Christmas Carols & Brass Ensemble Around The Village

November 30, 2011 | Permalink | Comment

Christmas Tree Festival - 3-4 December

November 19, 2011 | Permalink | Comment

St Mary's Christmas Fair - 19 November

November 12, 2011 | Permalink | Comment

The Strictly Come super-Santa Apprentice Factor!

Santa has spent the year scouring the country for possible super-Elves to organise and deliver his super-letters to good and deserving children! He has had auditions, boot camps and some group dances (Santa likes dancing!).

Santa is a hard task master (even compared to Simon Cowell) and with the other judges - including Rudolf having a tantrum and Mrs Claus making it clear she isn't too old and won't be replaced - it was a trying time for the contestants, especially the task of delivering letters in the dead of night during a postal strike! But the good news is super-Santa finally delivered the verdict “You're hired not fired!” to the Four Villages very own super-Elves (who can deliver all over the country Royal Mail permitting!) Super-Santa will send to the good children a special super-letter reassuring the child that they are definitely on Santa's list, that he knows just where they will be on Christmas morning and that he knows just what they want for Christmas.

Each letter is completely personal and is different for every child!

Calling all relatives and friends why not send the perfect pre-Christmas gift which will bring a smile to any child's face. All you have to do to join in the fun is to email super-Santa on super.santa@talktalk.net - his super Elves will then send you a super-form to fill in the child's special Christmas details. Alternatively get a copy of the form from the super-Elves direct - they are again using 96a High Street, Eaton Bray as their base this Christmas (the house between the Village Shop and the Butchers).

Then return the form to the super-Elves with £2.00 per child (or more if you want!) by Friday 18th December in an envelope marked with the code “Village Hall Project” (the super Elves have little Elves of their own so please be discreet!).

Santa has agreed to donate all proceeds to the Eaton Bray Village Hall so roll up for a super-Santa super-Christmas!!

Source: Focus, November 2009

November 7, 2009 | Permalink | Comment

Cheeky Monkeys - Christmas Party

Cheeky Monkeys under fives playtime will be holding their Christmas party on 16th December, at 1pm, in Eaton Bray Village Hall. There will be fun, games and music with local entertainer Jacqui, from "Jacq in the Box."

At the end of the afternoon Santa will visit with a present for each child. Please purchase tickets in advance as Santa needs to know how many presents to bring along! Usual entrance fee applies, (£1.50 parents, £1 child and 50p under one year.)

For further details and lots more information about our group, please visit www.cheekymonkeys.btik.com. We look forward to seeing you there!

November 6, 2009 | Permalink | Comment

Charity Christmas Puzzle 2008

www.christmaspuzzle.co.uk

Another year of puzzling is nearly done and dusted with the year being marked by the passing of three milestones:

• The number of entries exceeded 300 for the first time.
• The money distributed to charity this year has exceeded £4,000 for the first time.
  A total of £4,200 has been shared equally between six charities: Child Brain Injury Trust, Dunstable & District Disabled Sports, Mid-Suffolk Light Railway Museum, St Woolos Cathedral Rescue Appeal, Stafford & Stone Talking Newspaper, Tread the Boards
• The total raised by the Puzzle now exceeds £30,000.

Entries have come from many parts of the world, including as far away as Australia and, this year, 18 entries achieved full marks including Angie Baker, Greg Baker, the Brabenec family and Roger and Helen Wilkinson from within our villages.

A draw, to select four winners, was held at St Mary's Church, Eaton Bray, on 1 February. The winners were:

• Pauline Blackburn, Betty Jackson and Margaret Young, S M Jones and Colin & Jan Vout.

In addition, one entry was drawn at random from among all the entries received, the winner being Mrs R H Lowe, who scored 118½. These five winners each receive a cheque for £25.

Thanks to everyone who has supported this fundraising again this year.

March 1, 2009 | Permalink | Comment

Wanted - Homes for Mary and Joseph

Many of you who have attended one of St Mary's popular Christmas Eve Candle Services will have witnessed the return to church of our Travelling Crib figures, Mary and Joseph, after they have spent December travelling from one home in the parish to another, symbolising Mary and Joseph's difficult journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem before the birth of Jesus.

