Birchill and Watson chemist on the High Street have invited their oldest customer, 101-year-old education award-winner Lilian Ward, to open their Advent shop window on Monday 13th December.
In the build-up to Christmas 24 shops, businesses and organisations will each decorate their shop on the theme of a carol, which will be unveiled on a different day in December. Lilian will open the chemist’s window in the High Street on Monday at 10am. Birchill & Watson have chosen Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer as their theme.
Former drapery shop owner Lilian was honoured at the LearnMore awards in Stoke-on-Trent earlier this year in the Lifelong Learning category. The centenarian is a valued member of a lip-reading class at the Christ Church Centre that aims to help adults cope with hearing loss after she signed up in 2008. She even gives lifts to housebound classmates, which she describes as “helping the old folk”.
Judges said she had “deliberately looked for classes that taught her new skills, allowing her to maintain her independence and communicate with those around her”.
Lilian said after winning the award: “I’m overwhelmed. I’m deaf, and lip reading is a good way to get round it. We are a very friendly group of around 12 people and we keep each other going. I hope to be taking part for years to come.”
The LearnMore awards were set up to reward individuals who have displayed commitment to learning and who have become an inspiration to their peers and colleagues.
A different shop will open another window each day until Christmas Eve, when there will be a Christmas carol through the town, starting at 9.30am and stopping at each Advent window, ending at Christ Church for the unveiling of the final window at 11am.
- On Friday 10th December Christ Church First School pupils, who have helped Yarn Gathering in Radford Street, whose theme appropriately is While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks, will unveil the window at 4pm
- One of the more unusual windows will be at Taylored Floors in the High Street where Stone Baptist Youth Group have helped decorate the window and will open it on Saturday 11th December 11 at noon. Their theme is Jingle Bells and the teenagers will sing the song, give a puppet show as well as handing out hot chocolate and offering a free Christmas wrapping service
- On Sunday 12th December Barry Lakin, of the Mosty Lea Mill, will open The Mill restaurant’s window in Mill Street (O Come All Ye Faithful) at noon
- On Tuesday it’s St Michael’s First School at Shelter in Lichfield Street at 10am (theme Silent Night)
- On Wednesday it’s the Brownies who will unveil the Wikijum window in the High Street at 10am (theme We Three Kings).
Click here to see A Little Bit of Stone’s Advent Windows posts. There’s lots of pictures here too, as well as a map.
