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Coming up this Saturday, 15th December at 6.00pm in St Disen’s Church is a Christmas Concert with the Bradninch Choir.  Before that, in the morning from 10.00am we have our Coffee Morning in the Guildhall with cake and bric-a-brac stalls and a raffle, followed at 12.00pm by festive rolls (turkey/brie and cranberry sauce) and mulled wine.

On 17th December at 2.00pm is the Duchy School Christingle Service and at 5.00pm at the Guildhall on 19th December is the Messy Church Nativity.

And on Saturday, 22nd December we have Carols by Candlelight which promises to be a particularly Christmassy event, followed by refreshments.

For all of our forthcoming events and services please see our What’s On’ calendar.  Everyone welcome.

Last Sunday, 2nd December, marked the first Sunday of Advent, the beginning of the church’s year and a time to start looking forward to the birth of Christ.  Following our Advent Service at which the first candle in our Advent wreath was lit and singing such wonderful Advent hymns as ‘Lo! he comes with clouds descending’ and ‘O come, O come, Emmanuel!’ we sat down to share a lovely lunch in a most festive setting.  Thank you to all who helped prepare and serve the meal and cleared away afterwards.

At the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11 month silence fell at the Bradninch War Memorial just as it did over the battlefields of Europe exactly 100 years ago, marking the end of the First World War.

      

A Remembrance Service at St Disen’s Church followed the laying of wreaths. Afterwards there was an opportunity to look at the St George’s Chapel set out with some of the gifts donated in 1917 when it was renovated as a War Memorial.  These included the recently restored bog oak cross and silver candlesticks on the altar.  The congregation was also able   to admire and  reflect upon the beautiful cross stitch tapestry, on its especially made stand, bearing the names of 66 men from Bradninch and Hele who died as a result of the war.  They are more than names.

A collection of £269, made at the service, has been forwarded to the Royal British Legion.

A beautiful candlelit memorial service was held in St Disens on Sunday 4th November.  Moving and yet comforting as the long list of names was read out and as people came forward to light candles for their loved ones.  They are more than names.

 

Sunshine on the reredos, the wooden screen behind the altar yesterday afternoon.

Forthcoming services and events in St Disen’s Church to mark All Souls Day on 2nd November and Armistice Day on 11th November.

4th November  All Souls Memorial Service  4.00pm

A reflective service to remember loved ones.

10th November  Bradninch Remembers, 7.30pm

An evening of reflection and performance to mark the centenary of the end of WWI, with David Davies and Heloise West.

11th November  Armistice/Remembrance Day

Armistice Day begins at the War Memorial outside the Guildhall at 10.45am before moving down to St Disen’s Church for the Remembrance Service.

And, in memory of all the men and women of Bradninch who paid the ultimate price in the service of their country we have a new page on our website: Lest We Forget.  They are more than names.

The silhouette of a WWI soldier has been set up outside the Guildhall.  The soldier is part of a nationwide art installation called ‘There But Not There‘, as a reminder of the ultimate sacrifice made by so many during the war and in doing so raise funds for the charity Remembered.

Close to the war memorial, ‘visible’ to all passers by and backed by a wall of poppies, this is a good place for a soldier.  The beautiful poppies, crafted by the Bradninch WI and others  have blossomed profusely, just as their real counterparts did on the fields of Flanders a century ago.  The purple poppies are a reminder of the thousands of animals that also served, and died, during the war.