ALL THE FUN OF THE FAYRE
The URC Christmas Fayre is on Saturday 19th November from 10am till 2pm. Our advert on page 5 details all the main stalls and features. Once again, Ickenham’s local traders have been generous in their support – as have others further afield – so our Grand Draw is bigger and better than ever. Our thanks go to all concerned.
 Contact Richard Piper on 01895 634348 if you have items to donate that need collecting, or if you have any questions. Otherwise goods can be brought to the church on Friday 18th November, from 3pm to 7pm.
It’s our biggest fundraising event of the year (we raised over £3,100 last time), so be sure to come along. You’ll be in good company!
UXBRIDGE CHORAL SOCIETY AND
UXBRIDGE SINFONIA
Conducted by Jeff Stewart
Presents
HANDEL’S MESSIAH
At St Anselm’s Church, Station Road, Hayes
Saturday 26th November at 7.30pm
Tickets £10 from 01895 847083
Or on the door
www.uxbridgechoralsociety.org.uk |
FROM THE CHURCHES’ REGISTERS
Baptisms at St Giles’
Oct 9th Lewis Cleave Terence Sharman
Jack Richard Sharman
Cremations at Breakspear Crematorium
Sept 20th Edna Paine, aged 89
Sept 27th Beryl Rising, aged 78
Oct 14th Bernard Pearce, aged 85 (followed by service at the URC)
ST GILES’ CHURCH STREET PRAYER LIST
Each Sunday at St Giles’ Church we pray for all the people who live or work in a particular road in the Parish. During November we will pray for the following roads:
Nov 6th Charlbury Road
Nov 13th Charlton Road
Nov 20th Charlton Close
Nov 27th Church Place
If you live in one of these roads why not join us at our 8am or 9.45am services? You will be most welcome.
FROM BARCELONA TO ICKENHAM
 Did you know we have an ex-Barcelona player in our midst? Carlos Navarro, owner of the Maison du Soleil Patisserie played for the volleyball section of that famous Spanish club during the seventies. But he now spends his working life in the “peaceful atmosphere of Ickenham Village. I feel so comfortable here”, he said.
The business is now four years old, during which time Carlos and his wife Christine have made many new Ickenham friends - so much so that they hope to move here from their present home in Ruislip. “Initially I thought about setting up the business in Ruislip”, he told us, “but I preferred the way Ickenham was developing”. Christine agrees and she would then be even closer to her job as a midwife based in Hillingdon Hospital.
 Maison du Soleil has recently doubled in size, extending next door into the premises vacated by the greengrocer. Carlos saw the opportunity to give his customers more space to relax and enjoy a wide range of croissants, pastries, cakes and salads. The croissants and pastries are all baked fresh every morning on the premises by Carlos himself, ready for opening hours of 8am – 4pm (Mon – Sat) and 8.30am – 2pm (Sun).
Carlos jokingly refers to his three young assistants as his ‘Carlos Angels’. The satisfied customers we met when we visited certainly seemed to appreciate the service and the food, and intended to return.
A public spirited man, Carlos recently came to the rescue when he spotted three would-be criminals attempting to seize the bank card of a lady at the nearby cash machine. His imposing presence was too much for the ne’er do wells and he chased them off. (Note this timely reminder to us all, even in usually safe Ickenham, to keep our wits about us whenever we use cash machines.) We wonder if the troublemakers realised they were being chased by a Barcelona player?
A WEEK OF PRAYER AND REFLECTION
 Posters around the village this month invite you to take time, in the first week of Advent, to reflect on, and pray for our churches and the community of Ickenham. St Giles’ is hosting a week of events – but there is more to it than just coming to church. So pick up a leaflet where you see the posters. It’s full of details, dates and times, and ideas to spark your own involvement. Then just join in: what we need for this to succeed is YOU!
BERNARD PEARCE
 We were saddened to hear of the death of Bernard Pearce on 3rd October. His funeral service at the URC was filled by family and friends, remembering with love and affection this long time church member and stalwart of the Christian Aid movement.
Bernard was born in Brentford in 1926, but he was particularly proud of his father’s Cornish heritage. With his parents and elder brother Gendal, he moved to Hillingdon, where he lived for most of his childhood.
Turning 18 during wartime, he joined the navy as a photographer. In peacetime, he motor biked across France to the Alps, selling coffee beans to the French to fund his travels. Photography, motorbikes and mountains retained his interest, and the mountains became favourite places for holidays and relaxation.
In the early fifties while training to be a teacher, he gave motorbike lifts to fellow trainee Judy Kirby. Romance grew; they married in August 1957, and set up home in Ickenham.
His church involvement, and love for God developed after the 1954 Billy Graham London Crusade. In 1970, he moved from Salem Baptist Church Hillingdon, to join Ickenham URC (at that stage the Congregational Church). He found great encouragement and refreshment from attending retreats at Taize. Perhaps its close proximity to the Burgundy wine region – another interest – was purely coincidental!
 Arising from his faith, and possibly complemented by his father’s socialist views, Bernard strove passionately to help the developing world, through Christian Aid and the trade justice movement. He was an active campaigner and a voice for those unheard people in real need. For many years he organised the Christian Aid Week collection here in Ickenham, passing on this responsibility just two years ago.
He enjoyed his work as a lecturer at All Saints Teacher Training College in Tottenham but also classroom teaching, working with small groups of special needs children, tutoring for the Open University and teaching individuals from all walks of life.
Most precious to him were his family; wife Judy, three children David, Robert and Heather, and his seven grandchildren. Our thoughts are with all of them at this time.
HP
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