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It might surprise you, but the day has already lengthened by 36 minutes since the shortest day! If this little piece of joyful news sparks your spirit into action then why not consider harnessing that energy?

Four young people did exactly that last weekend when they volunteered to help at the food bank each Saturday as part of their Duke of Edinburgh (DoE) commitments at school. They will gain some real character-forming experience with us and we certainly hope they’ll stay volunteering at the food bank long after they have fulfilled their formal DoE obligations.

Visiting the lonely is one of the cornerstones of the SVP mission. Be it a lonely person at home, in a care home, in a hospital or in a prison, the tradition of a regular face-to-face visit is one that is ingrained in the SVP across the globe.

As we now approach the shortest day of the year please keep an eye on your vulnerable neighbours and please let us know if there is anyone who needs some company. And remember, also, that a significant proportion of the UK’s young people suffer from loneliness so please keep an eye on these neighbours too.

The support of the parish underpins the SVP’s activities. This weekend our team running our shop, Gifted, would like to say a sincere ‘Thank You’ for all your custom during 2025. This is the final Gifted of the year, so make the most of it! As ever, if there is something in particular that you would like, and you cannot see it displayed, then just mention it to us and we’ll try and source it for you.

The Parish and the SVP are delighted to announce that we will be jointly hosting a “Christmas by Candlelight” concert on Sunday evening, Dec. 21, at 7.30pm in the church. We are thrilled to welcome Trio Carina, a music trio, who will perform a programme of seasonal music. During the interval, mulled wine and mince pies will be available for all to enjoy.

All proceeds from the evening will be shared equally between parish funds and the charitable works of the SVP. Tickets are £10 each and can be purchased at the back of the church after all masses this weekend. Children under 11 years old are free. We warmly invite you, your family and friends to join us for what promises to be a joyful and festive evening.

This wintry cold snap is a good reminder, if we needed one, that Christmas is on the way! Christmas is a season of giving. To that end, the SVP team have produced a ‘giving’ – sometimes known as a ‘reverse’ – advent calendar, to help replenish the stocks in our food bank. Each day of December has a different item allocated to it, which means that each donation will have a lovely collection of non-perishables by the time we reach Christmas.