AS THE summer ends and autumn advances, we enjoy the harvest from our gardens and local food suppliers. Traditionally local churches have celebrated this time with special Harvest Festival services, where food is gathered and distributed to those in need

This year, Romsey United Reformed Church, in collaboration with St Joseph’s Catholic Church, will be holding a weekend of Harvest Festival activities from September 8-10.

The weekend will start with a Harvest Festival Variety Show on Friday September 8, based on the traditional community evenings as re-introduced to the Church during the WW1 project. Once again, the Abbey Hall will be decorated and a stage installed for a variety of acts from local performers, contributions from the audience, and an opportunity to sit back and enjoy the evening and join in with the sing-a-longs. The evening will start at 7.30 pm and tickets will cost £5 each, to include a Ploughman’s platter during the interval (children are free providing they are accompanied by a paying adult).

Decoration of Romsey United Reformed Church takes place from 9am on Saturday September 9, to prepare the Church for the Sunday Services, whilst St Joseph’s Catholic Church offers invitations to join their Sunday Vigil Evening mass at 6pm.

Finally, to end the weekend, Sunday September 10 offers a full day of activities starting with a traditional family Harvest Festival Service at 10.30am in the Romsey’s URC ‘Church by the Arch’, where you are invited to bring food donations to the front of the Church. This year the offerings will be distributed by the Romsey Food Bank so canned and packaged food and drink is especially welcome.

Events continue in the afternoon with Madding Crowd holding a Singing Workshop in the Church at 3.30pm, for anyone who wishes to join them. Madding Crowd were founded in 1975, and are a group of performers who specialise in church and secular music of English village bands and choirs from the 1660s to 1860s. More information can be found at www.maddingcrowd.org. Afternoon Tea will then take place in the Abbey Hall at 5pm, and the weekend closes with an Evening Harvest Celebration in the Romsey URC, led by Revd Mike Perrott and with music by the Madding Crowd.

More information on all the events can be found at www.abbeyurc.org or by emailing HarvestatRomseyURC@hotmail.com, where you can also order your tickets for the Variety Show and Afternoon Tea event.

CONTACT ME

e: william.rimell@dailyecho.co.uk

t: 01794 513396