. - 9.30 p.m. and the venue will either be the Smee Room here at St Nicholas and the URC hall.  This course is open to anyone seeking to know more about the Christian faith. Numbers are limited and priority will be given to new enquirers to the church, otherwise a few spaces may be available to anyone else who may be interested. Please speak to John Silk if you wish to join the group. There is no charge for this course. There is more information on a dedicated Alpha page on this website.

Women’s Fellowship

There will be an informal Women’s Fellowship Lunch on Wednesday February 15 at the George and Dragon in Thames Ditton at 12.30. Transport can be arranged for those who need it. Please contact Barbara Bolus on 0208 398 2083 as soon as possible if you wish to join us.

Men’s Fellowship  ₂

The first get-together for 2012 will be an informal dinner at Ye Olde Swan Summer Road Thames Ditton at 7.30 p.m. on Wednesday February 15. Those on the email list will already have had notice but, as usual, all men of the parish are warmly invited to attend. Please contact Angus Sherriff tel. 8398 7033 if you would like to join us.

Women’s World day of Prayer : Friday March 2 at 10.30 a.m.

The annual service this year will be hosted by St Nicholas Church on Friday March 2 at 10.30 a.m., so it would be wonderful if everyone could make a special effort to attend. If you would like to take part by reading a small piece, please let me know. If you would like to sing in the choir, the rehearsal will be here at 9.45 a.m..

The theme of the service “Let Justice Prevail” has been prepared by the Christian women of Malaysia. The speaker will be the vicar of All Saints, Weston Green, the Revd Phillip Johnson. There is a list at the back of church for those of you who would like a lift, and those who can offer one. If you have any Malaysian artefacts, post cards, photos etc which we can use on the display table, I would be very grateful. If you can help with the service or with light refreshments please let me know.

If you wish to learn more about Malaysia and its strengths and weaknesses, there is a book “Together in Prayer” at the back of church. Please read and return.  Tess Teakle  0208 398 6491

Dittons Fair on Sunday 13 May 2012

As last year, we shall be running a stall at the Dittons Fair on Giggs Hill Green on Sunday May 13 from 13:00 to 16:30. Last year we had a display with information about the Church Restoration Fund, alongside a Splat the Rat! game. The event was most enjoyable and very well attended. If you would like to volunteer to man the stall for a short period during the afternoon, your help would be very much appreciated - and, in any case, do put the date in your diary and come along and support us.                                                                          Alex Dunne 020 8398 1571

The Queen's Diamond Jubilee

We are hoping to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee at St Nicholas' by hosting a Street Party in the Church Hall car-park (or in the Church Hall if the weather is inclement) on Saturday June 2 in the afternoon. Further details will follow later but do please put this date in your diary!

Women’s Bible Study Group

All meetings are on Fridays from 1.00 to 3.00pm and the studies will continue the theme of “Sin and Judgement”

Friday 24th February - 6, College Drive (Judith Williams)

Friday 16th March – St Leonard’s House, St Leonard’s Road (Amanda Eccleston)

Hope to see you there!  Jackie Robbs

And:

Thursday Bible Study  is every 2nd and 4th Thursday in the month in the Upper Room of the Church Hall 10.30 a.m.

Jackie Robbs 0208 339 8737

Restoration Appeal                                                     

St. Nicholas’ Church, the hub of village life in Thames Ditton for more than 850 years, needs your support. We must update essential services to the building, particularly heating and lighting, as a matter of urgency. In addition we wish to undertake further renovation of the churchyard itself, to fully reflect and enhance its ancient heritage and tranquil environment. Dating from Norman times, the Grade I listed church building is steeped in history. Over the centuries generations of families have worshipped, been baptised, married or held funerals here. Many are buried in the churchyard.

Today, St. Nicholas’ Church remains a much needed integral part of our community, and this hugely ambitious and vital modernisation programme will allow it to continue to serve many future generations of local residents and parishioners.

I hope that as a local resident you will wish to, and be able to, make a personal contribution.

John Silk

Funding

To undertake this work we need to raise a little more than £200,000. Clearly this is beyond our present means and regular donations. Apart from approaching local residents we intend to broaden our appeal to the community to include friends and well-wishers of all faiths and none, all who appreciate and value the historic significance and special ethos of St. Nicholas’. We shall be applying for help from grant making organisations, but we shall need to raise substantial funds locally, and be able to demonstrate strong local support for the project.

Thames Ditton would be very much poorer without its Parish Church, the surrounding graveyards and the many other facilities including the beautiful, peaceful and much–used Garden of Remembrance.

Your generous support will help to ensure the future of our historic church.

Please click here to download the pdf brochure—which includes a Gift Aid Form

Progress with restoration

Two years ago the church launched a project for the very necessary restoration work needed to keep St Nicholas in a condition worthy of a Grade I listed building and, more importantly, to remain a focal point in the village for worship and quiet contemplation. More than half our £200,000 target has been raised. The lighting scheme was completed in 2009. Recently views through the churchyard have been improved by removal of groups of modern yew trees. Improvements to paths and lighting will follow. Work on alterations to the heating installation to provide a more modern and efficient system is substantially complete – in time for winter! Currently there are plans for internal alterations involving renewal of the existing electronic organ and removal of the remains of the old pipe organ.

Reminders

Gift Aid/Church Giving at St Nicholas

If you are a visitor or church member who does not belong to our freewill offering scheme and are a taxpayer, it would help us enormously if you could you put your gift to our church in one of the white envelopes found on the pews. Please make sure your full name and address and signature are included as we cannot claim the tax back from the Exchequer without this information  Thank you.

Email

If you would like to be on a mailing list for News from St Nicholas, just sign up! To sign up, email news@stnicholaschurch.org.uk  – and in the email, just type “yes please, opt-in” in the subject header. No prose necessary in the body of the email.

 If you are on the electoral roll we would also like to have your email address. This would not only save much valuable time in the office but also make a big saving on postage. Please let the parish office have your details by email.

We will add you to our mailing list for Parish News and may use it for other Parish affairs. However we will NOT sell or distribute parishioners’ email addresses to outside parties.

 If you want to opt out, all you need to do is to email me again at the news@stnicholaschurch.org.uk email address with the header Opt Out and we will of course promptly take you off.

Howlers?

You, dear reader, appear to have scrolled down to the far reaches of this page—so you may be an observant type. If you have noticed any mistakes, errors, omissions—or even howlers, I would consider it a kindness if you were to let me (Martin Perrin -see tab “Contact us, map”), know  - there is a bottle of wine in it for the first person to do so in a month.

Home   Services & Calendar   Parish News and Events   Parish Newsletter  Alpha  Children’s Activities  

Visitors, Access & Facilities  Weddings, Baptisms, Funerals, Fees   Church Hall Bookings  

About, History   Joining In, Helping Out   Downloads and Links  Contact Us, Map   Site Map