On the long weekend of 4th-6th May 2013 a charity flower festival was held at St Mary’s. “Emerald Glory” was the 55th anniversary of the Epsom Mayday Flower Club, and for the whole bank holiday weekend the church was festooned with a wide range of splendid and beautiful flower arrangements, as can be seen in the attached photographs. A service of thanksgiving was held on the Saturday evening for members of the Flower Club, which was also attended by the national and regional chairmen of NAFAS. The money raised by the festival will be divided between St Mary’s Church and Parkinson’s UK (Sutton Kingston and Epsom Branch). The Revd Russell…

NOTE: We will “Beat the Bounds” again on Sunday 1 May 2016, leaving church soon after 11am. See here for more details. All welcome! In April 2013, around twenty parishioners of St Mary’s parish ‘beat the bounds’– that is, we walked the boundary of the parish, a distance of around 9 miles. Some of us were taking a sponsored walk to raise money for the sound system appeal, but all of us were enjoying exercise, a sociable time, and an opportunity to remind ourselves of the extent of our parish and its many beautiful streets and green areas. We also enjoyed a lunch stop at the Toby Carvery and a…

St Mary’s Social Committee once again excelled themselves in providing a wonderful evening of food and entertainment with the theme of “St George”. Traditional English songs and a “name the Georges” quiz kept everyone amused and entertained, while great skill was being put to use in the kitchen to provide sixty three course meals. Very many thanks to all those involved!

On Tuesday 12 March the Bishop of Guildford, the Rt Revd Christopher Hill, spent a day in Epsom deanery, and the morning in the parish of St Mary’s Ewell. After celebrating the Eucharist and spending some time with the Vicar, the Bishop joined the deanery’s clergy for lunch at Cafe NESCOT in our church hall. And extra twenty or so hungry clergy was no problem for the students from NESCOT who provide such excellent lunches in the hall every week under the guidance of teaching staff member Mary Ayres and colleagues. The Bishop and the clergy from neighbouring parishes had a splendid lunch and were very glad to see this…

The funeral of Ted Goodacre, a long-standing member of our congregation, took place on 25 January at St Mary’s. An obituary will appear in April’s edition of the Ewell Parish News, but we publish here a second obituary in memory of Ted, and in thanksgiving for his life. Farewell to Ted Goodacre In 1976, St Mary’s Parish News printed a short profile of Ted, who at that time was a longstanding parishioner who had first attended the Church soon after moving to the area in 1954. Ted and Celia had been drawn to the church by Rev Brooke, and Ted really never felt any other church was his home. After…

On Saturday 9 March a Cake Sale was held in the Church Hall to raise funds for our Sound System Appeal. The date was chosen as the day before Mothering Sunday, so that people could buy cakes for Mothering Sunday tea parties. The turn out certainly vindicated that decision, as even before the official opening time of noon the hall was bursting at the seams with people buying some of St Mary’s famous cakes. A coffee shop, and CD and plant sale also attracted visitors, and a raffle was held for a special Mothering Sunday decorated cake. Drawing the raffle, the Vicar thanked all those who had made the event…

On Saturday 2 March, Mozart’s Requiem was sung at St Mary’s by a large scratch choir. The choir came together at 2:30pm, rehearsed throughout the afternoon, and enjoyed a full supper in the church hall. The performance at 7:30pm was a magnificent rendition of this great Requiem. Both audience and choir had a very enjoyable evening. Many thanks to our conductor Richard Harker, organist Jonathan Holmes, organisers and caterers Julia and Arthur Mathews, our soloists from St Mary’s Parish Church Choir and Emanuel School Chapel Choir, and members of Emanuel School Parents’ Choir and local choral societies and choirs for making this evening possible.

On Wednesday 20 February, a presentation was given at St Mary’s to explain more to interested parties about our proposal for a new sound system. The two members of St Mary’s congregation leading the project, Ian Burgess and Tim Price, explain the need for a new sound system and what was being proposed. The Vicar, the Revd Russell Dewhurst, emphasized his support of the project, and the spiritual importance of a first-rate sound system. After questions, there was time for refreshments and discussion. Some regular members of St Mary’s congregation who were present re-iterated their support for the project saying that, despite recent improvements, they still often found it hard…

A recent pilgrimage to the Holy Land was led by the Revd John Baxter and included several members of our congregation. You can read all about it here: http://www.ourpilgrimage.co.uk/

Christmas Cracker proved to be an inspired choice of name for the dinner on Saturday, December 1, as it certainly was a cracking event! St Mary’s Church Hall could not accommodate more than 60 diners so, reluctantly, the organisers had to disappoint many members of the congregation who were keen to buy tickets. For those fortunate enough to get their applications in early, it was a memorable evening. A team from the social committee had transformed the hall into a visual delight of reds, greens and gold and a party atmosphere soon developed as David and Jenny Dance served welcoming glasses of “bubbly”, crackers were pulled, paper hats donned and…