The Lourdes Garden
The present garden was landscaped in 2001 by Mike and Mary to incorporate the Lourdes Grotto, a feature of the original parish garden, with its statue of Mary (donated by the Murray family in memory of their daughter) and St Bernadette. Many of the new trees, bushes and bulbs planted during the garden refurbishment were bought and dedicated by members of the parish, as were benches and furnishing - some of the garden furniture and the bird stand creatively built by Zenon Konopka.
Over the years there have been various additions and modifications and many people have been involved in the upkeep and maintenance. Despite being our location being at a busy ring road junction, the garden is always a peaceful place to sit in reflection and appreciation of God's creation. It is also host to several creatures, especially our resident robin and numerous other wildlife including an extremely shy hedgehog, along with the occasional fox.
The Garden is open during the week, usually to fit in with shop openings and various parish activities, on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 12 noon until 4.00 pm and on Sundays after the service. Details are given in the parish newsletter. The garden does need constant maintenance and so volunteer weeders, trimmers, tidiers, planters, waterers, sweepers, etc. are always welcomed. Contact us.
The first request for ashes to be interred in the garden was from the family of Pat Phipps and it was that request that prompted Fr John to explore the possibility of part of the garden being set aside for the burial of ashes.
After the necessary permissions were obtained the area at the top of the garden was allocated and over the years requests have grown. Usually, so as to keep uniformity with size and spacing, the parish use the same stonemason. People arrange details for their loved one's memorial stone direct and, once it is completed, the ashes are buried when the stone is fixed in place. A simple blessing ceremony can then be arranged when it is convenient for the family can gather.
Anyone who would like to request a resting place for their loved one should contact the parish for further information.
People are invited to donate whatever they no longer have use for and we find it a it a new home, selling through our charity shop or distributing to those in need through other local charitable organisations. We accept good quality clothing, soft furnishings, bric-a-brac, books, DVDs, CDs, children's toys, etc.
All donated items are carefully 'quarantined', sorted and cleaned according to the current government
guidance relating to Charity shops. Although all donations are welcomed, we ask that people
contact the parish first to arrange when and where to deliver as we cannot accept anonymous bags.
Entry to the shop is usually via the outer shop door located at the back of the parish hall (via the wooden gates at the top of the car park).
There is a bell on the door to request access if the door is closed.
The shop is usually open on
Wednesdays from 12 noon until 3.30 pm
The shop can also be opened by arrangement whilst other hall activities are taking place. Opening times and any additional opening times are confirmed each week in the parish newsletter.
Monies from the sale of items in our 'Home from Home' shop join with parish funds to be shared with the various charities that regularly approach the parish for support.
In April 2015 we handed out a parish questionaire asking people what skills they had and what activities they would like to suggest. Christine was one who came forward telling us that she had ran a cafe for several years and would help with any catering we needed. She had all the qualifications we needed to begin what had been one of the dreams for our parish centre - a drop-in cafe, giving people opportunity to meet socially during the week providing a hot meal in a warm space and, especially, company for those who lived alone.
From the volunteers that came forward there were enough persons to open our St Joseph's Table on two days during the week - Tuesdays and Wednesdays. With Christine's dedication and guidance the teams prepare hot meals, snacks, cakes, etc. and over the years, since its opening in 2016, many people have used the facility, both on a regular basis and to celebrate special occasions.
The team have also catered for funeral receptions following the services in our church, and various conferences that have booked to use our parish centre. We would love to see this extension of their hospitality develop, but it is very much dependent on the volunteers' generosity of time - and more volunteers would be needed to guarantee this on a regular basis. But we can ask . . .
All our volunteers are trained and have the relevant food hygiene certification and the project is run professionally as a business, meeting the catering requirements and standards of our local council - who have given us their top Five Star Food Hygiene rating. They do work on a tight budget sharing any profit with parish charities.
All opening times are confirmed in the parish newsletter and if anyone would like to volunteer to join the teams, please do contact us.
St Joseph's Table is open regularly, as confirmed in the weekly parish newsletter, and alongside the regular menu there is a 'specials' board which varies each week.
Tuesdays and Wednesdays
11.30 am until approximately 3.30 pm
(Closing time is dependent on attendance).
It is not necessary to book unless expecting to bring a group larger than six persons, although we advise arriving between 12 noon and 1.30 pm for the hot meal of the day, as this is limited to availability according to demand.
Welcome
Thank you for asking to join our weekly newsletter emailing address. By sending us this request you agree that we can store your email address on our database for the sole purpose of sending you information and news about St Joseph's parish through our weekly newsletter.
PLEASE ALSO NOTE that, on receipt of your request, your name will be added automatically to the newsletter emailing list . The email is sent out on Friday or Saturday of each week as a 'blind copy', in order to protect people's email addresses, but this can method can sometimes be rejected by mail servers. Please look out for your copy next weekend and, if it doesn't arrive, message the website again notifying us and we'll send each week as direct mail.
Thank you and God bless you.
Thank you for asking to join our weekly newsletter emailing address. By sending us this request you agree that we can store your email address on our database for the sole purpose of sending you information and news about St Joseph's parish through our weekly newsletter.
PLEASE ALSO NOTE that, on receipt of your request, your name will be added automatically to the newsletter emailing list . The email is sent out on Friday or Saturday of each week as a 'blind copy', in order to protect people's email addresses, but this can method can sometimes be rejected by mail servers. Please look out for your copy next weekend and, if it doesn't arrive, message the website again notifying us and we'll send each week as direct mail.
Thank you and God bless you.