Traditionally, our Harvest Festival consists of two seperate celebrations: a festive Thanksgiving Service in Church, which this year fell on Sunday, September 23, and a Harvest Supper on the following Thursday.

The service was indeed a celebration: the church looked its best in its festive garb of autumn flowers, the glowing red of the pyracantha berries a beautiful example of nature’s harvest.

Rather less romantically, tins predominated among the parishioners’ gifts - a fitting tribute, however, for townspeople, and often more useful for the recipients.

But fresh fruit and vegetables were also brought to the altar, mainly by children. The large number of these, very young ones with their parents, as well as the scouts, guides, cubs and brownies who had turned out in strength for their church parade, helped to make this well attended family communion service of thanksgiving such a joyful occasion.

We all felt we had good reason to be thankful for our plentiful daily bread, and we were happy to join in further celebration on Thursday afterwards, when this ‘bread’ took the shape of a delicious turkey-salad with all, but really all, the trimmings. Our Harvest Supper always is very popular, we could easily fill a larger hall. And that is no wonder considering the almost lavish spread to which we are treated.

The evening opened with a verse from the lovely harvest hymn ‘Come ye thankful people, come’, a reminder for everybody, also those who had not been able to come to Church on Sunday, of what we had come together for. After the meal itself the drama group entertained us with an amusing farce; a very funny plot and script and some excellent acting put us all in a very happy mood indeed. The organisation in preparing, laying, and clearing the meal, with main course, sweet, cheese board and coffee, is admirable, clockwork-like is an appropriate word. And although it is true that many hands make light work - comparatively, we all supported the Vicar who in his closing words thanked the Social Committee for all the hard work they had put in to making the Harvest Supper a great success.

Source: H.B., The Spire Magazine - 1973 November