Our administrator, Sarah, and family tried out the badminton court for a fun and lively session earlier this month. There is space for one court on the upper floor, on which there are mats that help to mark out the court. Yellow court markings can be used to indicate the corners of the court. The net is kept in a store room and is easy to put in place.The family used to play badminton weekly until one of the daughters broke her ankle 10 years ago. They were a bit rusty but soon got into the swing of things and remembered how much they enjoy playing! The court is available on weekdays and Saturdays. It costs £22 per hour; a group of friends or neighbours can get together to share the cost. This is only for people of 18+.There's an established group playing on Tuesdays at 7.30pm which people are welcome to join, or start a new group on a regular day.Contact Sarah admin@charlton.church to find out more.
The end is finally in sight for the restoration work at St Thomas – we hope that things should be completed by the end of July. It’s been a long haul – the contractors began working in September 2024. As often happens, the need for more vital structural work was discovered when scaffolding allowed the contractors a closer look. We hold our breath as we await the final invoice, but it was work we just had to go ahead with in order to prevent the cost racking up and further damage being done.We live in hope that grant funding and generous financial support from elsewhere will help us pay the final bill and that we won’t have to keep the diocesan loan that has filled a gap in the short term. We'll let you know how it all works out! But in the meantime, it was so affirming that Friends of Heathwood Gardens have spontaneously raised £570 for St Thomas Church via a Just Giving page. Their friendship and generosity means so much.
