St Stephen On-The-Cliffs, Holmfield Road, Blackpool, FY2 9RB Telephone Parish Office: 01253 353894 Email: Ststephensoffice@Aol.com

December 2011

CHRISTMAS FAYRE

Our annual Christmas Fayre was held on 3rd December. We were entertained by members of the choir singing christmas carols, and Father Christmas made a special visit to entertain the children. There were many stalls selling cakes, toys, books, presents and home-made seasonal produce, and the ladies in the kitchen provided delicious refreshments. The bottle tombola and big raffle were as popular as ever, making a big contribution towards the success. Many thanks go to all involved.

October 2011

MEDIEVAL BANQUET

Christopher Norton, Father Andrew and our karate group entertained us in true medieval fashion, and we all enjoyed the wonderful food provided by Alan Morris and his team. The evening was an enormous success, raising £389, so a big thank you goes to all who were involved.

HARVEST FESTIVAL

Harvest Festival was celebrated in fine style on October 2nd, when the congregation found the church decorated in traditional harvest panoply, reminding us of the good things of land and sea, for which we owe great thanks. The service was for the children, and the uniformed organisations took part in the celebrations.

Many members of the congregation then retired to the large hall for Harvest Lunch which had been prepared by the "A" team. The tables had been decorated with greenery and looked most attractive, and the three course meal was, as usual, delicious. The first course was pea soup and it was followed by hotpot with vegetables, red cabbage and beetroot. Dessert was trifle, provided by a number of ladies. The event was a wonderful opportunity to relax and enjoy the company of good friends. A big thank you to the chef and his team. We made £365 for missions.

July 2011

SUMMER FAYRE

The Summer Fayre was held on July 9th and the brave organisers made the decision to go for an outdoor event despite somewhat dubious weather. The sun eventually shone, the stalls did a roaring trade, the Karate group gave a superb display and cakes, teas, wine and burgers were consumed in great quantity. The princely sum of £1,450 was raised and thanks go to all who worked so hard.

ANNIVERSARY PROCESSION

The Sunday School Anniversary Procession took place on the first Sunday in July and …… hooray, we were able to walk in glorious sunshine.

June 2011

SILVER JUBILEE

28th June was Father Andrew’s Silver Jubilee and the church was packed with friends and well wishers from all corners of the country for the Pontifical High Mass, with Bishop Nicholas presiding and preaching. The mass was followed by a celebration in the large hall, which had been suitably decorated for the occasion. Click here for lots of photos.

CONCERT

The Fylde Concert Orchestra gave a concert on June 25th, entitled Music for a Summer Evening. A delightful programme of music ranging from Strauss and Bizet to Lloyd Weber was enjoyed by a large audience. The orchestra was formed seven years ago and aims to raise money for local causes. We are very grateful for their help.

LADYEWELL

Several members of St Stephens visited the Ladyewell shrine near Preston on what was a mostly gloriously sunny day. Some assisted as stewards, and some were there as members of Forward in Faith. The mass was celebrated by Bishop Nicholas and about a dozen clergy, including Father Andrew.

 An interesting report can be read here.

April 2011

MOTHERING SUNDAY

On Sunday 3rd April, Mothering Sunday, after the Family Service a very special event took place. A mosaic was unveiled and blessed. This mosaic, designed by artist Bernadette Hughes, depicts the Patron Saint of the Parish, the Martyr Stephen. Over 100 people young and old helped with the making of the mosaic at a number of workshops over the past year. The Mosaic was funded by United Utilities through Groundworks & United Futures (The Community Partnership between United Utili- ties and local communities) This work, together with the replanting and landscaping of the grounds was done as a part of the restitution work after a flood relief tank was sunk into part of the church grounds. Not only do the mosaic and grounds look wonderful, but the whole project has brought together many people from different parts of the North Shore community.