Category: Notices

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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.

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what’s on this term spring 2026

Here’s whats on this term at St Mary’s (Vale Rd) and The Chapel (Wharf Rd)

Open Planning Meeting for toddler groups takes place at Chapel (Wharf Rd) this Wednesday 7th Jan 10:30am

Monday Chapel Cafe / Mondays 9:30-12:30 at the Chapel GU12 5AY (Starts back 5th Jan) Warm Welcome Venue

Ash CITIZENS advice team will be joining us at Monday Chapel Cafe on Monday 19th January and if this works well it may become a regular arrangement.

Little Lambs Library – Tuesday 10:00-13:00 at st Mary’s GU12 5JE (Starts back 13th Jan)

ChapelKids – Wednesdays 11am-2pm at The Chapel (starts next week 14th Jan)

Friday Community Cafe – Fridays 10:00-13:00 (lunch at 12) at St Mary’s (Warm welcome venue) starts back Friday 16th Jan

Church Services at St Mary’s (and Sunday-school) – 10:30am every Sunday followed by cuppa and chat in the large hall from about 11:45am

Love to sing? Join the church choir! Tuesdays 8pm at St Mary’s. No auditions just come and make a joyful noise.

All free / by donation, all welcome!

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Chairs available!

Happy New Year! St Mary’s is delighted to have some new chairs in church, thanks to a very generous local family who have given these in memory of a loved one.

The old green chairs are now available for anyone who would like them. We would appreciate a donation to the church for each chair, as our next big job is repairing the roof! So come on down to St Mary’s, come and get some handy extra chairs, and pop in a donation to help keep the church going for generations to come. No set fee, just give what you can.

Pop in on Fridays 10:00-13:00 in term time while cafe is on (first one back is 9th Jan) or Sundays after the church service 11:45am, or drop us a text to arrange another time 07730609446

https://givealittle.co/admin/f/campaigns/47eb21e6-c2b0-4a23-a526-8d13fd24fa56

^New chairs looking lovely, they are comfy too!

^ these are the old wooden chairs, available for a donation. Great as extra chairs for when you have visitors or parties, come and secure a piece of local history. They have served us well at St Mary’s. Yours for a donation.

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New Years Day Cleanup

What a great morning we had, so good to get to know everyone, and thank you for turning up and making Ash Vale look even better. #Community #HappyNewYear

Here is the news from AMA Ash:

🧹 Ash Community Clean-Up! 🌱

A fantastic clean-up took place earlier today, with 50+ volunteers coming together to make a real difference in our local #village 🙌

The event was organised by AMA Ash with the support of Ash Parish Council and St Mary’s church, Ash Vale,Surrey. with five clean-up routes organised around Ash Vale.

Each group, made up of around 10–15 volunteers, worked hard to help keep our neighbourhood clean and tidy.

To top it off, we were warmly invited to St Mary’s Church afterwards for tea and refreshments ☕ — a lovely way to end a great #community effort.

Thank you to everyone who took part and supported the event! 💚

You can find AMA Ash on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/AMAinAsh?mibextid=wwXIfr

You can find St Mary’s on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/share/1Htjy8Luwq/?mibextid=wwXIfr

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Christmas Services 2025

You are all very welcome to join us for our Christmas Services here at St Mary’s on Vale Road this week!

Saturday 20th Dec: Interactive Christingle Journey Event (time slots every 10 minutes from 16:00-18:00) Make a Christingle, visit the Innkeeper for a drink, see the Wise Men, follow the star, enjoy the bonfire with the shepherds, and see baby Jesus. Not forgetting Revd Neil’s amazing food! This year we have falafel, delicious! A Christmas adventure in aid of The Children’s Society. Text to book 07730 609446

Christmas Eve 24th Dec: Midnight Mass 23:30 Come and celebrate the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and the first communion of Christmas. Let’s rejoice!

Christmas Day 25th Dec: Christmas Service 10:30 Join us to celebrate our Lord Jesus birth. Children welcome, bring along your favourite gift to show & tell!

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New Years Day Community Clean-up 9am

A lovely community get together on New Years Day, let’s start the year as we mean to go on – looking after the village and enjoying a cuppa together!
👉 Register using the link:
https://forms.gle/nUpLVx6eZvrYTgxS7
(Team needs to know how many litter pickers to bring!)

🧹 Ash Community Cleanup – New Year’s Day!

📅 Thurs 1st January 2026 ⏰ 9:00am – 11:00am
📍 Meeting Point: Ash Vale Station

Kick off the New Year by helping keep our beautiful village clean! Join the Ash Community Cleanup for a positive and fun start to 2026.

Organised by Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Ash, with support from Ash Parish Council and St Mary’s Church.

Refreshments will be served in the St Mary’s community hall afterwards!

Everyone is welcome – let’s make a difference together!