Mamma Margherita Thursday Fellowship celebrates its first birthday on Thursday 14 November 2024. The Mamma Margherita Fellowship is a parish social activity for the retired. You can read more here.
The group met for the first time last November with 18 potential members present and have had a regular attendance of on average 31 members every month since then.
Throughout this first year, we’ve welcomed Citizens Advice, the Ukulele Band Duke’s Ukes, The Blue Lamp Trust and The Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice Care and the Core Group (who organise and plan the Mamma Margherita Fellowship) would like to thank:
- Graham for his excellent game show skills in March and Countdown during the AGM
- Martin Wood who in April shared his and Jo’s photos and reflections on their pilgrimage to the Holy Land
- Theresa and Mark Chatterton who came in June and introduced many of us to Sean Devereux and the work of the Children’s Foundation
- Jane Fensome who in July helped us discover our talents with flower arranging and guided us to produce some beautiful buttonholes
- Eileen O’Connell who in August brought the Empress Eugénie’s influence on Farnborough to life for us
- Also, despite not feeling naturally comfortable with public speaking thanks too, to Maureen who in September introduced many of us to Whist and led us through a fun afternoon of cards
We would like to thank Nora Benton, Angela Francis and Margaret Blaber for stepping out in faith earlier in the year by leading the closing prayer. We thank Graham again, Mary Pole Baker, Anne Diaz, Deacon Paul and Judith Layzell for their interesting, prayerful and meaningful Thoughts for the Day.
Thank you to Hannah for ensuring we always have freshly laundered tablecloths, Sharon and Angela for the smooth running of the refreshments, Teresa, Val, Fina and Angela N for their delicious cakes and Ron for his quiet and invaluable work in the background, setting up the projector and audio-visual equipment and setting up tables.
It has been my delight to work with the other members of the Core Group this year, Ian and Fina, Val and especially Teresa and Maureen. It was due to Teresa and Maureen’s persistence and enthusiasm that Mamma Margherita came to life. We all owe them a huge thank you.
We thank all the members, for coming regularly, sharing their joys and sometimes worries together and for building and being church together. Friendship, fellowship and sharing Jesus’s love is one of our first objectives.
Finally, heartfelt thanks go to our dearest Father Anthony for saying Mass for us, especially our Mass with Anointing, for his thought-provoking homilies but especially for his confidence in the Core Group, his loving encouragement and his prayer, without which this Ministry would not have flourished as it has.
Following on from a successful first year, an exciting programme of meetings has been planned for 2025 incorporating many suggestions from members. Full details will appear in the parish newsletter in advance of the meetings.
