On Thursday 19th December over 60 people sat down to a free Christmas Celebration Lunch in St. Helen's Church. Volunteers run a Place of Welcome with a free lunch of homemade soup and bread every Thursday. The Christmas Celebration Lunch was enjoyed by all. Christmas Jumpers were worn and Christmas Crackers were pulled. The venue sparkled with many Christmas tree lights. Everyone had a good time. Thank you to all those who volunteered by making soup and welcoming guests.The Place of Welcome Lunches will start again on Thursday 2nd January 2025. The lunch is free and anyone is welcome.
We are delighted to have been awarded third place in a photo competition that was run by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/CheshireCommunityFoundation?__cft__[0]=AZVUTZtD57KXtbSzS7uZJvDKinGRptAbjy6ulFd9sfQauA3DBjG_sfZ3YCTgOeiMDP8NxTftncc5-8FwJDfboi_HOaYitCYiwI8UvQSf4cY58U2kMtifmhApT2dy30WgrfhlK6C8o2nD5fICKEtIPB8J-0f0cS6A898ZNpvG_TzFYJi_6C4-_3V8HD7TECY5ds845xPbUkoVP1A1GNxB85M2Ayur83aMI76xLzTY_srzG-rfjjg8J9UoOnvZ1sg4tDw&__tn__=-]K-R">Cheshire Community Foundation</a> The following text accompanied the photo that was entered into the competition by Church Warden, Gordon Atkinson."In third place was St Helen’s Church, Northwich, with a photograph depicting their regular Thursday Place of Welcome, a project funded by a Cheshire Community Foundation small grant. It’s an open drop-in for local people to have a hot drink and <a></a>meet others, with a simple lunch made and served by volunteers. The session was started with the expectation of a modest 10 attendees. Word spread, and there were often over 40 or 50 local people arriving at the church, finding a warm welcome and an opportunity to make friends. Many attendees also offered to volunteer and a community grew. Loneliness and isolation continue to threaten the health of our communities, particularly older people, and it is groups like these which can provide a lifeline."
The excellent sum of £793.35 was raised through donations during January, February and March for Mid Cheshire Samaritans at St Helen's 4 Cs - Coffee, Cake, Company and Conversation. The cheque was handed over to Anne and Gloria from Mid Cheshire Samaritans. Thank you to everyone for the donations and to Lesley, Paul, Dot and Anne for hosting the event every Saturday morning.St. Helen's 4Cs takes place every Saturday morning between 10.00am and 12noon. The church is open and refreshments are served for a donation. All the monet raised is for charity.
