Advance notice: please note these dates
Ickenham Churches’ Junior Holiday Club. Open to all Ickenham children aged 7-11 (those now in school Years 2-6.) Come along and join the usual fun from Monday 24th July - Friday 28th July, with Grand Finale 7 p.m. Friday 28th July in the Rectory Garden. Registration for this will be after school on Friday, 14th July at the U. R.C. The theme this year is “The Winning Team”
Enquiries: Anne Whitlam 01895 678169 or Diana May 01895 234813

There will be a special Memorial Service at St. Giles Church on Sunday 14th May at 3 p.m. for those who are bereaved. The name of the departed, whose funeral was conducted at the United Reformed Church or by St. Giles' Church staff between the beginning of March 2005 and the end of February 2006, will be read out during the service.

Sister Frances Dominica, the founder of Helen House Hospice in Oxford, will give a talk.

Members of the churches' Pastoral Support Group will be present. After the service, the congregation will be invited to have refreshments in St. Giles' Church Hall.

Anyone who would find this service helpful is welcome to come.

Villagers will be sad to hear of the passing of Arthur Peters, aged 80 who, with his two sons at his bedside, died peacefully in the early hours of Saturday 1st April. Arthur was a long time resident of Bushey Close, Ickenham, and latterly of Uxbridge. Our condolences go to all his surviving family.

After yet another great success last year, on Saturday 6th May the U.R.C will again be overflowing with a cornucopia of books, plants and collectables! From 10 a.m. to 12 noon there will be a Plant and Book Sale on the forecourt, with an opportunity for advance viewing for the Auction of Collectables and Household Goods. Official viewing of the Auction (catalogue and buyer number - price 50p) will be from 1.15 to 2.15pm, when the Auction will start. If you would like us to auction anything on your behalf, with 15% of the hammer price going to the Church, please contact Henry Gardner on 01895 674074, henry.gardner@virgin.net. For donations of items or general enquiries about the day, contact Richard Piper on 01895 634348, richardjpiper@btopenworld.com. Some final thoughts about the Auction: there will be a commission fee of 10% on all lots. This is new to us but half the commercial going rate, and NO VAT is payable!

We were on the third leg of our tour of South Africa and were staying in a small seaside town called Scottburgh in the Eastern Cape. I had always intended to go to the Women's World Day of Prayer, especially as I learnt in St Giles’ Church that South Africa was hosting it this year.

Two days earlier we had gone to the local church for the Ash Wednesday service and found out that the WWDP service was to be held in the local Catholic Church at 10 a.m. (8 a.m. English time). It was a beautiful hot sunny morning and I arrived at the church with plenty of time to spare. The church was a modem building in beautiful grounds, although it was plain inside.

The windows were wide open to let in a cooling breeze and the first thing that caught my eyes was the wonderful display by the chancel. There were little models of children, homes, and flowers, particularly the Protea, the South African National Flower. On the other side of the chancel was the national flag and a beautiful display of Bird of Paradise flowers.

I enjoyed the service and it was very emotive as a good part of it was in Afrikaans. It was led entirely by members of the congregation and there was a short address given by a very well known local lady. At the end of the service members of the congregation helped me to take photographs and I was invited to join them for delicious refreshments. I had to decline because my husband, Derek, had come to collect me and he didn't fancy being the only man there

Freda Kneale.
(More next month)

Following the success of the ‘Open Gardens’ during Ickenham Festival Week 2004, the Festival Team are hoping to repeat the exercise this year by opening lots more gardens during Festival Week 2006.

Judging by the number of people attending the eight gardens opened, the subsequent feedback and monies raised for the chosen charities, this venture was deemed a great success.

We are hoping to build on this success so are looking for more Ickenham people willing to share their gardens, this year for a few hours, with local residents. It may be you have a magnificent pond, a wildlife area, vegetable patch, or something else. Whatever it may be call David Edington on 01895 672783 to discuss this further.

It is envisaged that a list of Open Gardens will be distributed with the main Festival Programme. All we ask of you is to open your garden at the chosen time and act as host.

David Edington