February 2008
We started our fund-raising in December with a Festive Coffee Morning in the Village Hall. Our thanks to everyone who called in for a cake and coffee. On the Saturday before Christmas a small band of ringers went carol singing around the pubs in the village and raised £120 from the patrons. We are very grateful to the landlords of the Red Lion, Swan, Weighbridge and Crown for allowing us into their houses and to the drinkers who gave us their money.
Some of us went to the Watch Night service at Beoley on New Years Eve. We met for drinks in their Tapestry Room beforehand then rang for the start of the service at 11:30. It was only a short service but a very appropriate one, reflecting on the past twelve months and looking forward to the next twelve. St Leonards doesn't have a tower clock so the ringers had to toll 12 strokes for midnight before ringing in the New Year.
The final event of the holidays wasn't really ours at all but the Alvechurch Morris kindly decided to donate the collection from their Mummers' Play to our fund. Their activities raised £250 and we've pictures of their performance on the bells web site at http://www.alvechurchbells.org.uk/mummers.html.
Our next fund raising event will be to give away tubes of Cadbury's Mini Eggs. All that you have to do is eat the eggs before Shrove Tuesday, fill the empty tube with your five pence pieces during Lent, and give us the tube full of money at Easter. There's not much else you can do with a 5p so give them to us and get some free eggs in the process.
After that we have the Gemini choir back again. They gave a very popular performance for us last year and will be back in the church on April 26th. The concert starts at 7.30pm and refreshments will be available. Tickets will be £8.00 each and on sale at the end of February. Further details to follow in the next issue.