Weather holds for church’s big outdoor gatherings
A WOKINGHAM church’s events to celebrate the
King’s Coronation brought the community together and spruced up the churchyard.
The celebrations began at The Cornerstone, with a big screen display of the live Coronation on Saturday, and light lunch.
All Saints Church’s associate priest, the Revd Hannah Higginson, said: “All the events went very well. Around 12 people came to the screening.
“There was a lovely atmosphere, with people standing up for the responses, and enjoying spending time together.”
A Coronation Big Lunch picnic took place in nearby Elizabeth Park the following day, organised with Norreys Church.
“Children’s crafts were laid on for families who brought their picnic lunch and a blanket to gather together in the park,” said Mrs Higginson.
Finally, as part of the nation’s Big Help Out, volunteers got to work on the churchyard and All Saints’ Cornerstone building on Monday.
“We thought the weather was going to be awful,” continued Mrs Higginson.
“But it held off at just the right time, and the churchyard now looks much better as a result of everyone’s hard work.”
Around 25 people brought garden tools to help clear weeds and cut back greenery, with others tiding inside The Cornerstone building.
“All Saints regulars came, but there were some new faces too,” said Mrs Higginson.
“We were really pleased to be joined by members of the community who just wanted to help out, including members of staff from Wokingham’s Ludgrove School.”
The working party had hoped to be able to start clearing up inside All Saints Church building in preparation for its grand re-opening.
“The church isn’t quite ready for that yet, but it should be very soon,” said Mrs Higginson.
“The opening day looks to be early June, so we’re nearly there.
“We’d like to say a big thank you to all those who helped out, and if you enjoyed volunteering, please do think about coming back.
“We have a monthly working party that keeps the churchyard tidy, and we’d love more people to help with this group.
“And in a couple of weeks we would be very grateful for volunteers to help us get the church ready for our reopening.”
All Saints Church has been undergoing major alterations to transform the main building into a space for use as an all day community café and arts venue for visiting shows and exhibitions, as well as a place of worship.
■ For information, visit: www.allsaintswokingham.org.uk