Newsletter December 2025
Dear Friends,
Every year Christmas gives us a great sense of fresh hope and wonder. Jesus’s birth transformed the world: it changed lives and continues to change us. Jesus was born in the humblest and most unlikely circumstances, in a stable surrounded by animals. Jesus is the living hope that God is with us, through thick and thin. Jesus is the Christmas gift of God’s unconditional love and forgiveness. Jesus is the light of the world, shining through the darkest darkness, and keeping alive that flicker of hope and joy which can never be extinguished. The Christmas story reminds us that even if we are afraid, we too can experience a renewed sense of hope and joy. So let’s celebrate the wonderful news together!
Wishing you and your family a very Happy Christmas and a Happy New Year.
God Bless,
Clare
Revd Clare Coates
Lead Minister for Hardwick, Dry Drayton and Caldecote with Childerley
clarecoates@lordsbridge.org
07818 618795
Services in December
Sunday 7 December
9:30am Holy Communion and Sunday Club, with Charlotte Kalinsky and Revd Clare
Sunday 14 December
9:30am Morning Worship for all ages with Ali Marcus and Kate Riley
Christmas Tree Festival 13 and 14 December 3-5pm in the church with refreshments available both afternoons; donations gratefully received. There will be a Christmas Concert with carols on Sunday 14 December 5-6pm with the Eversden Brass Band. Proceeds in aid of St Mary’s Fabric fund and Jimmy’s Night Shelter.
CHILDERLEY Hall: 3pm a traditional service of Carols and Lessons in the Long Barn at Childerley Hall, with seasonal refreshments after the service. Childerley Gardens will be open from 2pm with the Carol service starting at 3pm. All welcome.
Sunday 21 December
9:30am No service in Church – you are most welcome to join us in DRY DRAYTON at 11am for Morning Worship at 11am
6pm Carol Service
Monday 22 December
4pm Christingle Service followed by tea in the Cabin. Please let us know how many of you are coming and your dietary requirements by emailing Sue at events1@stmaryshardwick.org.uk
Christmas Eve Wednesday December 24
11pm Midnight Mass, with Revd Clare
Christmas Day Thursday December 25
9:30am Family Communion, with Revd Clare
Sunday 28 December – No service at St Mary’s
Lordsbridge Team services:
9:30am BCP Morning Prayer, with John Harding at St Peter and St Paul’s Dry Drayton
10:30am Holy Communion with Revd Steve Clark at St Mary’s Comberton
Weekday Services:
Wednesday Prayers
1st Wednesday of the month, 9am at the Cabin
And in the following weeks, on zoom. All welcome. Please ask Revd Clare for more details.
Caldecote Women’s Prayer group Thursday mornings in term time at 9am on Zoom Women from Caldecote and surrounding villages are warmly invited to join us online, gathering in spirit to pray, reflect and lift one another up through prayers. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88137270141?pwd=pCvjk7eQrFqYX8GrvRP6JmMZKI9bYK.1
Meeting ID: 881 3727 0141
Passcode: 655934
Friday night prayers at 7:30pm, on Zoom
All most welcome to join us on Fridays for night prayers starting at 7.30 pm with chat and prayer actually beginning at 7.45 pm: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83806423658?pwd=Ux2yZaz0VJeLnNbF12pUyuvihUeSkL.1
Meeting ID: 838 0642 3658
Passcode: 167011
What’s on:
Tuesday Toddlers in the Cabin 10-11:30am, every Tuesday in term time
All welcome to join us for free play, craft, story and fun!
Tuesdays, alternate weeks:
1-3pm The Colour Wheel Hardwick Mindful Colouring Group:
in the Cabin. £3 donation which includes refreshments and materials. For more information contact Nicky 07539 429394 kerranica@gmail.com
Thursdays
10:30 – 12: Bumps and Babes with Ali in the Cabin. All welcome.
1st Saturday of every month: Pippins
10am-12 noon, in Hardwick School Hall. Drop in for a cuppa, cake and a chat! All most welcome.
