Did you know? Revd Neil will soon be visiting the Amaha We Uganda team. If you would like to know more, make sure you join us this Sunday 10:30am as Neil will be speaking about the projects on Sunday.
Please continue to pray for William, Job, Benjamin and all the Amaha We Uganda team as they serve the local communities there and lead the projects including tree planting, womens groups, Good Samaritan skills centre, education projects and working with the street children. Your prayers for the team and communities there, and for the UK based trustees too, are much appreciated.
If you would like to join the team in prayer during this years’ mission please contact Revd Neil for the whatsapp link or contact Karen or Alex for prayer times where we will be meeting in person. (you can ask us at church / cafe / toddlers – whenever you see us next!)
I have been collating all the annual foodbank data today and thought you would be interested to know the headline statistics for the Ash Villages Food Parcels Project for 2024. This is a community project jointly run by St Mary’s Church Ash Vale (Revd Neil Lambert) and the Ash Villages Support Circle (Cllr Carla Morson) for the benefit of all in the local community who are in need.
In the year from Jan to Dec 2024 we have provided 1040 Food Bank Parcels to households in need in our local villages.
This has gone out to feed 1644 Adults and 1687 Children, a total of 3331 people across Ash, Ash Vale, Ash Green, and Tongham.
Our biggest week was just before Christmas where we sent out 83 Christmas parcels, bringing vital food and Christmas gifts to 261 people.
We had 30 volunteers involved during the year and lots of extra helpers at Christmas for gift wrapping and deliveries.
I am so proud of this team and all the work we do, what a huge difference this makes in our local community. We can say with confidence that no one in our local community need ever go hungry. There is help at hand every week, and the team are always going the extra mile to make sure that everyone has what they need. What a blessing you all are to our community in these difficult times! A big thank you to everyone involved.
Best wishes, Alex (Project Manager)
PS – This data is for the foodbank alone, and does not include the food distributed via the Community Fridge, so there are even more families out there who have been fed anonymously!)
PPS – would you like to support this project? You can bring food items to St Mary’s or The Chapel, donate at Ash Manor School or in store at the Co-op on Wharf Rd. You can also donate funds online here: https://givealittle.co/c/7a47190c-ad4e-4cf9-8662-da844101a41c Thank you for your support!
Need to contact us? Referrals number is: 07762 136542
Have you seen? The Chapel Project in Ash Vale has lovely new windows, and the best thing about them is, they are double glazed! Have a look next time you are passing and let us know what you think. Why not pop in to Monday Chapel Cafe to see them from the inside too?
We would like to say a huge thank you to all involved with the project, and in particular to Your Fund Surrey – Small Projects Scheme, who supported us with a grant. Special thanks also go to our local councillor Carla Morson, who very kindly supported our application and has been so supportive of all the Chapel projects over the years.
The Chapel is a well used local building, much loved and well attended by the local community. We host Chapel Cafe (a Warm Welcome hub) on Mondays 9:30-12:30 in term time, Chapel Kids (baby and toddler group and Lunch club) on Wednesdays 11:00-14:00, Chapel Craft group on Wednesday nights 8-10pm, and of course prayers, worship and Sunday Services at weekends led by New Way Christian Life Fellowship. Adding to this, the Ash Vale Community Fridge is based here – open 24/7 in the car park. We also host the local Foodbank team here, who are in and out 6 days a week with donations, deliveries, stock checks and supplies. They pack Food Parcels on Wednesdays and Fridays that go out to local people in need every week. (Watch this space – we are planning a Food Forum for like minded charities in March!)
Why double glazing? Having committed to aiming for carbon net zero by 2030, the Chapel Management Committee have agreed a strategy to move away from fossil fuels. Our quick wins in phase 1 were simple improvements like a better heating schedule, dealing with drafts, planting some trees, reducing waste and doing more recycling. Double Glazing is undoubtedly the most important step in Phase 2 that takes us a long way forward on the net zero journey. We are already noticing how much better the room tempreature is, now that the heat loss from the windows has been drastically reduced.
The real heroes of the windows phase were Truglaze in Frimley who have been superb throughout this double glazing project. They measured up precisely, removed the old units carefully, and installed the lovely new windows and doors beautifully. We were extremely impressed when – to overcome a delay due to the glass being delivered late – they sent several installation teams over to work together and do the fitting in a day, so we could be all done and ready in time for Christmas Foodbank. It was a superhuman effort, and a big challenge for Lisa co-ordinating everyone. We would like to say a huge thank you to them all.
