Due to the current Covid-19 situation and Tier 5 restrictions there will not be any services in the Parish this Sunday 10th January.

Children in Redbook made their television debut this week as their nativity was filmed for BBC News. Just before 7am on Tuesday 8 December, 35 children in two villages, including the infant class of Redbook Church of England Primary School got to appear on BBC News.

“Herod is in lockdown in Chepstow and the wise men’s beards were lost in the post. But like every Nativity we are finding the children tell the story with such colour and convey the contagious excitement of that first Christmas”, says organiser Mari Hutchings.

“After Mac, as shepherd, had run down the field for me three times today, I asked him what’s it like being a shepherd.

“‘It’s a bit tiring’ he said!”

Mari wrote the script for the nativity and lots of local people have got involved. 81 year old Therese Casemore made all the angels’ costumes. People donated sheets for the shepherds, parents sewed on wings and a local farm hosted the production. A local drone enthusiast has also taken some stunning footage from above the angels. The children tie dyed all their own costumes and they look so vibrant against the landscape of early winter.  Ava slept in her angel dress every night when she had finished it.

Three girls have written a song which will be the soundtrack for the film.

The children are all members of the Art Angels group, which started during lockdown and gives free online art classes and provides art materials. The group has been ‘adopted’ by the church and is hoping to raise money to fund a toilet for the church (it doesn’t have one at all) so they can use the building for art classes after lockdown.

11 children are doing stop motion and graphics for the nativity and if lockdown restrictions allow, the group will be screening the film on 23 December, in the village church of Redbook, all day to small groups. They also plan to share it on YouTube.

Mari said, “It’s wonderful to have this to work on and I know the creative process has bought us all together as a community.”

Mark Bick, a representative from the church community said, “I am proud of how the approach of Art Angels puts the children in the forefront, telling the story, and that they have gained so much confidence through having  worked on Zoom on various projects through lockdown.”

You can catch up on iPlayer at 52’ 22” into the show.

Services have now resumed in the Parish and the following services will take place:

13th December

10.15am Eucharist at the Good Shepherd, Broadwell (also streamed to our facebook page).

4pm Evening prayer at All Saints Church, Newland.

20th December

10.15am Eucharist at the Good Shepherd, Broadwell (also streamed to our facebook page).

27th December  There will be no services in the parish today.

Services resume on 3rd January with a 10.15am Eucharist at the Good Shepherd Broadwell and a 4pm Evening prayer at All Saints Staunton.

Please see our main page for Christmas services and how to book seats to attend.

Historic England

The Mid-Wyedean Parish is very grateful to @Historic England Covid-19 Emergency Heritage At Risk Response Fund and the Government’s #Culturerecoveryfund for awarding All Saints Church, Newland a grant for repair work to the Brickdale Memorial  & Clerestory Windows and some gulley clearing and repair.

Please go to the All Saints Newland page on the ‘About Mid-Wyedean Churches’ tab for more details.

#HereForCulture

Currently due to National Lockdown Restrictions the are no services in our Parish until the 6th December at the earliest.

There will be a streamed communion service from the Church of the Good Shepherd to our Mid-Wyedean Parish Facebook page at 10.15am on a Sunday morning.

Please come back and check in early December.

For the foreseeable future we will be offering the following at the Churches in our Parish:

The Good Shepherd, Broadwell – A Service of Holy Communion at 10.15am each Sunday.

Numbers will be limited so please express an interest in coming by calling or emailing either Rev’d Sarah Bick or the Parish office on the numbers below.

All Saints Church, Newland  Open during the day for private prayer and for Evening Prayer at 4pm on the second and fourth Sundays of the month.

All Saints Church, Staunton Open during the day for private prayer and for Evening Prayer at 4pm on the first and third Sundays of the month.

 St Saviour’s Church, Redbrook The church is being used by the School on Tuesdays and by Art Angels on Saturdays.  Due to Covid cleaning restrictions it is therefore not open at other times, but we are planning to get it open to all for at least some of the week.

St Peter’s Church, Clearwell  Open for Weddings and Funerals only.

For more details please contact:

Vicar: Revd Sarah Bick.  Telephone 01594 835476 or email sarah@thebickerage.org.uk

Or

Parish Office: Tel:  07933 935534  Email: office.midwyedean@gmail.com

www.mid-wyedeanchurches.co.uk

The following link will take you to the Forest of Dean Covid-19 Mutual Aid Group where you can either sign up to help local people who may be unable to get out and about for shopping etc or find help if you are self isolating and need some support yourself.

https://www.churchofengland.org/more/media-centre/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-churches

For all Christmas Services in the Mid-Wyedean Parish please look at the Special Services tab on our homepage.