Events
Holiday Club 2013 - Monday 10 April to Wednesday 12 April
We had a very successful Holiday Club when we had between 40 and 45 children attending each day. The theme was Peter the Rock and the children (and the helpers) had a great time. Many thanks for all those who helped in any way either as staff or preparing craft material beforehand. We are also grateful to the Big Lottery Trust for a £100 grant towards craft materials.
Good Friday Walk 2013 - Friday 29 March
A hardy collection of 48 braved the wind and snow at Alton Water for our traditonal Good Friday Walk.
CHAPS Pantominme 2013 - Little Red Riding Hood
Audiences totalling over 400 were delighted by another great pantomime from the Castle Hill Amateur Players in February.
Tots' Christmas Party
Thirty-five children plus their carers enjoyed the Tots’ Christmas party.
Christmas Fair 2012
Our Christmas Fair raised £1,189. The Common Room ‘café’ proved to be the venue to chat with friends over a variety of tasty snacks and beverages. In the Meeting Room there were literally hundreds of books to browse over while out in the Main Church and in the Sports Hall stallholders representing several Church organisations did a brisk trade.
Samaritan's Shoebox Appeal 2012
Castle Hill URC collected and filled 122 shoeboxes for the Samaritan's Shoebox Appeal. Our Shoeboxes went to the distribution centre at Bentley. They were loaded into a container of over 8500 shoeboxes and sent to Swaziland.
Girls' Brigade District Swimming Gala 2012
In the Girls’ Brigade District Swimming Gala in November, our Girls’ Brigade team came runners up and Eve Chilvers won the individual 50 metres freestyle event for the Seniors. Pictured here are nine of the ten girls in the team. Well done to all of them!
Castle Hill Has Talent - Saturday 6 October 2012
A wealth of talent from among the congregation was once again displayed at the Charities Concert. Not only was the supper and entertainment enjoyed by an appreciative audience but it also raised £242 for our Church Charities, the Ipswich Blind Society and Papworth Trust. Thanks go to all those who performed, cooked, or helped in any way to make this such an enjoyable and worthwhile evening.
Girls' Brigade Summer Camp 2012
We took 27 girls, one boy and seven leaders to Holy Trinity Methodist Church, Lowestoft, over the August Bank Holiday weekend - our largest camp for many years! We visited Africa Alive, went swimming, had a chilly visit to the beach and finished with a Treasure Hunt - where we found Andrea disguised as Father Christmas! It was a weekend of laughter, teamwork and great fellowship, and I’m sure the leaders enjoy camp as much as the girls!
Tuesday Fellowship Bows Out With A Party
Food games and laughter as after almost 50 years the Tuesday Fellowship signed off with a farewell party now that Fellowship activities are being merged with the Wednesday Lunch Club’s monthly social hour.
Girls' Brigade Olympic Success 2012
Congratulations to the girls who represented our Girls’ Brigade Company in the Girls' Brigade District Sports Competition winning the Junior and Senior Sections and the Overall Company Winner trophy. The competition was based on the Olympics and after each race medals were presented. Our girls chose to ‘represent’ Trinidad and Tobago.
Visit from Bishop Patrick Tugume - Sunday 13 May
Rev Ken Berkin, Bishop Patrick Tugume and his wife Mama Eva joined us in our service and were invited to talk to the congregation. Rev Ken Berkin thanked everyone for their continuous support of the work of our projects in North Kigezi Diocese and for welcoming Bishop Patrick and Mama Eva. Ken told us about orphans in Uganda and some of the difficulties they face and the need for a children’s centre. Bishop Patrick thanked everyone for their support, through sponsoring children and Bucence children’s centre. He talked to us about the problem of Aids leaving many children without parents, about rainwater harvesting and the need for water tanks and also about the problem of banana wilt. He announced that the Priests of North Kigezi Diocese had elected Rachel Harris to become a Canon of Emmanuel Cathedral.
During their five day visit they also visited schools in Ipswich and other parts of Suffolk, the Wards’ beach hut, went shopping in Felixstowe and Ipswich and finally our Girls’ Brigade where Bishop Patrick talked to the girls briefly about the Brigade in Uganda and then about keeping their anchors held firm.
Visit by Friends from Mussbach - Monday 9 April to Sunday 15 April
After 30 years the Mussbach/Castle Hill partnership is as strong as ever. Despite the best efforts of the weather forecasters to put a dampener on our planned events we enjoyed a pleasant week of mainly early April sunshine. This was the icing on the cake of a memorable week with our German friends. The bonds between our two Christian communities have grown ever stronger over the 30 years of the partnership’s existence and this was never so evident than at the service held at the conclusion of the visit. There was a sense of family with each group feeling at ease in the others’ company as jointly they contributed to the Sunday Morning Worship. At the conclusion of a week of visits, social events, including a 30 years celebration party and of course time with guests and host families, there were smiles all round.