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Painted icons by highly talented local artist to feature at St Paul's
Cathy Young of Luton brings a selection of her hand painted Christian
icons to St Paul's this week, Thursday May 9 to Sunday May 12.
Cathy has painted icons for some 25 years. These can now be found in the
UK, the US, Australia and Italy. They are in churches and private
collections, and are owned by bishops, canons, other clergy and lay
people.
Cathy who is an Anglican says: "I use acrylic paint on the finest
quality canvas. Icons are painted as a prayer; each one is a sermon and
contains a wealth of information that can be 'read' just as a document
can be read".
She continues: "Icons look back in time to a vastly rich tradition,
forward to continuing belief, but my icons have been adapted to the
modern world. They reach horizontally; all over the world and even
embrace people of faiths other than Christian "
Cathy is currently working on a series of 12 apostles for a rood screen
in the chapel at Buittle Castle in south-west Scotland.
The exhibition is free to enter and is open daily, Thursday 9th May to
Sunday 12th May, 10-4. Many icons are for sale.
For more information visit Kathy's website at
www.iconismus.com
or contact St Paul's office on 01234 340163.
Cathy can be contacted by email at catherine@iconismus.com
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St Pauls's Festival ConcertSt Pauls'c Christmas Tree
Festival will soon open for another year and the tradition of having a
festival concert on the Friday evening continues this year with the
Philharmonia chamber players. The six string players are a unique part
of the bigger Philharmonia Orchestra, set up to showcase a rich and wide
variety of musical repertoire for a small ensemble. This year's concert,
which takes place at St Paul's church on Friday December 7th and set to
a wonderful backdrop of over 60 decorated trees, will feature works by
Brahms. Piazzola, Gershwin and Cole Porter.
Tickets for the concert are £16 and will include a glass of mulled wine
and mince pies. For more information please call 01234 783181 or
01234
340163 or visit the St Paul's church office where tickets can be bought
in person.
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New Bedford Visitor Information Centre set for launchFollowing
months of discussions, the town centre church of St Paul's is set to
host a new information service for visitors and the people of Bedford.
The new Bedford Visitor Information Desk will open inside the church on
Wednesday October 17 and will effectively replace the old tourist
information office which the council closed in 2017.
The Information Desk will be run by volunteers and has been created to
provide a central resource for visitors as well and the local community.
It will provide a wide range of information on services and attractions,
including where to shop, what's showing at local theatres and cinemas,
guides to restaurants and galleries as well as all of the historical
places of interest. St Paul's church will be used as the starting point
for guided walks around the town.
Steve Barratt, the manager of the new Information centre explained:
"After the closure of the tourist information office at the bus station,
we have received constant feedback that Bedford is in urgent need of
central hub for information about the town. We looked around for some
time to find a suitable venue and following our discussions with St
Paul's church we jointly agreed it would be the perfect spot.
"Although we won't have the facility to sell travel or concert
tickets, we will be able to provide a wide range of information about
what is going on in and around Bedford. It has taken quite a few months
and a lot of hard work to get to this point, so I really hope the new
service will provide a valuable asset to the town and will be welcomed
by locals and visitors alike."
Initially the centre will be open three days a week on Wednesday, Friday
and Saturday between the hours of 10.30am to 4.00pm. It will be staffed
by knowledgeable volunteers, some of whom previously worked with the
tourist information service and all of whom live in and around Bedford
and share a joint interest in promoting the town and its attractions.
St Paul's Church is based at St Paul's Square in the centre of Bedford
and is open to public every day between 10.00am and 4.00pm. |
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Autumn Tuesday Lunchtime ConcertsYou know it's Back to School
time when the St Paul's Autumn series of Tuesday lunchtime concerts
resume....The new series kicks off next week on Tuesday September 11th
with a trio of piano and two sopranos.
This term's concerts will feature a range of musicians from solo
pianists, violinists and organists. Later in the term the music scholars
of Bedford School get their opportunity to play in front of an
appreciative audience, while there will also be a recital from the 2012
winner of the BBC young Musician of the Year, Lara Melda.
