Charlton All Saints has been associated with Downton Band for over 100 years, when Charlton's choirmaster was also the Band leader. We were delighted to welcome them back to All Saints' on Tuesday evening with a full Church, to round up our Christmas Tree Festival. The Band played singalong carols by request, and there was some lively audience participation during the Twelve Days of Christmas.Barbara and her team of helpers served seasonal refreshments during the interval and ran the raffle. A retiring collection was shared between the Band and the Church, and the evening finished with a rousing chorus of "We Wish You a Merry Christmas".Same time next year?#ChristmasTreeFestival #DowntonBand #CharltonAllSaints #Christmas
Our annual village Bonfire and Fireworks night was enjoyed by nearly 200 people from Charlton and the surrounding area. The bonfire was built with wood collected over the previous week, by kind permission of the farmer, Will Dickson. By the time it was lit at 6pm on Saturday 2 November, it was huge and topped with a Guy Faulks. At 6.30pm we were treated to the fireworks display, much to the delight of the crowd. The weather was just right - mild and not too windy.Then we all headed into Charlton Barn, by kind permission of Howard & Megan Taylor, to enjoy hot-dogs, mulled wine, local beer and more wine and a catch-up with friends. The evening was rounded off with the traditional raffle. A good time was had by all.We on the PCC would like to extend our grateful thanks to everyone involved in this event - those organising the fireworks, insurance, risk assessment, collecting the wood, handling the publicity, selling tickets, cooking sausages & onions, mulling the wine, stocking and serving at the bar, serving hot-dogs, selling raffle tickets. Thank you also to everyone who came along on Sunday morning to help with the clean-up.Most importantly, thank you to everyone who bought a ticket and came along to support this great event.
As an EcoChurch, we are keen to promote the benefits of shopping locally. * Eating locally produced food reduces the food miles associated with the product* Using local shops and services reduces your miles to access these* You may be able to walk or cycle to local outlets, reducing your overall CO2 footprintHere's a list of items and services local to Charlton, that you might not know about* Saintly Produce at All Saints' Church, Charlton* Hairdresser in Chapel Lane, Charlton* Venue at Charlton Barn, Warrens Lane, Charlton* Nunton Farm milk in Downton & Nunton* Wholefood warehouse in Downton trading estate* Farm shop, baker & child-friendly cafe in Wick LaneAnd that's just for starters!#ecochurch #eatlocal #charltonallsaints #chalkevalleychurch
For the last two months, the generous people of Charlton have been giving their surplus produce to the Saintly Produce table in our Church. The produce is then available to everyone. We ask for a small donation of your choice towards the upkeep of the Church, if you are able to.So far, our list of produce has included eggs, courgettes, cucumbers, marrows, green beans, purple beans, tomatoes, raspberries, carrots, pumpkins, gem squash, butternut squash. Do come along for a look - you never know what you are going to find. The Church is open daily from 9 to 5.We held our Harvest Festival Communion on Sunday 22 September, led by our Rector, the Revd Dr Ruth Howlett-Shipley. We celebrated Creation with some well-chosen hymns and specially-written prayers, followed by coffee and homemade apple cake.In addition to the fresh produce, our congregation brought packaged food donations. We have been able to give two overflowing bags of food to the Women's Refuge in Salisbury, for which they were very grateful.Thank you to everyone.#ecochurch #harvestfestival #eatlocal #zerofoodmiles #generosity #chalkevalleychurch
