Category: Magazine

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Community Dinner

This is an invitation to a community dinner to get to know your neighbours, organised by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Ash:

ASH COMMUNITY DINNER

⭐ You’re warmly invited to the Ash Community Dinner for an evening connection and community spirit.

🗓️ Saturday 28th March

📍 Ash Centre, Ash Hill Rd, GU12 5DP

⏰ Guest arrival: 6:00pm
✅ Free entry
🍴 3-course meal
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 All welcome
⚠️ Limited spaces

Please register to secure your place.

https://forms.gle/txEnJyosRSjv1aGo7

We look forward to welcoming you!

Organised by Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Ash

(please use the link above to book directly with the organisers thank you)

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Lent Bible Study Resources

Lent bible study recommendation for 2026: St Mary’s will be using the resources available on Lectio 365. Ask Revd Neil Lambert if you would like to know more, or why not download the App. https://lectio365.com/

Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, 18th Feb 2026. If you would like to come to the Ash Wednesday Evening Service it starts at 18:30. All Welcome.

You are very welcome to join us, for this service and for any other service too. It doesn’t matter if you are a lifelong Christian, or just starting out on your faith journey. We are an inclusive church, and would love to welcome you. St Mary’s Church, Vale Rd, Ash Vale, GU12 5JE. Sunday Services are at 10:30am every week.

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Ash Wednesday Service 18th Feb 2026 18:30

Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, 18th Feb 2026. If you would like to come to the Ash Wednesday Evening Service it starts at 18:30. All Welcome.

You are very welcome to join us, for this service and for any other service too. It doesn’t matter if you are a lifelong Christian, or just starting out on your faith journey. We are an inclusive church, and would love to welcome you. St Mary’s Church, Vale Rd, Ash Vale, GU12 5JE. Sunday Services are at 10:30am every week.

Lent bible study recommendation for 2026: St Mary’s will be using the resources available on Lectio 365. Ask Revd Neil Lambert if you would like to know more, or why not download the App. https://lectio365.com/

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Pancake Party! 17th Feb 11:30am-1:30pm

Can you believe it is almost Shrove Tuesday already? Join us for the annual Pancake Party at St Mary’s 11:30-13:30 for races, pancake day craft, and yummy pancakes for lunch.

All welcome, all children must be accompanied please, but we don’t mind who brings you. Parents / carers all welcome. Join our Community Cafe and Toddler Grooup regulars, and enjoy a lunchtime party! Newcomers very welcome too!

St Mary’s Church, Vale Rd, Ash Vale, GU12 5JE

The event is free / by donation. If you would like to donate online the link is here:

https://givealittle.co/c/2BhuU1JZBDk3OoiZQKBAqk

Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, the day after our pancake party. If you would like to come to the service please pop back to St Mary’s on Wednesday 18th Feb for the Ash Wednesday Evening Service 18:30. All Welcome.

Lent bible study recommendation for 2026: St Mary’s will be using the resources available on Lectio 365. Ask Revd Neil if you would like to know more or why not download the App. https://lectio365.com/

St Mary’s Church, Vale Rd, Ash Vale, GU12 5JE

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Foodbank Appeal – Can you help us this year?

https://givealittle.co/c/64dXRNU3KdAy3Yzi1qRIv4

In 2025 the foodbank fed over 4,600 people, and cost over £33,000 to run. We know that this year it is likely that more help will be needed, as the local need increases. We have more people moving to the area, prices keep rising, and incomes are not keeping pace. A simple thing like having to replace a pair of school shoes, or fix a broken washing machine, can tip people into food poverty nowadays.

But this is why we are here, as a local safety net so that no-on in Ash, Ash Vale, Ash Green or Tongham need ever go hungry. Can you please help us to help our neighbours?

Please consider a regular donation for 2026. Our parcels go out every week, and so we have to buy in food every week to fill the parcels. Knowing that we have regular donations coming in helps us to plan, and it means that our Project Manager can focus more on signposting extra support for families to build resilience, and a bit less on trying to find the funds to fill the foodbank shelves.

Any amount you can afford will make all the difference. Whether you can afford £2 a month or £200 a month, you are important, you are part of something amazng, and you will be helping us to feed local people in crisis. What an amazing community this is!

Thank you for your suppport.

Donations link: https://givealittle.co/c/64dXRNU3KdAy3Yzi1qRIv4 Thank you!

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Warm Welcome Week 2026

Did you know? It’s Warm Welcome Week!

We have a Warm Welcome space at St Mary’s here on Vale Road, GU12 5JE. We are open for Friday Community Cafe on 10am-1pm (Fridays in Term Time) and you can pop in for a free cuppa and chat, and a simple lunch at 12:00 (usually soup / sandwich / cheese toastie). All free, donations accepted. The regulars are lots of fun and we all enjoy a catch up each week. Why not join us? All welcome, we are a diverse bunch, all ages and stages, and we are proud to be an inclusive space.

https://www.warmwelcome.uk/warm-welcome-week

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Care Home Visit is a Happy Feat!

Residents at Holly Lodge Care Home in Frimley were thrilled by a surprise visit from two friendly Humboldt penguins, Pringle and Widget. They enjoyed petting and holding these charming guests as they waddled through the home, creating smiles and unforgettable memories.

At Forest Care, resident wellbeing is at the heart of everything we do. Across our award-winning homes in Surrey and Hampshire, we offer experiences that uplift, inspire, and connect. From classic car shows and themed tea parties to craft workshops, live entertainment, and visits from alpacas, monkeys—and yes, penguins!

