The next event after the talk on 16th February 2012 by the Revd Peter Wadsworth entitled 'The Day Before Their World Ended' is our specially arranged priveleged visit on Tuesday 17th April 2012 to Selwyn College, Cambridge. We will be travelling by coach from opposite Chime Square in St Peter's Street departing promptly at 2.30pm. The visit includes a guided tour of this historic college and also a chance to visit the splendid College gardens. Some free time to wander around will be incorporated. Dining in the Hall at Selwyn College is considered to be a formal occasion and diners are expected to be suitably attired. A suitable dress code for the event is a lounge suit, or a jacket and tie, for gentlemen or the equivalent for ladies. Anyone who has an academic gown is welcome to wear it for chapel and dinner. We plan to leave Selwyn College after Evensong and Dinner at 9.30pm returning to St Peter's Street at about 10.45pm. Anyone who does not have personal transport home from St Peter's Street should let Patricia Lloyd know and the Friends will do our best to take people home by car. The indicative cost of the vist is around £36 per head but costs have not yet been fully confirmed and so details will be advertised in due course. We shall require a deposit to be paid in advance of £10 per person and unfortunately this has to be non-returnable otherwise we could make a loss on the visit. The balance will be required on the coach on the day of the visit. As we plan to offer tickets at 'cost price' this time we shall provide an opportunity to make a donation to The Friends relating to this vist. You may reserve a place for what promises to be a popular vist by contacting Patricia Lloyd (01727 760161).

Many churches now have Friends organisations and they each have their own uniquely expressed purpose.

The Friends of St Peter’s has been formed:

(a) to provide an annual calendar of social and cultural events for the people of St Peter’s parish and beyond, and

(b) to raise funds for the benefit of St Peter’s.

The work of the Friends will normally be associated with one or a small number of projects at any one time, starting with the ‘God’s Acre’ project which is a churchyard improvement initiative.

The appeal of the Friends is that it is both for those who attend church as well as those who do not but who believe that the presence of St Peter’s is of importance and value to the local community. This appeal already finds response from far and wide.

We organise a variety of social and cultural fund-raising events for our members. The profit from these, together with the subscription and donations, will be used to support a variety of projects that benefit St Peter’s and its beneficiaries.

The annual programme of events organised for the Friends will be publicised in various ways including through a Friends Newsletter which is to be established. The events may include social and cultural (e.g. dramatic, artistic, musical) ones, as well as ones with worship content or moments.

The Friends is managed by a small committee under the leadership of the present Chairman, Dr Den Parker. Membership is open to all. The annual Friends membership subscription is modest: currently just £10 for an individual and £20 for a family. Application forms for Friends membership are available in St Peter’s Church or from one of the committee members.

Why join us?

You will be joining a wide group of people who support St Peter’s and the local community, through making and building friendship networks, helping to make events arranged for the local community successful, voluntary and community work, prayer and fund raising.

The Friends of St Peter’s will:

• arrange an annual programme of social and cultural events principally for the Friends;
• inform you of events arranged for the Friends and other events at St Peter’s to which Friends are invited;
• arrange some events exclusively for Friends and where some events are also open to others and ticketed, Friends and family members will be able to purchase tickets at a reduced price;
• arrange at least one welcome event per year, normally through invitation to such an event at the Vicarage;
• provide you with a twice yearly Newsletter to keep you in touch and updated;
• provide refreshments for events held at St Peter’s;
• contribute funds for projects chosen by the Friends and St Peter’s; and
• inform you at least once per year about the use of funds raised by the Friends and progress with projects supported by the Friends

Events

The following events currently comprise the remaining programme so far for 2012.

Saturday 26th May 2012, St Peter's Spring Fair. The Friends have once again agreed to orgnaise and run the annual St Peter's Fair. The Fair is a community event and one which is dedicated to raising funds for the St Peter's churchyard ('God's Acre') improvement project. Gifts of everything which can be sold at a fair are needed to make the fair work (i.e. books, bric-a-brac, cakes, jams, bottles of wine, spirits, beer, toys etc). They should be brought to the church after Easter and left near the foot of the Tower for collection and storage by members of the Friends organising group. We also need plenty of volunteers to run the Fair otherwise it cannot achieve its potential or even possibly take place!!.

Saturday afternoon 16th June 2012 Strawberries and Cream Tea and other summer 'enticements' in the Vicarage Garden. This event is for members of The Friends and their friends and those who may be interested in joining the Friends for the first time.