What next? Phase 3 will be to see how we can reduce heat loss through insulation of the ceilings and floors – another big job, but a crucial one before we can move away from gas heating. And then the final phase will be to explore things like solar power and air source heat pumps, and see what we can to to complete the move away from fossil fuel. Would you like to support us with phase 3? Our donations link is open, and we would be glad of you support. thank you! https://givealittle.co/c/506zJ4CysgBvk5OPRjRZLF
Photos: Truglaze Team working their Christmas magic / Cllr Carla Morson and Revd Anne Day celebrating the new windows / Beautiful Chapel windows up close / Foodbank Team were the first to enjoy the warmer Chapel with the double glazing in, as they packed the Christmas Parcels.
You may have seen in the church notices: Contemplative prayer is starting up again, monthly on Sundays 6.30pm The next meetings will be Sunday 19 January (this sunday) Sunday 16 February Sunday 16 March 🙏 #ContemplativePrayer
All welcome / free / no need to book just come and join us at 6:30pm
Join us to make a Christingle, explore ‘Bethlehem’, have a drink with the Innkeeper, Make s’mores with the shepherds, see baby Jesus, and enjoy Revd Neil’s legendary cooking! Book a start time (we have start times every 10 minutes 3-5pm) and join the fun! 07730609446 text or phone to book. Free / Donations for the Children’s Society Dress for the weather and wear your wellies as the garden can get muddy! Nativity costumes optional 🌟#FollowTheStar
St Mary’s Church, Vale Rd, Ash Vale, GU12 5JE. 24th December 2024 3-6pm
Join us this Sunday for a wonderful carol service by candlelight, with choir, musicians, readings, and a chance to sing lots of your favourite carols. 6:30pm start, come early for a good seat! Mulled wine and mince pies served afterwards. All Welcome. free / donations appreciated
Have you seen the notices on the door at church? We have applied for a faculty to replace the boiler. If you have any feedback on this, please have a look at the notice and let us know your thoughts.
If you love our groups, services and facilities at St Mary’s, please consider donating towards our heating improvements! We urgently need to replace the old boiler that heats the church and community hall, as the running costs are excruciatingly high and the carbon footprint needs tackling, a big step on our journey towards Net Zero.
We have had an independent energy assessment to help us improve our energy efficiancy and plan for net zero, and the boiler is by far the most effective immediate improvement we can make to save carbon and keep costs manageable. The old boiler is G rated and a new one would be A rated, saving tonnes of carbon every year! But we will need everyone to chip in please to help make it happen. If we all give a little we will raise a lot! Can you help? Our fundraising target is £10,000. It sounds like a huge amount, but if we all do what we can, God will do the rest. Thank you for your support!
It’s nearly time for our lovely team at the #AshVillagesFoodParcelsProject to pack the Christmas parcels and take some festive cheer to local people in need. Your help and support with donations, funds, prayers and sharing this appeal far and wide would be greatly appreciated!
If you would like to donate food, toys or gifts , please bring your donations in by the 15th December. You can come to The Chapel (Wharf rd) on Wednesday or Monday 9am-2:30pm or pop in to St Mary’s (Vale Rd) on Friday or Sunday 10:00-13:00. There is a live list of what’s most needed on the App ‘Bank the Food’ if you need inspiration, or simply bring something Christmassy! We love to be able to give out all the Christmas classics from Turkey and parsnips to mince pies, pudding and custard. We also give our presents of sweets, chocolates, winter warmers, new toys, hot water bottles, socks etc, nice toiletries, … all much needed please!
If you would prefer to give funds towards the food that we buy in (fresh veg, turkey, milk, pasta, fruit, tins etc) you can donate online here: https://givealittle.co/c/3ijYS6zC4gbOGqwer2tmdY
We also need volunteers, for gift wrapping and deliveries 16th-20th. If you are interested please contact us on 07730609446 for more details.
Thank you for supporting us in whatever way you can. It really does make all the difference! Let’s bless our neighbours in need in Ash, Ash Vale, Ash Green and Tongham this Christmas.
PS – if you are based locally and need a foodbank referral please contact your local Citizens Advice, GP, school, local churches, social worker, health visitor and other agencies who can refer you to us. We cover Ash, Ash Vale, Ash Green and Tongham. Referrals must be in by 15th December for Christmas, We are closed 25-27 Dec while our volunteers take a well deserved break.
