This month Joy Piper leads with the ‘Dear Friends’ piece on the importance of providing fertile soil in which to grow faith. Joy’s text leads into a report on the St Francis’ interactive experience that wound its way along Fox Lane to the Church just before the Christmas. Many thanks to Fiona Richards for the excellent photographs.

Tony Service updates us with a look back at the Christmas Services and in particular the recent visit of St Wilfrid’s to join in the annual Covenant Service. Chocolate biscuits get a mention…

The Mothers Union has been counting the muscles in the head of a caterpillar (248 apparently…) and finding time to admit Pat Javis as a paid-up member!

Guest contributors Revd. Paul Hardingham and Revd. Dr Jo White write about fasting and crossing themselves respectively.

Finally I report on Valentine’s Day (and a cleaner home) and everything else that caught my imagination this month – I really must get a grip…