DRY DRAYTON
Saturday 6 December at 6pm Christmas Choral concert at St Peter and St Paul’s Dry Drayton by St Catherine’s College Choir. The programme will include choral and organ music from the Renaissance to the 21st Century. Tickets £15 and £5 (students and under 18s) to include wine/juice after the concert. Tickets can be reserved at https://drydraytonxmas.eventbrite.co.uk payment on the door.
Christmas Cards and greetings
The post box for Christmas cards will be placed in the church from Sunday December 7th until Saturday December 20th. The cards will then be sorted and distributed at the Carol Service on December 21st. This year, there will also be the opportunity to write your Christmas greetings to each other as an alternative to sending cards in the Church from 7th December. Sunday Club will be creating and displaying a large ‘card’ at the back of the Church ready for you to add your Christmas messages to!
Christmas Hampers
For the last 10 years, Christmas hampers have been organised for families from Hardwick and Cambourne Community Primary School. The hamper project is facilitated by Hardwick Evangelical Church (the church that uses the school hall on Sundays) but is run in partnership with St Mary’s Church, the Hardwick Network and members of the community. Over the last 10 years we’ve seen nearly 350 hampers given out at Christmas to families connected to the school and they’ve always been massively appreciated. This year we’re producing 40 hampers containing a mix of everyday essentials and Christmas treats and we’d love to ask you to consider helping us fill these hampers.
The food we’re looking for (with indicative pricing*) is as follows:
* Box of Cereal – £1
* Tea Bags – 80s – £1.25
* Instant Coffee – £2.65
* Granulated Sugar 1kg – £1.10
* Long Life Milk – £1.35
* Squash – £1.75
* Rice 1kg – £1.80
* Curry Sauce/Jar of Sauce – £1
* Pasta 1kg – £1.50
* Pasta Sauce – £1
* Tinned Tomatoes – 50p
* Baked Beans – 50p
* Tinned Soup – 50p
* Tinned Fruit – 50p
* Tinned Veg – 50p
* Tinned Custard – 75p
* Tinned Meat/Fish – £1
* Jam – £1
* Biscuits – 75p
* Sharing Crisps – £1.50
* Christmas Pudding 400g – £3.50
* Christmas Cake?mince Pies/Stollen 400g – £3.50
* Christmas Biscuits (e.g. Fox’s biscuits) – £4
* Chocolate Coins – £1
* Celebrations/Heroes/Roses tubs – £5
* Christmas Snacks (Twiglets, Cheeselets, Snack mix – no nuts) – £2
*Pricing is based on mid-range items on the Tesco website but items can be bought from anywhere.
As with any year we produce the hampers, all of this is a guide, so if you’d like to donate anything else to the hampers, please do get in touch with me (we don’t include presents or gifts unless agreed beforehand as value and type can vary quite dramatically and we also don’t put alcohol in the hampers)
If you’d like to contribute items to the hampers, you can drop items off at the school every Sunday morning in December (9:30-12:30) and at Pippins on Saturday 6th December. There will also be a permanent trolley in the foyer of the Primary School every week day in December, should you choose to drop some stuff off then. We will pack the hampers in the school hall from midday on Sunday 14th December.
Alternatively, if you’d like to give towards the cost of the hampers (each hamper costs around £40 each but any amount is appreciated) please DM me or email me at rob.thomson87@gmail.com.
Useful contacts
Revd Claire Robertson, Lead Minister for Coton, Barton, Harlton and Haslingfield: 01223 874194; clairerobertson@lordsbridge.org
Revd Charles Fraser, Lead Minister for Little and Great Eversden: charlesfraser@lordsbridge.org; 01223 264974
Team Administrator: Mrs Emily Griffiths: thelordsbridgeteam@gmail.com
Lordsbridge Team Instagram: @lordsbridge_team
Lordsbridge Team Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/LordsbridgeTeam