Spring came in with a bounce on the first Saturday in April when the Ickenham & Swakeleys Horticultural Society held their first show of the year in the Village Hall.  Not only were their members celebrating the fine range of daffodils and other exhibits, but they can now boast several new Committee Members (although more volunteers are still needed, please.)  And their brand new website at www.ickenham-horticultural.org.uk was on display. 

Guest of honour Cllr David Simmonds commented on the high quality of the show.  He was especially delighted to see the very good participation from the children of Ickenham, due in part to a new initiative between the Society and Glebe Junior School.

 

Those with an interest in displaying flowers, rather than growing them, may already know that 2009 is the 50^th anniversary of the National Association of Flower Arrangement Societies.  The main event of the jubilee year is ‘Rejoice!’ a flower festival in Westminster Abbey from 6^th – 10^th May, where more than 200 arrangers from throughout the UK will be staging over 100 exhibits.

Ickenham Floral Arts Society will be well represented, with involvement in two of those exhibits: a team of four local ladies will be decorating the screen across the nave with exotic red and gold flowers and bold foliage.  Mary Adams, Christine Cullingham, Jean Wilson and Jo Coldham won the opportunity to display in this most prestigious position as a result of their award winning efforts at last year’s Harrow Show.  Meanwhile Gill Roker and demonstrator Graham Harmer will be perching on ladders and scaffolding boards to stage an arrangement along a 15 feet broad window, around 8 feet from the ground.  Let’s hope they both have a head for heights!

The event is bound to be well attended.  It begins with a ticket only thanksgiving service on the morning of Wed 6^th May.  Then from Wednesday afternoon until Sunday 10^th May it will be open to the public although, on the Sunday, entrance will be to attend the abbey services only.  Further details are available on the Westminster Abbey website on www.westminster-abbey.org or at www.nafas.org.uk.

 

When a funeral is taken by one of the ministers at St Giles’ or the URC, the bereaved person is offered a visit from the Ickenham Churches’ Pastoral Support Group (PSG) to give support at a time of sadness and loss.  The PSG is a corporate member of Harrow Bereavement Care, a small charity which supports and trains bereavement visitors in parts of Harrow and Hillingdon.

At Harrow Bereavement Care’s AGM on 20 May 2009, we are seeking to elect new Trustees to fill vacancies on the Management Committee.  Trustees share in the overall governance of the charity’s work and we are particularly looking for people with experience in finance, fund-raising and human resources.

If you are interested and think you could help, please telephone for more information.  Contact the HBC Chair, Jean Orpwood on 020 8427 5720 (HBC Office) or Vice-Chair Jenny Reid on 01895 633130 (home).

 

After the joint churches’ all-age service at St Giles’ on Good Friday, some 60 members of both churches set out, in silence, on the Walk of Witness. 

Ken led the procession, with participants taking it in turn to carry the cross.  Prayers were said by the Village Hall, the Pump, West Ruislip Station and back at St Giles’.  Umbrellas were the order of the day with steady rain throughout the walk.  Somehow, the inclement weather seemed appropriate, and helped us to focus on the suffering our Lord experienced on that poignant day nearly two thousand years ago. 

By Sunday though, the mood was cheerier, and busy services in St Giles’ Church, St Giles’ Hall and at the URC resounded with the celebrations of Easter morning.  Even the Junior Church’s balloons proclaimed the good news!