St Hilda's Church, Ashford

St Hilda's Entertainers was founded in 1960 and remains very popular, attracting young people because it is a vibrant social group that allows them to display their singing, dancing and dramatic talents on stage. They present a Christmas pantomime and a play each May. The play last May, directed by Michael Davenport, was 'Whose Deadly Sin?' by Doris Hilliard, which somewhat unexpectedly changed from the thriller that had been rehearsed to a commedy when presented to an audience! The pantomime was 'Snow White' by Norman Robbins and was a great hit with audiences and it was encouraging to see the enthusiasm of the younger members of the cast.
As part of the 75th Anniversary of St Hilda's, a third production was put on - a 'Murder Mystery Evening' with Fish & Chip supper. Jenny Duff Cole directed a young cast and the evening was well attended and raised £ 500 for the Church. Social activities have included a weekend in Torquay, a barbecue hosted by the President and a putting championship at Clockhous Lane.

Current membership is around 50 people, aged 9 to nearly 90, and provide an outlet for creative talents both on and off the stage.
The group meets in the Church Hall from 8 - 10pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays during rehearsal periods (February - May and September - December), and has a busy programme of social events during the summer. If you would like to join an amateur dramatic society with active and fun activites, come along to a rehearsal or contact Sue Pinfold on Tel 01784 247 389 or e-mail to suepinfold@yahoo.co.uk.

All seats reserved. Price includes programme and refreshments.

CHRISTMAS PANTOMIME
Friday 2 December, 7.45pm
Saturday 3 December, 2.30pm and 7.45pm
Friday 9 December, 7.45pm
Saturday 10 December, 2.30pm and 7.45pm

*** INFORMATION and TICKETS ***
Call Nicky Doggwiler, tel: 01784 245298
or e-mail to: sthildasentertainers@yahoo.co.uk.

*** ENQUIRE FOR GROUPS ***

Servers

St Hilda's is blessed with a good and loyal team of servers. Fred Fifield started to serve in St Hilda's when he was just 14 years old and he has now partially retired after 62 years of devoted service. The Community thanks both Fred and Mary for their hard work and dedication over so many years.

We have some new members but would welcome any others who would be able to serve our Community in this way.

St Hilda's Flower Arrangers

We have a regular team of dedicated flower arrangers who produce very professional displays that grace our Church for both our regular services and special occasions. To mark our 75th Anniversary, the Flower Arrangers presented a wonderful Flower Festival with various tableau depicting the principal stages of our patronal saint's life which attracted a steady flow of visitors.
Money is raised with a Jumble Sale and also donations from members of the congregation for flowers commemorating anniversaries etc. At Easter the Church was almost entirely decorated with donated lilies, 180 in number.

The Flower Arrangers welcome any new members to join their team.

Church Cleaners

St Hilda's is blessed with a dedicated band of voluntary cleaners. The usual magnificent effort by many people joining the Spring Cleaning effort makes our Church look beautiful. The dedicated work by the Church Cleaners throughout the year keeps St Hilda's loking loved and well cared for.

We do need some more hands to share and lighten this work, so get in touch with a Church Warden if you have just a little time to devote to serving our Community in this way.

St Hilda's Mothers' Union

Our Mothers' Union is very active and, with 81 members, is the largest Branch in the Kensington area of the diocese. It participates in many Diocesan, Deanery and Branch events. All meetings are open, and we are happy to welcome anyone, male or female. The highlight of the year was the 75th Anniversary of the Branch which was celebrated with a special service in Church with the address being given by Lynette Paul, MU Diocesan President. Members of other Branches joined us, including the Kensington Area Vice President and there was a reception in the Hall as well as a lunch for the committee and invited guests.
We raised money to help our world wide fellow members, sending money to the World Wide fund, the Relief fund, Away from it all holidays, and to the Bo project (restocking the Nursery School) in one of the countries linked to us in our Wave of Prayer. We support the Family Care Centre at the Mildmay Mission Hospital, and half the proceeds from the Garden Party with individual donations provided Easter eggs, Christmas Crackers and other articles for the children. The raffle at our Carols by Candlelight raised £100 for the Babies in Prison Charity.

Visitors are most welcome to join our meetings - there is much to do in our area and also world wide so more members are most welcome. Contact Shirley Ratcliffe by e-mail to MU@sthilda.org.

Bible Study Group

The group meets regularly on a Wednesday evening at Seaton Drive for Bible study and discussion. Members come from a number of Churches. The studies are led by different members of the group and focus on practical matters to do with living the Christian life in this place. Discussion is informal, and while everybody's contribution is welcome, no-one is forced to say anything. The study lasts about an hour and continues with tea/coffee and home-made biscuits which makes a good time for fellowship and social chat.

Visitors are most welcome - all that is needed is a Bible and a desire to learn more about what it says about the big and small issues that we all face in our daily lives. Contact Rosemary Greenwood for more information.

Catering Committee

The Catering Committee are a team of volunteers that organise receptions, meals, refreshments etc that are an important part of many Church and community functions. During the past year they have organised a Wine Tasting evening, Shrove Tuesday Pancakes, Refresments during the Flower Festival, Reception for the Bishop, a Cheese & Wine evening as well as refreshments in Church after special services or for visiting speakers.
The team works very hard and has a lot of fun and laughs together. They make many smiling faces and receive a big, "Thankyou" from all of us.

For more information about this happy committee, contact Elsie Stone.

Premises Committee

The Premises Committee was established in June 2003 to assist the PCC in the maintenance and care of the Church, Church Hall, Church Yard and 34 Woodthorpe Road. It has a Chairman and four members including the Fabric Churchwarden and representatives of the PCC and Church Hall Committee.

In addition to routine inspections, the Committee are currently involved with providing off-street parking and rendering to exterior walls at No 34 as well as continuing with improvements to the Church Hall.

Choirs

The Senior Choir is affiliated to the Royal School of Church Music (RSCM) and maintains the traditional four-part (soprano, alto, tenor and bass) format. In this we are continuing the long-standing Anglican tradition, which, sadly, is a declining feature in our Parish Churches. The RSCM reflects this in its increasing output of one-part music and music for churches without choirs. The Choir is also affiliated to the Gregorian Association and some members are associates of the Schola Gregoriana of Cambridge.

The Organist, Dr Peter Pritchard, is supported by Ken Clarke who is Deputy Organist and Choirmaster, and by Richard Monks who assists at choir practice and who plays the organ occasionally at special services.

The Junior Choir participates in the monthly Family Services and usually performs an item on its own. William Goulden was presented with the RSCM light-blue ribbon on 1st February 2004 in recognition of his leadership role in the Junior Choir. We have welcomed several new members in recent months and it is hoped that this will encourage greater involvement in the worship at St Hilda's. Jane Husband has assisted in this venture. New members of Junior Choir would be most welcome.

The Senior Choir would also welcome new members to swell the numbers and to spread the load. Do come along to choir practice at 7pm on a Friday to see that choir practice can be fun.

St Hilda's Church - GROUPS

Church Groups - New members always welcome

St Hilda's Entertainers