Whittington
Tree came early this year but the magnificent tree outside the village hall, kindly donated by Richard and Sara Dyott of Freeford Manor, will be there to enjoy until into the New Year.
This weekend starts with the school Christmas fayre on Friday, 8th from 5pm to 7.30 and the same evening you can enjoy festive family fun and fireworks at Lichfield Rugby Club from 5.30pm to 11pm.
Free entry if you come on foot, limited parking (£5 per car). On Saturday, 9th, it’s the Christmas market inside the village hall, 9.30am to 2pm with all the usual stalls and some extra seasonal ones, including the ever popular Bag-a-bag and the Guides Christmas Café. Starting at 10am that day and continuing until 4pm, at the Staffordshire Regiment Museum you can enjoy Wartime Christmas, featuring a wartime living room, rationing at Christmas, trench tours and Carols by Candlelight.
There will be Christmas crafts for children who can also visit Father Christmas in his grotto (£2 per child). £8 adults, £6 children, £25 family of two adults and up to four children.
Everyone is invited to WFEG’S green Christmas drinks at the Bell from 7pm on Monday, 18th to enjoy a relaxed chat and food. On Friday, 22nd at 8pm, there is an Evening of Festive Puddings at Main Street Café.
FAIRTRADE: The 2024 calendar is selling well, but there should still be a few copies available (£6 each) at the Main Street Café and pharmacy. They will also be available on the Fairtrade/st Giles Church stall at the Christmas market, along with Bag-a-bag – only £1 a go and a prize guaranteed in every bag. You will soon be seeing brand new Fairtrade signs on the four roads into the village, and under the noticeboard on the corner by the Bell, thanks to a generous grant from the Staffordshire Community Foundation.
The bad news is that one of the signs – a triangular one between the railway and canal bridges – disappeared completely recently and will have to be replaced, at additional cost, rather than just refurbished.
If any Sherlock Holmes can solve this mystery, please contact Steve on 07932 791396.
LIGHTS: Starting this Thursday,
7th, National Memorial Arboretum will be illuminated from 4.30pm everyday until Saturday, 23rd. The new mile-long route will use mesmerising light, colour and sound to bring fascinating stories of the Arboretum to life in an entirely new way.
DELIVERY: Thanks to volunteers, every household in the parish should have had a three-in-one delivery recently – the latest edition of Connect, the December Church Parish News and a Christmas card from Whittington and Fisherwick Fairtrade and the Good Neighbour Scheme.
The Parish News has details of all services, including the Barn Nativity at Sheepwash Farm and the Carol and Christingle services, but places for Christingle on Christmas Eve are limited and must be booked in advance on 01543 432050. If you have not bought all your cards yet, St Giles has a beautiful selection – traditional and local scenes – available online, at hospice shops or from the hospice.
And there are three drop-off points for the foodbank – the Co-op, Main Street Café and St Giles Church. SURVEY: Staffordshire County Council has launched a short survey designed to get to the heart of what matters to residents.
If you can spare a few minutes, Google Let’s Talk Staffordshire and go to Doing Our Bit. It’s open until 31 January, 2024. You could win a free family day pass to Trentham Gardens.