After a blessing in church on Advent Sunday (on 30 November) they will journey around the parish staying one night in any house that will welcome them. You are encouraged to participate in this activity, which provides an opportunity for a short act of worship during which a candle lit to signify that our travellers have a home for the night. This is often followed by the chance for the two families concerned to share glasses of wine and mince pies if they wish. Eventually the crib figures will be brought back to church on Christmas Eve for this year's 4.15pm Candle Service.

We hope that many households will participate in this lovely ritual - participation is not limited to those with young families - many older people take great pleasure from joining in and meeting people from the villages.

We do hope that St Mary's Travelling Crib will find a welcome in your house this Christmas. If you would like to have Mary and Joseph in your home for a night, or want more information, please contact Gordon Gray, or sign up on the Travelling Crib Form on the Notice Board in St Mary's Church.

November 5, 2008 | Permalink | Comment

Santa's already been to Eaton Bray

Eaton Bray's Christmas Fayre raised £1,300 towards St Mary's Church in the village.

Organisers prepared lunches for the visitors and the plentiful stalls kept Christmas shoppers busy.

Many children came along to see Father Christmas.

Spokesperson Katrina Grant said: "It was busier than we've ever seen. We are delighted that local people have supported this event for the church."

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer, 4 December 2007

December 4, 2007 | Permalink | Comment

Christmas and New Year Recycling and Refuse Collections

South Beds have now published their schedule for Christmas and New Year Recycling and Refuse Collections.

By suspending green bin collections, the council can offer a WEEKLY collection of your BLACK bin over the Christmas and New Year period. (Green Bin collections will be suspended from Monday 17th December 2007 until Friday 11th January 2008 inclusive)

From Monday 17th December put your black bin out in place of your green bin. Orange bin collections will remain alternate weekly.

The following table shows the changes that affect Eaton Bray:

The Eaton Bray Refuse Collection page will automatically update to show the correct next collection dates.

Source: South Beds Website

December 3, 2007 | Permalink | Comment

Christmas Fayre

St Mary's Church will be holding a Christmas Fair in Eaton Bray Village Hall on Saturday 17th November between 12.30pm and 2.30pm.

You can enjoy a Ploughman's Lunch, buy a cake for tea, win a prize in the raffle and do some early Christmas shopping without leaving the village! This year we are also expecting a visit from Santa Claus so do bring the children along.

Any contributions for the chocolate tombola, cake stall, recycled presents stall or the raffle would be very welcome. Please contact Peter Bennett.

Source: Focus, November 2007

November 5, 2007 | Permalink | Comment

Super-Santa’s Super-Letters

Once upon a time in the dim and distant past Eaton Bray's old tumbledown Village Hall was in a sorry state - and when the people of the village decided to make the Hall all new and swanky panky good they found that the cupboard was bare and that they didn't even have a cow to take to market to sell!

Then one cold winters day while searching through the cobwebs under the stage for some magic beans a wizened old hat-maker found a dusty cracked old piece of parchment with the words "Ye Olde Christmas Santa's letters!" Blowing the dust off the old man found the details of a magical secret portkey that allowed parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles to send secret special letters to Santa - and even better the parchment said that Santa would send super-special Santa letters to the children, reassuring them that he hadn't forgotten about them and would make a special effort to get to their house on Christmas morning with all the goodies they (or their parents!) wanted.

And ever since that dark winters day long ago last century the good children of the Four Villages have had super special letters from Santa - and for every letter Santa has donated £2 to the fund to renovate the Village Hall!

So with a mere 80 days to go until the festive season! Remember to watch this space next month for just how to make sure your little ones wake up with a smile on their face and not tears in their eyes - because remember if you don't tell Santa just how good your child has been then how will he know?

Source: Focus, October 2007

October 14, 2007 | Permalink | Comment

Christmas fayre at St Mary's

St Mary's Christmas Fayre takes place this Saturday, November 18, between midday and 2pm at Eaton Bray Village Hall, Church Lane.

There is a 50p admission fee which includes a cup of tea or coffee or a soft drink. Ploughmans' lunches will be available. Stalls will include the chocolate tombola, raffle, cake stall, crafts stall, good-as-new toy stall and others.

The proceeds from the fayre will be shared between the St Mary's Roof Fund and the Kagando Hospital Appeal.

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer, 14 November 2006

November 16, 2006 | Permalink | Comment