As a family-owned care provider with over 44 years of experience, we are proud to create homes that truly feel like home. Our all-inclusive fees cover physiotherapy, chiropody, hairdressing, and massage therapy, giving peace of mind to residents and families.

Our Forest Care homes are always open for viewings, and from January to April we’re hosting special Open Days at Cedar Lodge, Holly Lodge and Elm Lodge. Experience our warm, welcoming homes and outstanding care firsthand. Click here to register your interest or call 0333 305 1785 or email enquiries@forestcare.co.uk to arrange an alternative date.

More details of open days and an invitation in the documents below. We’re also hosting an informative evening at our Elm Lodge care home (Hartley Wintney, Hampshire)next Thursday 15th January at 6pm. Our guest speakers will share practical advice on financial planning, property matters, and wills, offering valuable insights for the future. Please see the attached details for RSVP, including directions

Cedar Lodge & Holly Lodge Open DaysDownload

Invitation to Property & Financial Planning Event at Elm LodgeDownload
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WI supports local Foodbank

The Ash Villages Food Parcels Project would like to say a huge thank you to the Ash Hill Evening WI Meeting members.

Alex Sanderson (Project Manager) reports…

What a wonderful evening we had yesterday! I was very kindly invited to visit the WI for their January meeting at St Mary’s. The welcome was very warm, and it was lovely catching up with friends old and new – and some of our wonderful volunteers past and present as well!

I was delighted to give a talk about the Foodbank, and share the ups and downs of our journey with this ever-growing project. What started as an emergency response to people going hungry in Covid-19 has now become the go-to Foodbank for anyone in need in Ash, Ash Vale, Ash Green and Tongham. We fed over 4,600 people in 2025, and 128 households received a Christmas Parcel to bring some seasonal joy in difficult times.

Your support is so kind, and much needed. Huge thanks to the WI for your donation of £250, a fantastic amount raised throughout the year, which will go towards filling parcels with good food in 2026. Thank you too for the lovely donations of tins, packets and lovely treats which you all brought in yesterday. Every item makes a big difference to local people in need, and it is through your help that we can make this happen.

We welcome donations of anything with a long shelf life (tins, packets etc) throughout the year, and are always glad of any spare carrier bags for our food parcels to be sent out in. Most of you know where my porch is, open 9am-9pm for donations, or you can bring things and pop them in the St Mary’s church foyer any time you are here for a WI meeting. You can even use the donations basket in the Ash Vale Co-op. Thank you to all of you who downloaded the “Bank the Food” App, so you can always see what is most needed from week to week. https://www.bankthefood.com/ (If anyone missed the meeting here is the link).

The joy of being very much a grassroots project is that the community all knows one another, and it makes me proud to know that no-one need ever go hungry in our local villages, thanks to generous people like you. While we wish our project was not needed at all, we are glad that we can help our neighbours. In the words of one of our clients recently in their message to us “Thank you all so much, you have helped us more than you know”.

Happy New Year 2026, and on behalf of Revd Neil Lambert, Cllr Carla Morson, all the volunteer team and our clients locally – thank you for your support.

Alex

Alex Sanderson: projectmanager@ash-vale.org.uk

Ash Villages Food Parcels Project:

https://ash-vale.org.uk/foodparcels-2/

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Contemplative Prayer

Contemplative prayer meets on a Sunday evening at 6.30pm for about 45 minutes every month (dates can vary – check notices for upcoming dates). “1 Kings 19: 12  After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. ” Contemplative prayer is a time to be open to the gentle whisper of God. There are some pieces of music, some verses spoken, and time for reflection. But more importantly it is time for you to simply be in the presence of God. 

If you would like to receive the weekly St Mary’s notices with upcoming dates please email to parishoffice@ash-vale.org.uk and we can add you to the list.

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Foodbank: A very big Thank You for 2025!

We have just finished adding up all the foodbank data for 2025 for our project reporting, and thought we should let you all know what an amazing community you all are! Huge thanks to everyone who has donated items, given funding, packed parcels, sorted veg, helped with packing, gone out delivering, collected donations, helped with fundraising, given prayer support, cleaned the fridges, spread the word, and all the various aspects of making it all happen.

While we are sad that this project is needed at all, we can be proud that we have supported one another in the local community through another very tough year. In 2025 the Ash Villages Food Parcels Project provided 1560 parcels for local families, feeding over 4600 people. On average we gave out 29 parcels a week, feeding 384 people in an average month. In our Christmas Parcels week we helped 128 households, feeding 393 people and giving out toys to 199 children.

We can proudly say that no-one in Ash, Ash Vale, Ash Green and Tongham need ever go hungry if they turn to us for help. We have an amazing community who donate items, fundraise, and give funds. We have a fantastic team of volunteers, and we have some wonderful local councillors, churches, schools, clubs, organisations, businesses and grant funders who support the work. Between you all, you have made this happen. The thank you messages we regularly receive are a testament to how important this work is. One recipient said “Thank you so much, …you have helped us more than you will ever know”.

On behalf of the Foodbank team and our local community – Thank you!

Would you like to give your support in 2026? The need has never been greater, as the community keeps growing and the cost of living keeps rising. If you can manage a regular donation it would be an enormous help, or just give what you can when you can. Here is the online giving link: https://givealittle.co/c/7a47190c-ad4e-4cf9-8662-da844101a41c

Do you need help? You can contact the usual agencies for a food parcel referral, or come to St Mary’s church and ask for Revd Neil Lambert or Alex our Project Manager for a church referral.