Recently the team has lost several of its valued volunteers hence more of them are needed even more urgently than usual.

The next Sunday when volunteers are needed to collect patients from wards for Communion services in the hospital chapel is: Hillingdon Hospital on 16th July and Mount Vernon Hospital on 27th August . More dates will be published in future months. This small service is very much appreciated by patients who have no family available to help them. To continue this service we need to supplement our regular team with more volunteers to provide cover for unavoidable absences. Anyone who is prepared to spend a couple of hours on occasional Sunday mornings, please contact Alan Grove on 020 8868 9220.

Each week at St Giles’ Church we pray for all the people who live or work in a particular road in the Parish. During July and August we will pray for the following roads:

2nd July - Kenbury Close.  
9th July - Lawrence Drive. 
16th July - Lodore Green. 
23rd July - Long Lane.  
30th July - Malcolm Road.

6th August - Melbourne Close.
13th August - Milton Court. 
20th August - Milton Road. 
27th August - Milverton Drive

If you live in one of these roads why not join us at our 8 a.m. or 9.45 a.m. services. You will be most welcome.

The next in this series of very interesting talks, and well-attended breakfasts, is on Saturday 15th July  at 8.30 a.m. in the United Reformed Church Hall. The Revd. Rob Harrison, vicar of St John’s Church, Hillingdon will speak on Oriel’s Diary and Other Stories.

Tickets £2 (includes continental breakfast) from Don Gwilt – 01895 673704.

We hope to see you there.

Three students from the Douay Martyrs School in Ickenham visited South Africa in May to give assistance, both practical and material, to two poor South African agricultural schools.

Ryan Todd, Alfie Howell and John Nolan undertook this project as part of their Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme and had to raise funds to purchase the equipment they took out to the schools -  St. Giles' Church being amongst the sponsors.

The boys were accompanied by two teachers from Douay Martyrs and were able to live with a family in Bothaville in the Free State Province.  Botheville High School was typical of the schools visited. The local community is extremely poor and the school has extremely poor facilities, its library for example being a pile of books on the floor.

The Ickenham students returned home deeply aware of the tremendous advantages that they enjoy in being educated in this country, and Douay Martyrs has now established strong links with the South African schools with a view to being able to help them further in the future.

John Miley

You added- Christian Aid will multiply.

Christian Aid Week Started with inspiring and well-attended services in both churches. Our 120 dedicated collectors braved the rainstorms and greeted each home with a smile. Once again every house in Ickenham parish was visited.

Our 16 area organisers, who take on the bulk of the administration, opened about 5,000 red envelopes to reveal that once again Ickenham does really care that a third of our world lives in abject poverty - without nearby clean water, nourishing food, available and affordable health provision, and basic education.  A deprivation and poverty that is almost unknown in the UK.  Once again our parishioners have dug deeply into their pockets and in many cases their wallets to the tune of:- £7934. The Gift Aid Tax Rebate at 28% was a further £1031 making a Grand Total of £8965.

This magnificent sum is slightly higher than last year's which was a record.  Christian Aid will make sure that its partners in areas of greatest need use the money effectively.

Thank you Ickenham for everything you've done to make Christian Aid Week a big success. Your support will help improve the lives of poor people around the world, not just for now, but also for years to come.

Bernard Pearce

Wayfarers tennis club in Ickenham is hosting tennis and multi sports camps for children aged between 5 and 16 years.  Activities include football, mini tennis, tennis, tag, rugby, street hockey, rounders and more.

Week1 takes place 31st July to 4th August.
Week 2 August 14th to 18th. 
Each day is 9.30 a.m.  to 3 p.m.

The costs are £15 per day or £60 per week; there is a 10% family discount for 2+ children. If you want more details please contact the club coach Anthony Mills 07771 531 783