Newsletter - July 2026

Welcome to our July newsletter!

A big thank you to everyone who supported our Midsummer Quiz Night on Saturday 20th June. We had over 50 people take part, comprising 8 teams, who were challenged and stretched by our very able Quiz Master, Roger Hillier. It was a fantastic evening (well-timed before the heatwave!) and great to see all ages filling the church hall, including a team of 11 twenty-somethings! There were commemorative St Philip’s wooden spoons for the teams that came first and last, as well as raffle prizes and, for the first time this year, a bar. In all, we raised £370 which will go towards the running and upkeep of the church and hall.

Friday 10th July marks our last First Steps session before the summer holidays when we’ll be saying farewell to many of the little ones we’ve grown to know and love who will be starting school in September. First Steps sessions will resume on 11 September (the 2nd Friday of the month) at 10.30am. Do please spread the word to any pre-schoolers and parents/carers you know.

Many thanks to Monica Dyer for illustrating and designing our new fundraising leaflet. Please come along to our summer celebration for Gift Day on 5th July and please help if you can with running stalls, serving refreshments, and collecting donations. Traditionally Gift Day has been a day when parishioners would donate, to their local church, a cash sum in addition to the weekly offertory. We are grateful that we can now receive your gifts in so many ways – cash, cheques, contactless payments via the card machine, one-off donations via the QR code, via the website and even monthly giving by Direct Debit via the Parish Giving Scheme. Thank you in advance for your generosity!