Friday 17 March: Christian Aid Knit-In, 2pm to 4pm in St Mary's Hall
Knitters are asked to bring along double knitting wool and size 8 (4 mm) needles. They will cast on 28 stitches and then knit for one hour.  They are then invited to continue knitting in their own time until the strip measures 40 inches. The strips will then be made into blankets for the needy.  Sponsor forms are available from the Parish Church, the Baptist Church or from Julie Hudson at the Methodist Church.  We are hoping once again to raise £1000 for Christian Aid.  Everyone can help: if you cannot knit please sponsor us generously!  A cream tea will be served on 17 March from 3pm: all are welcome to attend and to contribute to the charity.

Saturday 1 April: Christian Aid Quiz Evening, 7pm for 7.30pm in the Connaught Hall
The annual Quiz Evening is always very popular and lots of teams have already booked for this year's event.  We welcome Mr Pat Murphy as our Quiz Master.  Teams of six, please.  £8 per head includes fish and chips (or sausage, or vegetarian pizza).  There will be a raffle and the bar will be open.  Please do not bring alcohol.  Book your place in advance by ringing Dorothy on 01953 456211, giving the name of your team and a contact number.  Please pay as a group: cheques payable to Christian Aid.

By kind invitation of the Dean and Chapter, we will be having a benefice Prayer Pilgrimage at Norwich Cathedral on Thursday 30 March.  We'll assemble to start at 7pm and the Dean will lead us round the Cathedral on a candlelit pilgrimage.  The Cathedral will be closed to the public so we will be able to enjoy the majestic building in the quiet and spend some time in prayer and devotion.

After Compline we have been invited to join the Dean for drinks in Prior's Hall.  If you can make it you would be welcome to Evensong at 5.30pm and Benediction at 6.30pm which precede our quiet evening.

Please sign up on the sheet at the back of the church if you'd like to come.

The Choir of St Mary’s has been invited to sing Choral Evensong in the Chapel of Pembroke College, Cambridge on Saturday 25 March.  It’s the Feast of the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary (‘Lady Day’).  Pembroke College Chapel, consecrated in 1665, was the first building by Christopher Wren, who went on to design St Paul’s Cathedral.  It is still used for daily worship and as a focus for the life of the College community.

So, we’re having a benefice day out!  Supporters will be very welcome to go with the Choir for the day and we’d really love to take a full coach.  The Eucharist for the Feast of the Annunciation will be celebrated in St Mary’s at 10am, and afterwards we’ll leave on the coach at 10.45am.  There’ll be plenty of free time in the afternoon to enjoy the sights of Cambridge – to visit the colleges, museums, churches and other attractions – and we’ll attend Evensong together at 6pm before leaving for home at 7.15pm, arriving back at St Mary’s for 8.30pm.

​A seat on the coach will cost £10 for an adult, £8 for under-16s and FREE for under-10s.  (This is excellent value: a train ticket would cost £17.)  If you’d like to go, please sign the list in church and give your payment to the Church Office: the money must be submitted in full in advance of the day, and is non-refundable unless there’s a waiting list.  Further details from the Rector, the Curate or the Director of Music.

Sunday Club meets fortnightly in term time. Last Sunday the children were thinking about the Gospel Reading, part of the Sermon on the Mount. They used crisps and crafts to think about about salt and light. 

On Wednesday evening this week members of St Mary's Ladies' Group got together in The Griffin (next door to the church) for their Epiphany dinner.  We hear a lovely time was had by all and apparently the pub ran out of gin!  This brings to an end our Epiphany parties for this year.