The Big Christmas Carol Walk in Stone was a huge success on Christmas Eve!
Starting at 9.30am at the Shelter charity shop in Lichfield Street, carollers performed each window’s song, accompanied by a great accordionist. Like a big snowball, the group got bigger and bigger as it moved up the High Street. About 15 hardy souls were at Shelter; by the time the group reached Christ Church at 11am, there were around 100 carollers.
Radio Stoke were at Christ Church to report on the final unveiling by Stone’s Big Issue seller Monica – a life-size Nativity scene complete with masks, outfits for the children to try on and an amazing Angel Gabriel suspended from the ceiling. Some poor thing from the church youth club was wrapped in cellophane to create it!
Inside the church there was tea and coffee, as well as homemade soup, rolls, mince pies and biscuits. Even more people had turned up for the window unveiling and there was around 180 people inside the church.
Huge thanks to Pam and David Pott and other organisers from Christ Church. The project certainly caught everyone’s imagination and was a brilliant lead-up to Christmas. Thanks Pam and David!
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6 comments
Christine
What a lovely idea I wish I had found out more about the advent windows now as I would have loved to have joined in. What a lovely way to spend Christmas Eve morning. I will be there next year if it is done again. Well done to the organisers and the photographer who recorded the event too.
jamie7victor
Hi Christine. It’s been wonderful. Christmas Eve was very special indeed. I think it will become a regular event in the town to be honest – well, I really hope so anyway! Glad you like the photos – I took those!! But I think ‘photographer’ is stretching it a bit 😉 Hope you’ve had a lovely Christmas. All the best for 2011
Rev.Sally Smith
What a fantastic event! It was wonderful for so many people from different organisations/groups/churches/families to come together and celebrate Christmas in this way. Well done Pam and David for organising it, and the choice of Monica to unveil the final window was fabulous! The smile of joy on her face brought a tear to my eyes. This was certainly event for Stone to be proud of. Well done also to Jamie for capturing it so well!
jamie7victor
Hi Sally – thank you! It’s been brilliant to cover the Advent Windows in Stone – really enjoyed it. It’s been fantastic hasn’t it? Christmas Eve, especially, was wonderful. Hope you’ve had a wonderful Christmas. All the best for 2011!
Richard Stevens
Congratulations to all concerned. What a great idea idea. I was delighted to hear one of the organisers talking about “when we do it next year we’ll…….”! Yes please. The Advent Windows will, I am sure, become a firm favourite every Christmas from now on!
jamie7victor
I agree Richard – it’s been such a huge success that it *has* to be a regular event in Stone. Surely?!