Winchelsea

FOSTS: Today December 5th the Friends and Parents of St Thomas’ School are holding their Christmas Fair at 3.15pm in the school. This year is a new approach with the theme focussing on a German Christmas Market where there will be food stalls outside in the playground serving hot drinks and snacks. Children’s handmade crafts will be on sale in the hall plus the usual favourites which include a raffle, tombola, gifts and chocolate. As a special treat Father Christmas will be arriving on horseback. So do come along, have a look around and enjoy the fun.

This evening (Friday): Winchelsea Literary Society is meeting tonight in the Lower Court Hall at 7 for 7.30pm and non-members are welcome. This month’s talk is given by BBC director Denis Moriarty on the poet John Betjeman and light refreshments will be available.

Church Market: Tomorrow is the December Church Market which is always one of the best in the year, so do drop in for some Christmas shopping. Also look forward to the regular sales of home-made and home-grown produce, plants and hardback books, as well as coffee, tea and good company. Proceeds are in aid of church funds and November’s market raised £349, so thank you for your support.

Millennium Meeting: The Millennium Artefacts Society works to maintain the town’s artefacts which include the beacon, town sign and tapestry. On Saturday December 6th the Society is holding its Annual General Meeting in the Court Hall and members should arrive by 10am.

Christmas Quiz: At the Second Wednesday Society’s next meeting on Wednesday December 10th Damien and Gina Sanderson have prepared a Christmas Quiz. The Quiz will begin at 2.30pm in the New Hall and the cost is £1 members, £4 non-members which includes a delicious home-made tea.

Nativity Rock: The youngest children at St Thomas’ Primary School are doing a Nativity-based fun-filled performance in St Thomas’ Church. This will be on Wednesday December 10th at 2pm and again on Thursday December 11th at 6.30pm so do attend and the classes involved are Rookery, Greyfriars and Armoury.

Christingle: The word comes from the German Christkindl meaning Christ Child and is originally a German custom with its origins in the Moravian Church in the mid-18th century. A Christingle is an orange with a red ribbon wrapped around it representing the blood of Christ and a lit candle fixed in the centre of the orange represents Jesus Christ as the light of the world. This year the Christingle service comes to St Thomas’ Church on Friday December 12th at 3.30pm and families and friends are invited. The service will be even more colourful as the children from St Thomas’ Primary School will be coming along with their hand-made Christingle decorations and wearing Christmas jumpers.