On Sunday 7 May, the day after the coronation of King Charls III, the residents of both villages came together to celebrate with a fabulous afternoon tea, numbering over 100 people. The Friends of Langrish and Ramsdean organised a free event, with donation bar and after a rainy coronation day, the sun shone through. Tables were arranged outside as well as inside and an area for children to play. There was also an area for face painting and indoor games. The sumptuous tea was provided by the Simply Scrumptious outlet in Petersfield with an excellent array of sandwiches and savouries. The village bakers came to the fore to provide a complete range of cakes, pastries, trifle, scones and more cake. A selection of teas was served in china teacups, in a nod to the afternoon tea etiquette. A raffle was held towards the end of the event with a few tasty prizes. The Cowshed was decorated with Union flags and bunting with the pretty check tablecloths and wild flowers on the tables. As a final flourish David Butcher (Chair) and Louise Collins (Events) were interviewed by Petersfield’s Shine Radio which you can hear on this link it's the 9th May podcast from about 13:10 minutes in
It was just a mention at a social event that a choir formed of Ukrainian ladies currently living in the Petersfield area, said they were looking for a venue to hold a concert. Christina Chard, who is hosting a Ukrainian family, explained that the choir needed a venue and asked if Langrish church could help. Sue Ricketts of the Langrish PCC committee was there at the time, and was subsequently given the go ahead. The families being hosted around Petersfield came together to form a ladies choir. These resilient brave women wanted to raise money for armoured medical vehicles to support the efforts in their home country. Once the PCC approved the request and the choir had visited the church, it was full speed ahead. The PCC agreed there would be no charge for this event and a date of Sunday 12 March at 3pm was confirmed. It was advertised locally and many Langrish residents helped with parking, organising access and refreshments were provided. The choir sang songs from their home country and were dressed in their national costume. When they sang the Ukrainian national anthem, it moved the spectators to tears. Over 80 people attended and were very generous. The concert raised over £1,000 towards their target. The choir hopes to visit other venues to increase their funding.
