Children came dressed in nativity costumes, the hall at St James School, Exeter, was decorated with banners and balloons and band members wore Santa hats.
Children joined in the nativity story, sang songs, played a game of pass the parcel, decorated crowns and after the service were given party bags which contained very loud party blowers which of course they loved!
Then it was time to cut the amazing birthday cake made by Heather Knee and tuck into party food brought by the congregation.
Once more our senses are being bombarded with manufactured images and messages of totally irrelevant and mostly unneeded seasonal tat.
It is nigh impossible to escape the Christmas kitsch which pushes us to value ourselves by what we buy, never mind the costs of consumerism to other people, other places or the planet. As long as the tills keep ringing, we can forget the bells.
So what is really at the heart of the Christmas story? In one word - ‘hospitality’.
We have an unmarried pregnant woman, marginalised in her own culture in an army-occupied land which is harsh...
Officers at Devon and Cornwall Police have been helping to spread some Christmas cheer this week as they pack up goodie bags for vulnerable older people.
Working in partnership with Neighbourhood Friends at Westbank the volunteers put together 140 Christmas goodie bags which will be distributed to some of the most vulnerable people across Exeter, East and Mid Devon.
Donated gifts include Christmas food, toiletries, books as well as crime prevention advice and fire safety information. Police staff, officers and Westbank colleagues have contributed generous hamper goodies at...
Llamas, sheep and a donkey will join actors to recreate the Nativity live on stage at Exeter Cathedral on Sunday.
The story will be told in five short 'family friendly' scenes, along with favourite Christmas Carols at the Cathedral on Sunday 13th December at 2pm.
Children are invited to come dressed in Christmas costumes and join Mary and Joseph, a donkey, the sheep, llamas and angels and form a giant 'tableau' inside, creating a wonderful Christmas scene.
Revd Canon Anna Norman Walker, who organises the Exeter Nativity with the support of churches throughout the...
Competition in Exeter for your charity pound is fierce.
Raising the £5 million we need each year keeps everyone at Hospiscare under pressure – sometimes I get a little steamed up and ask these questions – out loud in the office!
What if we couldn’t raise the money and Hospiscare closed its doors?
Then I ask what difference would it make to Exeter if other charities closed their doors? Eventually I calm down. I always say that the odd huff and puff does you good, it certainly keeps me focussed on my job.
I’m part of the fundraising team which, along with our...
NFU Mutual, the UK’s leading rural insurer, is urging owners to put certain foods on the ‘naughty list’ for their dogs this year. Christmas is well known as a time of excess for humans but, according to the insurer, pet dogs are also prone to eating too much during the festive period and sometimes, what they choose to eat could have serious health implications and end-up in an emergency visit to the vet.
NFU Mutual warns that claims for dogs who have eaten weird or poisonous items take on a distinctly seasonal flavour as Christmas approaches and reflect the type of foods...
Blundell’s pupils have spent time during the run-up to Christmas fundraising for charity and having fun at the same time.
The girls in Year 12 of Gorton House sold a record number of 1,400 candy canes, raising £740 for the Crisis At Christmas charity.
Pupils and staff buy the canes to wish their friends and colleagues a Happy Christmas and write a label with a message. In a real team effort, the GH girls then worked as a production line to tie the labels onto the canes, which were then given out to the lucky recipients.
New Year's Eve is always a manic time of year. Up and down the country there are celebrations, events and parties taking place in city centres, eagerly awaiting the moment the clock strikes twelve. All are appealing in the own right - but which are your preferences suited to?
To help decide, there’s a new Interactive New Year’s Eve Cities Flowchart. A user chooses a region (from South & North England, Scotland, Ireland) and their preferred event type to then be presented with a recommended city with a list of suggested events taking place.
