Crosspool Forum’s next Open Meeting will take place on Thursday 24 January at St Columba’s church. It starts at 7pm.
Come along and give your concerns on local issues to local councillors, the police and officials.
The guest speaker at this meeting is Mark Johnson from City Wide Care Alarms who will be talking about how you can remain safe, secure and independent in your home.
The church hall at St Columba’s has been redecorated and a new sound system installed.
Joint carol service at St. Columba’s church on Sunday 16 December
Stephen Hill Methodist Church and St. Columba’s Church invite you to join them for a joint carol service on Sunday 16 December at 4pm at St. Columba’s Church.
You can hear the Christmas story through readings, poetry, plus traditional and local carols, with warming refreshments afterwards.
Christmas trees are going up in the precinct on Sunday
Three events mark the start of Christmas festivities in Crosspool this weekend.
On Saturday 1 December from 10am-2pm Crosspool WI hosts a Christmas Fayre in Lounge@Crosspool cafe. Pop along for craft stalls, refreshments, homemade cakes and their great Crosspool bake-off!
On Sunday morning the Christmas trees will be going up in the precinct above our local shops. So look out for them when you pass through next week.
And on Sunday afternoon from 1.30-3.30pm there’s a Christmas disco for children between 3-11 years at St Columba’s church hall. Father Christmas will bring a present for every child and refreshments and nibbles will be served.
In addition to the church services, Loxley Silver Band will be playing local carols and Christmas tunes from 8.30pm at The Sportsman pub on Sunday 9 December, and there are also carols at Sandygate on Thursday 20 December.
St Columba’s Church of England
16 December 10am Family Communion; 4pm Carol Service (with Stephen Hill Methodist Church)
23 December 10am Morning Worship
24 December 4pm Candlelight Nativity Service
25 December 10am Christmas Family Communion
St Francis of Assisi Roman Catholic Church
24 December 4pm Children’s Nativity Service; 8pm Christmas Night Mass
25 December 10am Christmas Day Mass
Tapton Hill Congregational Church
23 December 2.45pm Candlelight Service
25 December 10.15am Christmas Day Service
The Beacon at Stephen Hill Methodist
24 December 4pm Children’s Service with Christingles; 11.30pm Midnight Communion
25 December 10am Worship for all the family
Crosspool Forum is hosting a Childrens’ Christmas Disco on Sunday 2 December, 2012.
The event for children between 3-11 years will run from 1.30-3.30pm in St Columba’s church hall. Father Christmas will bring a present for every child! Refreshments and nibbles will be served.
You can get your ticket from Crosspool Pet Shop – tickets are £5 per child and the accompanying parent or guardian is free. You can also contact the Forum on crosspoolforum@fsmail.net or 0114 335 1674 for tickets and more information.
Children’s Christmas Disco, Sunday 2 December 2012
A charity Craft Fayre with over 36 stalls is taking place at Stephen Hill Methodist Church on Saturday 10 November.
It runs from 10am to 4pm. Food and drink will be served including bacon butties (10-11am), lunches (12 noon-2pm) and scones (after 2.30pm). Tea and coffee will be available all day.
Proceeds will go to Ryegate Annexe, Weston Park Cancer Support, W.O.R.K. Ltd and Cairn Home for the Elderly.
Garth Hewitt, founder of the Amos Trust, will be performing in Crosspool as part of his UK tour. You can hear him at St. Columba’s Church, 503 Manchester Road on Thursday, 15 November at 7.30pm.
Garth will be singing songs and telling stories from his new album, Justice like a River. The songs are inspired by Amos’s partners around the world. From surfing street children in South Africa to grassroots educators in India, from frontline farmers in Nicaragua to creative campaigners in Palestine.
The show is described as ‘an evening of entertainment, encouragement and challenge to make the world a better place.’
Tickets from St Columba’s Church Office (0114 267 0006): £7, or £4.50 concessions.
St. Columba’s church, Crosspool: the location of one of Paul Heaton’s first musical memories
Paul Heaton from The Beautiful South and The Housemartins has been recalling memories of St Columba’s youth club in a BBC radio documentary.
In today’s The First Time With…Paul Heaton programme on BBC 6 Music, the singer-songwriter described the youth club disco at St Columba’s on Manchester Road as the location of one of his first musical memories:
“My brother and his mates were allowed to go and I was under 12 at the time so wasn’t allowed in. Me and my middle brother sneaked to the edge of the door and looked underneath it. They were playing The Jean Genie by David Bowie.
“At the time wooden stacked heels were in fashion. My brother and his mates were all doing this dance, banging their stack heels on the floor. It was unbelievable. The noise of them banging their stack heels was louder than the music itself.”
All eyes are on Crosspool tonight for the 2012 Hallam Chase.
At 8pm, runners will set off from Hallam Football/Cricket Club’s Sandygate ground, go down Den Bank through the Rivelin Valley and up to Stannington church, before returning by the same route. The run 3¼ miles long, with 800 feet of climb.
The Hallam Chase is an annual event organised by Hallamshire Harriers and hosted by the Hallam Cricket Club. Race records go back to 1862. It is open to male and female runners who are a member of a south Yorkshire running club. There is limited entry on the day (subject to places being available) – although you won’t be eligible for prizes.
Nick Spinks and Dean Drabble
Last year, 48 runners set off to cover the gruelling route on a bright and dry Tuesday night. First to the church was Dark Peak’s Brian Greaves, but he was eventually overhauled by Handsworth Road Hog’s Dean Drabble who won the handicapped event.
A close battle then ensued between two of the city’s best distance runners, Hallamshire Harriers’ pair Rob Baker and Andy Thake. In the end Andy just held on to take the fastest man title in an impressive 22 minutes 7 seconds. Dark Peak Fell Runner Nicky Spinks won both the ladies handicap and fastest female title in a time of 28 minutes 49 seconds.
