We are now back each Saturday and pleased to see regular and new supporters visiting us again. It is also pleasing to welcome some new helpers to our team.

Our coffee area has been enhanced with extra seating and more colourful table coverings. We are still the most competitively priced place for tea, coffee and cake. It is the venue to drop in any Saturday between 10am – 12 noon to enjoy a beverage. We maintain a wide range of stock including greetings cards, books, new items, stationery, good quality bric a brace and homemade cakes. Easter cards will also be available during March.

Donations are always welcome but need t be in good condition and items we are likely to be able to sell in our location and to our potential buyers. We cannot accept electrical items and videos.

Do drop in any Saturday to browse over our stock, enjoy a tea/coffee and friendly chat. You will be most welcome and pleasantly surprised.

Valerie & Roy

As more and more people arrived the central serving table became loaded with a wide variety of savoury smelling dishes and after Chris had given a brief welcome and said Grace, we were encouraged to help ourselves. The main question proved to be where one should start when faced with Shepherd’s Pie, Pot Roast Beef, Mushroom Roulade, Chicken Curry and Chicken in Mango sauce plus Curry Mayonnaise Pasta, Yorkshire puddings, a large bowl of roast potatoes, three different flavours of rice, as well as carrots and broccoli. The answer – try a little of each, which most people seemed to do. The verdict was that all were delicious but the most novel were the Mushroom Roulade and the Chicken in Mango Sauce.

After a pause to refresh ourselves with flavoured waters, of which I enjoyed the one with the touch of elderflower, it was time for the desserts. Again there was a very wide selection of temptations ranging from the old favourites rhubarb pie with custard, sponge pudding with flavoursome sauce, two types of trifle and the Kent speciality, gypsy tart, to the lighter desserts of fruit salad, lemon and lime cheesecake and arctic pudding.

Replete we discreetly loosened our waistbands and relaxed over a cup of tea or coffee. Chris dished out after dinner mints between frequent weather checks through steam occluded windows and helping Kathy set up the entertainment. First trying to identify photos of 33 worldwide famous sites. At our table we were pleasantly surprised with how many we recognised, but could not compete with the near perfect score of the winner. After this came the hilarious Stand Up Bingo and then the brave opted to have a name pinned on their back and tried to identify through questions and yes/no answers. So ended a delightful evening of shared warmth, food and friendship, a night to remember and as a bonus we made it home before the snow set in.

Lesley Gregory

Aylesford Church sparkled with 65 traditional and wacky Christmas trees for the first two weekends of December. Trees came from local businesses, all the four schools in the parish, local organisations and clubs, and from individuals and families.  They ranged from a working Thomas the Tank engine model made from Knex (Royal British Legion Industries) to a flock of angels made from balloons (the church’s Friendship Afternoon). Simon Parkin from Meridian TV, broadcast live from the festival at the Reception for exhibitors, and the Festival also included many church services, a Christmas brass band concert and an Organ Marathon when the organ was played for over 6 hours by a succession of organists.

Visitors to the Festival voted for their favourite trees. The winner was a fascinating “Interactivitree”, produced by the Bowden and Mitchell families, which ENCOURAGED children to play with all the toys on it. Second was the WI tree whose decorations were all handmade, and third was the tree from the Poppy Pre-School.

Here is a list of Christmas services and events being held in and around Aylesford Church:

November was a very busy month leading up to the Christmas Fayre. This was once again a most happy and pleasant occasion on a fine, crisp, sunny day. Visitors were able to browse over a great variety of stalls and try their luck on several games and of course our fantastic main raffle with thirty six prizes. This was a great success and special thanks are extended to Suzanne Shuter and Ann Butterworth for all their work in contacting and obtaining many of the great prizes and being instrumental in pre-day sale of tickets. In connection with this we would especially like to thank the following for their support:

Empire Casino, London, Tracey Crouch MP, Maria Godden, Village Hotel and Leisure Club, Hever Castle, Larkfield Leisure Centre, Bluebell Estate Agents, V&A Car Valet, Reflections Hairdressers, Orchard Theatre, Dr Spa Fish Pedicure, Bentley’s Coffee, Kent & Sussex Railway, Leeds Castle, SAGA, Tesco, J. G. Richards Solicitors, Beauty Bank, Paula (Pedicure), Gossip Hairdressers, Biddenden Vineyard , Maidstone Leisure Centre, The Chequers Pub, Johnson’s Cleaners and Travis Perkins.

