Waldron

The bubbly popped and fizzed, the Pimms cheered and the fabulous Chapel Down Bacchus white went down a treat, accompanied by quails eggs, smoked salmon and trays of canapés. The excuse for the party was to raise funds to help rebuild and repair our lovely Victorian organ which has accompanied our services at All Saints’ for 150 years and will now continue for many more years to come. With donations in advance from those who couldn’t come on the night, plus generous gifts at the party and the proceeds from a fabulous raffle and a very jolly auction, the total approached £10,000, which far outstripped our wildest dreams. It means that we can now cover the cost of the first stage stripping down and rebuilding of the organ, and can begin the second stage, dealing with the necessary repairs which only became obvious when the instrument was opened up. Huge thanks go to George and Mobbs who generously allowed us to use their home for the party, (we had hoped to have it outside on the lawn) and to all those who donated the fantastic raffle prizes (several from local businesses) and amazing items for auction. To the splendid teams who stood outside in the teeming rain to park the cars so efficiently, the bar-men and women who kept the drink flowing and the ladies who circulated with the canapés, sold the raffle tickets and helped to run the Auction under the leadership of George, bellowing happily from the balcony, a collective well done and congratulations. And of course to the weather-proof people who turned up determined to enjoy themselves and so generously opened their pockets and their cheque-books to help the Organ Fund. Fantastic. (The organising committee, the members of whom will remain, modestly, nameless, are still beaming triumphantly).

ROAD REPAIRS: The Highways men are working steadily as I write this, and will be finished by the time you’re reading it. It’s noisy and a bit inconvenient, especially for those in The Street who can only get in and out of their homes with some difficulty, but we’ll all be delighted to have the surface of The Street pot-hole-free.

SERVICES: This weekend, services will be at All Saints’ and will include an extra service for Churches Together in Heathfield (CTH). Early morning Holy Communion will be at 8am with Tim Hough presiding and preaching. Morning Worship will be at 10am with Tim again in charge. Finally, there will be Evening Prayer at 6.30pm with Churches Together in Heathfield. Tim Hough will be leading with Dr Sue Greener preaching.