Church Coffee Morning

Feb '26 St Leonard’s Church

Service held each Sunday at 11am.

We have been delighted that so many of the village have shared the enjoyment of Christmas with us at St Leonard’s church. Many families with two generations and quite a few with three generations came to the different services held throughout December experiencing the Christmas story. Yes, there may have been chocolate on Christmas Day - I had managed not to eat it all for breakfast so I could be like the wise men and bring gifts, although the church was rather grander than Baby Jesus’s manger! Thank you to Mavis Eastwood for her floral skills for the Advent Wreath and candle arrangement and all of those who created a window floral arrangement for a verse of the carol “The Holly and the Ivy” which, with the Christmas tree, kindly loaned to us by Michael from Sherville, meant we were decorated in spectacular fashion. It is always a relief when the candles get packed away and they have not set fire to any decorations, and the choir have not set fire to each other! The same joy in any church?!

2026 has burst upon us with all the new experiences that will bring. For St Leonard’s we head towards our main event on Saturday 4th July when, as part of Romsey Festival, we host “One Hundred Years in The Hundred Acre Wood” as our knitted and craft displays will celebrate 100 years since A.A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh was published. I am sure you will come across some very talented people in the local community over the next few months discussing if their yellow wool is the right shade, is that in inches or centimetres or simply I cannot find piglet. Do not worry, it will come clear on the day and hopefully with a pooh stick or two too!

For now, we edge towards Candlemas as on Sunday 1st February our Rector, James

Pitkin will bless the candles we use during the year so everyone who has a baby baptised, a wedding or a thanksgiving service in St Leonard’s will know that we have thought about them as we start the year. As an interesting fact, Queen Elizabeth II didn’t take her Christmas decorations down on Twelfth Night but kept them on display until Candlemas and

indeed until 6th February which was the anniversary of her father’s death to honour his memory.

We restart our Coffee Mornings on Saturday 7th February 10.30am – 12pm, and you will be able to listen a bell peal by a visiting ringing group during the morning as a special treat. We start the Lent season on Ash Wednesday, 18th February, when in addition to taking communion, you can also “enjoy” burnt palm crosses mixed with oil being etched as a cross on your forehead by the Rector, this year at East Dean church. I can tell you from experience that it does smart if it runs into your eye so have a tissue handy and, as small bit of advice, best not

forget you have it because you do get funny looks when you meet people in the pub later! And then we are supposed to give something up for Lent – chocolate? Me? Please see first paragraph!

Julia Noble, Churchwarden

St Leonard’s Church Services

Feb 1st 11am Communion “Candlemas”

Feb 7th 10.30am – 12pm Coffee Morning

Feb 8th 11am Morning Prayer

Feb 15th 11am Family Service

Feb 22nd 11am Morning Prayer

St Leonards December 2025 News

The last few months have been a time of loss and remembrance in Sherfield English. We have sadly lost some well-known faces from the village and they will be missed. We commemorated Remembrance Sunday thinking of those who have been in the military or civilian services, those who have been lost in the line of duty to their country, their family and especially to those they did not know. Our service at St Leonard's was by the community, in recognition of the community and the resilience with which we come together to share our commemorations. It was a special service as our Rector Squadron Leader James Pitkin received an MBE in the King's Birthday Honours list this year for his 25 years of dedication to RAF cadets and as their National Chaplain. We also heard about James Ralph Patterson, commemorated on our Roll of Honour dying in WWII but with no information until some serious historical researching by a few talented people revealed the connections to Sherfield English. The display of the soldiers, sailors and airmen along the A27, kindly installed by Eric Hounslow, reminded us of the fallen every time we passed by but let us be thankful for those still serving and keeping us safe. Now we rightly deserve to move towards more cheerful subjects as Advent Sunday is on 30th November which is the start of the Christian year and we retell the story of the baby Jesus. Our Christingle service, usually held on Advent Sunday, is now on 21st December, so if you want to use an orange,

a candle, red ribbon, cocktail sticks with sultanas or some sweets (dolly mixtures were boycotted a few years ago as considered too tricky to push onto cocktail sticks but my fellow Churchwarden started a revolt and they are now back on the menu!). It is all good fun, and you can use the candle should we have a power cut!

We have our Christmas coffee morning on Saturday 6th December, 10.30am -12pm, with knitted gifts, a Christmas hamper raffle as well as pre-loved items and books and most excitingly our bell ringers playing carols on handbells and maybe, like last year, we can have a go too. That afternoon we are privileged to host the Winchester Diocese Bell ringers for their carol service, having been cancelled from last year when we had a terrible storm. In hosting this event our Bell Captain, Martin Daniels, and the St Leonard's team of enthusiastic bell ringers are rightly rewarded for all their hard work throughout the year.

On 14th December at 6pm we are holding our carol service of lessons and carols so if you want to admire the decorations our flower arrangers extraordinaire are depicting the lovely carol The holly and the Ivy, heard the nativity story (you might have heard it before, but it is a good listen) and who knows what other treats you might witness too. We have our midnight communion at 8pm on Christmas Eve and on Christmas Day, well, it is always involves being joyful and rejoicing on Christmas morn! Christmas comes but once a year so do come and join us! Dates for diary for St Leonard’s are:

December

6th Christmas Coffee morning 10.30am - 12pm

7th 11am Holy Communion

14th 6pm Carol Service

21st 11am "Christingle" family service

24th 8pm Midnight communion

25th 11am Christmas Day family service

28th Morning Prayer

January 2026

4th Holy Communion

11th Morning Prayer

18th "Epiphany" family service

25th Morning Prayer

February

7th Coffee morning 10.30am - 12pm