This was a great start to the Christmas season with Father Christmas adding the seasonal effect. All in all a great social and financial success with some £1,450 raised for the church including £350 especially for the Organ Appeal.

All the Saturday Market team wish our supporters and customers a very Happy Christmas and we look forward to greeting you all again in February.

We have now reached the one-third point in our fundraising, thanks to the very generous efforts of very many people, through individual donations or sponsorships. Our total fundraising is now well over £16,000 and with a small push, we can break the £20,000 barrier: The Organathon on 10th December is one such sponsored event to help achieve this target: Do come along (any time between 10am and 4pm) and hear a continuous playing of the organ by 15 organists . . . and do sponsor the playing as well!

Since the last update, we have had a very successful sponsored hymn sing (raising in excess of £1,300), as well as ongoing initiatives, including the ‘Coins in a Bottle’ which has so far raised nearly £170 on its own! We have also received some significant one-off donations, including those from the Friends of Aylesford Church, and the proceeds of a coin collection.

Thank you for your support: We need it now as much as ever, and there are a range of opportunities on display on the notice board in church, including donating items to sell, leaving a legacy and sponsoring a pipe (or more than one!). Donations which can be made under the Gift Aided scheme also increase the amounts raised, at no extra cost to you.

Your support is very much appreciated.

Michael Keays

Church Organist and Choirmaster

Each half-term holiday Aylesford Church holds a one day Holiday Club for primary school children. It lasts from 10am until 3pm, and takes place in the Brassey Centre, Station Road. The club in October was typical: 20 children piling in with their lunch boxes, some timid because it was their first time, some marching in confidently, ready to play dodgeball; we usually begin with that!

We sang, did craftwork, made bread and talked about being good seeds for God (thinking about Jesus’ parable of the sower). About 20 adults and secondary school children helped run the club, so we were well able to take care of the children. Sometimes we have children at the club who don’t go to school at all, so the club is a good time for them to mix with other children and adults, and to join in group activities.

After lunch, it was games! In the Summer we have water games, but in October that’s not so popular. Instead, we had a shoe-kicking competition (one shoe ended up on the roof!), various ball games and a new game which required children to bend down and pick up a cardboard tube with their teeth. I kept cutting more off the tube until it was only about 4 inches tall, but still most of them managed to contort themselves low enough to reach it. The adults didn’t even try, and the teenagers found it particularly difficult!

It was a very happy time; the children went home tired, with homemade bread, boats and other craftwork. We hope – and pray – that they also took home Jesus’ words.

Thank you to Jenny Relf, Janet Holdstock and all the other helpers for the huge amount of effort that they put into these clubs.

Chris van Straaten

We had a great time in Aylesford Church recently: 100 excited children from Aylesford Primary School arrived on a Monday morning for a pretend wedding. The children were all dressed up for the occasion: smart party dresses for the girls, suits, waistcoats and bow ties for the boys and all the teachers wore rosettes – one even wore a hat!

We sorted out who everybody was – bridal couple, parents, Best Man, ushers, numerous bridesmaids and page boys, guests, official photographer – and then they all went out ready to go for it real. I wanted the children to experience what a real wedding felt like as much as possible, so we lit candles, put ribbons on the pew ends and prepared the wedding music on the CD system. I put on my robes for the wedding.

We were ready to start. To the strains of Lohengrin, the bride walked down the aisle accompanied by her “father”; she was all in white, with a veil, and holding a posy of yellow carnations. We all sang a verse of “All things bright and beautiful”, and then we were off. The bride and groom, Amy and Harrison, made their promises very clearly and well, and the Best Man, Connor, produced the ring. Everyone applauded, but I didn’t invite the bride and groom to kiss! After prayers and a pretend signing of the registers, the bridal party trooped out into the sun, followed by the 100 guests who were given confetti to throw at the bridal party, and photos were taken. Afterwards it was back into the church to toast the bride and groom with squash, and then we talked it through.

I thoroughly enjoyed it and I hope the pupils did too. One boy said to me, “I am going to my Aunt’s wedding soon. But now I know how to do weddings!”

Chris van Straaten

Also in the service, June Williams told us how she had come back to Church recently after a long time when she didn’t go. It was interesting to hear her speak of her journey of faith and what made her come back to Church.

All our visitors to Aylesford Church were welcomed to the lively service at which the brand new Church website was launched. After the service there was plenty of opportunity to enjoy tea, coffee, cakes and a chat with other people.