FROM THE CHURCHES’ REGISTERS
Weddings at St Giles’
May 19th Thomas Prendergast and Samantha Holmes
May 26th Lee Hart and Michele Fuller
June 9th Paul Mansi and Mhairi Stephens
DONATIONS
This month, receipt is acknowledged, with grateful thanks, for donations from:
Anon via Mrs Gwilt; Anon via David Thorpe; Mrs E Dalton; Ickenham Afternoon Townswomen’s Guild.
Remember there is no separate August edition of ICN. Items for the next edition, the September one, should be with the team by noon on August 13th. Meanwhile, have a good summer break!
DROP-IN FOR THE BEREAVED. Third Monday of each month. St Giles’ Church Hall, 2pm to 3.30pm. A friendly, informal opportunity for a chat, over a cup of tea, with other bereaved people and bereavement visitors. The next meeting is on Monday 16th July (then Monday 29th August). Just come along, or ring the Rectory (622970) if you would like to talk to someone first.
FESTIVAL SPIRIT
Another Ickenham Festival, and it was as impressive as ever! The weather forecast in the run up to the nine days was discouraging, but Ickenham still turned up in numbers to every event. We started with the special Men’s Breakfast and finished with the increasingly-popular Duck Race and a final Open Garden. The Sunday morning thanksgiving service had to be moved from Swakeleys Grounds to the URC but that didn’t dampen our spirits for this joyful occasion led by Adrian and addressed by Ken (one of his last joint church events before his retirement). We were also pleased to hear from visitor Bishop Wesis Porop of Papua New Guinea – people come from far and wide for the Ickenham Festival!
Gala Day featured a huge and varied procession from Milton Court to Swakeleys House, and over 4,000 in the Grounds enjoyed the ranks of stalls representing most of the varied Ickenham activities. There were rides and entertainments to suit all ages. The Mayor and Mayoress of Hillingdon judged the scarecrow competition, with gold going to the Olympic Torch, while the bee-keeping farmer and a very pink pig took second and third places. Despite the threat of poor weather, 1,500 brave picnickers came to the evening concert, which culminated in fireworks to the stirring music of “The Last Night of the Proms!” And it was gratifying to see volunteers turn up the next day to help the Festival Team clear up the grounds.
The twenty-two Open Gardens were the best yet, providing a delightful opportunity for us to meet our friends and make some new ones over tea and cakes. And the little ones loved the Teddy Bears Picnic! So intriguing were the Hobbies, Arts and Crafts that several folk were seen coming back for more. The flowers in the churches and elsewhere were a treat to behold. Lovely music and food was to be enjoyed all over as was sport, rides, rambles, drama and comedy. With over a hundred events to attend it’s impossible to mention them all but we were certainly left with happy memories and pride in being part of this Ickenham Community of ours!
AFN