Our long-standing concert organiser Heather Turnham will again host the
concerts and light lunches of soup and sandwiches will be available from
12.00 noon. |
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Church Cleaner WantedWe are looking for a new cleaner to help
us look after our busy town centre church at St Paul's Bedford. Our
building is many centuries old, but our cleaning needs are
straightforward.
We are looking for a reliable and experienced cleaner whose job will be
to keep the main church clean and tidy throughout the week and to make
sure that kitchens, toilets and reception areas are spotless for our
many visitors and to help us maintain our five-star hygiene
accreditation standards.
We have some flexibility over working hours however the job does require
someone to work 8 hours a week and to be able to work some of these
hours on both Mondays and Fridays. Experience of contract or commercial
cleaning is required while an understanding and sympathy with the ethos
of the Church of England is preferred. References and DBS checks will be
carried out for the successful candidate.
To be considered for the role please send a short cover letter and up to
date CV to
robin.bartlett@stpaulschurchbedford.org.uk in the first instance.
For more information please call the church office on
01234 340163. |
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We're recruiting: St Paul's to appoint new TreasurerWe are
currently looking to appoint a new Treasurer here at the busy church of
St Paul's. As the town centre church of Bedford and civic church for the
county, there is always plenty going on.
The Treasurer supports the ministry of the Parochial Church Council (PCC)
and the ministry team through ensuring that the financial affairs of the
parish are correctly ordered. The Treasurer is an officer of the PCC, an
official position serving the church by providing financial leadership
at a strategic level. He/she is appointed by the PCC, with the support
of the Incumbent and Churchwardens and will sit on various committees
and must act as the first and primary tier of financial checks and
balances.
This is a voluntary role which requires between 8 and 10 hours a week.
Some evening work is required to attend meetings.
For further information and a full job specification, please write to
Alison Phillipson at
phillipson643@hotmail.com. |
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Pole to Pole photography exhibition opens next week
Wildlife photographer, Ursula Clare Franklin will be bringing an
exhibition of her stunning photographs to St Paul's for 3 days next
week, 22-24 June 2018.
Ursula loves focusing on the detail that the naked eye often misses, for
example the hairs on the legs of insects and the stamens of flowers.
Since early childhood Ursula has spent time in the countryside,
developing a real love of nature.
Ursula is a former chorister at St Paul's and now lives in the Quantcocks in the West Country from where she often heads for the Exmoor
National Park, a photographer's paradise with its red deer, ponies and
birdlife. She also loves taking photographs further afield and has
travelled from the Arctic to Antarctica with many places in between -
hence the exhibition title 'Pole to Pole'.
Ursula uses her images in her work as a leadership development
consultant, combining these with inspirational quotes. All images are
for sale and commissions taken for different sizes and canvases.
The exhibition is open Friday June 22 (10am to 4.00pm), Saturday June 23
(10.00am to 4.00pm) and Sunday June 24 (2.00pm to 4.00pm). Admission is
just £1 and children under 16 come in free.
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St Paul's receives Certificate of Excellence on TripAdvisor
St Paul's is enjoying rave reviews on the visitor
feedback website, TripAdvisor. With many reviews received over the past
two years, St Paul's has received a certificate of excellence for
consistently earning great reviews from visitors.
The positive feedback covers all areas of
church life too, including the building, the people, worship and the
lunchtime concerts.
To see the full list of those have visited St Paul's, please visit
TripAdvisor.
The church is open every day between 10.00am and 4.00pm with a light
lunches and a free concert on Tuesdays (term time) and refreshments also
sold on Saturday between 10.00am and 3.00pm. |
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Spring Fair this Saturday
A little earlier than usual, St Paul's will hold its Spring Fair
(formerly the May Market) this Saturday, April 28.
There will be the usual range of stalls to browse, including books,
cakes, a variety of home gifts, gift cards, cosmetics and soft toys. The
St Paul's choir will be manning the bottle stall and face-painting is
being done for the smaller children, until lunchtime.
Refreshments will be available throughout the day and light lunches
(soup and sandwiches) from 12.00.
Entry is free and doors open to the public at 10.00am. |