How do you get on that pilot programme with the Prime Minister? [268]

Dear friends,

Bertie here, for the last time for a few weeks- as long as I don’t get one of those messages from the NHS about having to stay in my little cosy mousehole I have been invited to join the Lameys on their Northern adventure. Bramble protested quite loudly about that idea but I am delighted still to be going, and to meet some proper country mice and to try some Northumberland Blue cheese, as well as lots of other such delicacies. Then, after that adventure, I am hoping to get my own little break- it is so tiring entertaining the Rector- so it might be a few weeks until I get to speak to you again. Do please send me any holiday photos you would like me to include in future emails- and here is all you need to know for the moment…

Oh, and thank you to everyone who made sure that none of my friends wondered or were eaten by a red kite last weekend- the Mouse Hunt was a great triumph. Thanks to everyone involved.

A note on how we will worship in Church from this week will be coming out in a special email tomorrow. Do look out for it- the key note is always going to be about thoughtful care and concern for others.

And can I apologise to those who couldn’t find the service on Sunday morning- it is available now if anyone wants to catch up but the listing was made private by mistake, rather than public so some people couldn’t find it. Sorry.

Coming Soon

On Sunday there is no service at St Nick’s, and instead everyone will be at St Paul’s at 9.30am– Cara will preside and preach and then there will be refreshments served around the Rooms. Thanks to everyone who donated them in June- it turns out that unopened bottles of prosecco do keep after all. Who knew?

Would anyone be available at about 1.30pm and then 4pm on Tuesday the 10th of August to help get out and then put away the furniture for the Welcome Club Cream Tea? We pay in scones and tea…

Ride and Stride in September

Well it is now only 2 months before the big Ride & Stride Day on 11th September and we need the good people of the parish to volunteer to take part. So far there is nobody doing it apart from me (and presumably you, Bertie, given how much you have enjoyed Beating the Boxes??) a situation that needs to change quickly so that participants have time to get sponsorship for the event. Because 50% of the money raised comes back to St Paul’s Church then this would help the Treasurer with his Repairs. So the more people people taking part the more likely you are to see a smile on the Treasurer’s face ☺

If you can help spread the word that would be appreciated. All the information is attached to my note below to Richard…. Are you proposing to cycle this year, or just striding around Wokingham. If you can make a cycle out of two pieces of Roule, then you would have a handy snack with you to keep your energy up – although you will have to be careful how much you eat or you may have to walk the rest of your route!!

Here is the note in full:

Ride + Stride September 2021

It’s now less than three months to go until the 2021 Ride+ Stride Day on 11^th September 2021.

Ride+Stride is Berkshire’s annual sponsored ‘cycle, run or walk’ event organised by the Berkshire Historic Churches Trust.

Participants are sponsored, either by donation or by an amount per church visited

Sponsorship and donations are divided 50/50 between the participant’s church and the Berkshire Historic Churches Trust, who will recover the gift aid on eligible donations and will use its share of the funds in the form of grants to help churches in Berkshire with the costs of conservation and renovation.

We need people from the parish to participate as Cyclists and Walkers to visit churches in Wokingham, or further afield in Berkshire, obtaining sponsorship and donations for their efforts! We also need Welcomers in our church to greet other participants visiting our church.

If you or a member of your family have a bike you can use to cycle between churches this can be a great opportunity to visit churches in the county that you would otherwise never see and can be a fun day where you sometimes meet (or keep just missing) the same people at different churches!

Similarly, spending part of the day walking between the churches in Wokingham is quite an enjoyable thing to do once a year and you can help raise money to help support the maintenance of the picturesque churches in Berkshire. If you want you can take the train or bus into Reading or somewhere else in Berkshire and visit the churches there instead.

If you volunteer to be a Welcomer in St Paul’s church, you can also be sponsored per visitor that arrives at the church or obtain donations for your support as a welcomer.

Sponsorship forms are available or you can set up a JustGiving page to collect your sponsorship – or both – so you can start collecting sponsors now! I can provide you with a form and/or advise you how to set up your JustGiving page correctly for Ride+Stride.

Please reserve the date in your dairy and let me know if you are willing participate as a participant or welcomer this year.

Andrew Harte (Parish Ride+Stride Co-ordinator)

rideandstride@spauls.org.uk

Bits and bobs

The four July Lucky Numbers winning numbers were selected at random by the St Nic’s congregation after communion on 18th July. 

The lucky winners were:-

£50   No 27 Christina Platten

£25   No 9 Christine Field

£15   No 91 Gillian Crew

£10   No 63 Rhone Nightingale

 The promoters trust that all our subscribers remain safe, well and cheerful in the unusual circumstances imposed on us at present. 

The Draw is a simple way of raising funds for repairs and renewals to the church building. One share (number) costs £24 per year and the draw takes place monthly (either at St Nicholas’s or St Paul’s) for prizes of £50, £25, £15 and £10. All remaining funds go to the Restoration Fund. If you would like to subscribe, or want further information, please contact Tony Roberts (979 5351), Liz Gallagher (989 1176) or Mary Cassidy (979 5096) – or in person at church (Mary at St Paul’s, Tony or Liz at St Nicholas’).

Here is our good friend, Jim Bell’s, latest book: available from  jim4history@gmail.com

And finally some jokes to keep you going through my holiday- do ration them!

The past, the present and the future walk into a bar. It was tense.

Caw thought to himself: “Why are those crows calling my name?”

Last time I was at Heathrow I was really disappointed by the Airport Information Desk. They couldn’t tell me how many airports there were in China.