A team of volunteers from Winchcombe will be holding a special Christmas musical event with special guests the Rt Revd Rachel Treweek, Bishop of Gloucester and the Venerable Phil Andrew, Archdeacon of Cheltenham, to raise funds for The Children’s Society.
The charity’s Winchcombe parish committee, chaired by Jules Redgers (78), will hold two festive evenings including carols, music, poetry, a raffle, mulled wine and a decadent buffet on Friday 8 and Saturday 9 December at Charingworth Court on Broadway Road in Winchcombe – a stunning 14th century Cotswold mansion.
The event has been a popular date on the local calendar for the last twenty years and over that time the committee has raised over £90,000 for The Children’s Society. The event will be held over two evenings to meet demand for tickets, and will raise vital funds for the vulnerable children that the charity supports.
This year, Jules and the Committee, who are linked with St Peter’s Church in Winchcombe, are delighted to welcome the Rt Revd Rachel Treweek, Bishop of Gloucester, to join the festivities at Charingworth on the Friday night and the Venerable Phil Andrew, Archdeacon of Cheltenham, on the Saturday night. Bishop Rachel is a keen advocate of The Children’s Society’s Good Childhood Report, which is an annual look into how children in the UK feel about their lives and their well-being.
Reflecting on the research Bishop Rachel said: “The report this year highlighted the unhappiness of many young people across our country. Young people are facing increasing pressures in all areas of their lives, from their personal safety and money worries to how they look, which is having a damaging impact on their lives and mental health. The Children’s Society does such valuable work in helping vulnerable young people and I’m delighted to have been invited to the Winchcombe Committee’s wonderful Christmas event to support such a worthy cause.”
Jules Redgers, Winchcombe Committee’s Chair, talked about the Christmas event and said: “There is so much talent here, and it’s fantastic when the committee gathers everyone together to raise money for a great cause and we are so glad Bishop Rachel and Archdeacon Phil are joining us. Teenagers and young people come to lead the carols at Christmas, and many, many people offer their time and resources. It’s just wonderful and rather humbling to be part of such a generous community.”
Laura Reynolds, Regional Relationship Manager for The Children’s Society, said: “Jules and the Winchcombe Committee are an absolutely wonderful group, and their Christmas event is always such as special festive occasion. We’re so thankful to the group for all their hard work in organising this event as the funds raised make a real difference to vulnerable children’s lives.”
Both evenings have now sold out and there is currently a waiting list for tickets.