Rodborough Tabernacle United Reformed Church

It was a lovely sunny day and it soon was buzzing.

An appetising smell of bacon butties from the kitchen, wonderful singing from the Capella Singers and Tab folk and friends busy selling their wares.

A raffle had been organised with local businesses giving generous prizes and three hampers with donations given by Church folk.

Father Christmas was able to pay a visit to see the delighted children who also had a creative corner, face painting, christingle and balloon modelling.

The wonderful atmosphere resulted in £1,793 being raised for Church Funds and the other stalls and organisations raising £1,033.

The Fund Raising Committee would like to thank everyone who helped and the people who came to make it such a joyous occasion.

On Monday, December 15 at 12.30pm Monday Lunch Club enjoyed a delicious Christmas dinner cooked by Doreen Hoskins assisted by Tab folk.

Over forty people sat down to the repast.

Diana Davis and the Choir were the entertainment with renditions of carols with audience participation interspersed with anecdotes from Diana which caused much mirth.

A lovely time was had by all who attended and Rev. Eric Massey thanked Doreen for all her hard work and Barbara for organising it.

On Tuesday, December 16 at 7.00pm the Choir held their Carole Party in the Community Room.

They had been practising very hard with Diana Davis, the Choir Mistress.

There was a wonderful mixture of familiar carols and new but their piece de resistance was “The Orchestra” where they portrayed different instruments ending in unison which was greatly appreciated by the audience.

They always perform “The Gloucestershire Wassail” which they acted with masks of the different animals and Barbara dressed as the milk maid. Diana and Richard, her husband, interspersed with storied and jokes.

Richard told of his memories of a childhood at the end of World War II of a vivid glow in the sky of Bristol burning and although it was very hard until 1950s such happy memories of the great outdoors and sledging and two lovely horses called Prince and Dobbin.

Liz Shankland read the poem “Winter Evening” by William Cowper.

Diana always finds stories and jokes and she did not disappoint.

Just before the interval “Anomaly”, the Tab’s own folk group, performed a lovely mixture of their own compositions and alternative arrangements to two well know carols “O little town of Bethlehem” and “Away in a Manger.”

During the interval the Choir provided a very welcome glass of mulled wine and soft drinks and a lovely buffet.

Everybody agreed with Eric it had been a wonderful evening and the Tab is very lucky to have the Choir enriching the services every week and all Diana’s hard work and encouragement to provide such a wonderful evening.