The Rt Revd Dr Laurie Green, acting Bishop of Chelmsford, has presented the Winners Cup to Kelvedon Hatch. The presentation marks the achievement of cyclists from St Nicholas' Church, Kelvedon Hatch, in making the largest single contribution to the 2009 Ride & Stride - £2,359. The presentation took place on 2 August 2010 at the church.

 

In the picture from left to right are Fiona Nelmes (Organiser of the Ride & Stride), Chris Jardine, Ride & Stride 2009 winner, from St Nicholas’ Church, Kelvedon Hatch), Rt Revd Dr Laurie Green (Acting Bishop of Chelmsford), Colin Brown (Ride & Stride 2009 winner, from St Nicholas’ Church, Kelvedon Hatch), Claire Cottrell (Chairman, Friends of Essex Churches Trust). Not pictured: Hugh Gorton (Ride & Stride 2009 winner, from St Nicholas’ Church, Kelvedon Hatch).

Bishop blesses life-saving helicopter

The acting Bishop of Chelmsford did a blessing with a difference this week: he blessed the Essex Air Ambulance helicopter and Air Crew. The Right Reverend Dr Laurie Green came to Boreham Airbase, where the helicopter is based and prayed for the crew and the people whom the Air Ambulance helps.

The Bishop said: “This is a special moment. It’s not every day that a Bishop has the opportunity to bless a helicopter. But it is very appropriate, because the Air Ambulance does life-saving work. Essex Air Ambulance is a charity and it relies on the generosity of people to keep the helicopter in the air. I am thrilled that over the weekend of 27-28 February supporters of The Friends of Essex Churches Trust will team up with the Essex Air Ambulance Trust in the Great Essex Feast to raise funds together.”

The concept is really simple: the people of Essex are invited to host simultaneous dinner and lunch parties across the county during the weekend of 27th and 28th February 2010. However big or small the party, hosts are asked to wine and dine their guests, provide good food and entertainment of their choosing and request a donation from each person. Hosts are free to hold whatever type of dinner party they wish, whether it be a fish and chip supper or gourmet dinner. All the funds raised from the weekend will be split equally between Essex Air Ambulance and Friends of Essex Churches Trust.

If you would like to be a Great Essex Feast dinner party host simply click here or call Wendy Byland on 0845 2417 690.

All hosts who register will receive a Great Essex Feast registration pack which includes invitations to send to guests, suggested recipes and cocktail ideas, wine tips and lots more including a free wine tasting evening on 28th January.

Photograph captions

1) From left to right: Air Crew Doctor Peter Temesvari, Air Crew Doctor Mary Morgan, Air Crew Paramedic Laurie Phillipson, Captain Dave Surtees and Right Reverend Dr Laurie Green.

 

 

 

2) Right Reverend Dr Laurie Green blesses the Essex Air Ambulance Air Crew: Air Crew Doctor Mary Morgan and Captain Dave Surtees (inside the helicopter), Air Crew Doctor Peter Temesvari and Air Crew Paramedic Laurie Phillipson (outside the helicopter).

 

 

 

 

The Essex Air Ambulance is a vital life-saving Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS). It costs around £250,000 each month to cover all charitable costs and aircraft operations including the provision of doctors. The service enables clinicians and life-saving support equipment to be rushed to the scene of an incident and the patient can be flown to an appropriate hospital. The Essex Air Ambulance receives no National Lottery funding and is reliant upon donations from the public and local businesses to raise funds in order to keep the Air Ambulance flying.

Friends of Essex Churches is a non-denominational charity and raises money for the repair and restoration of Christian churches and chapels in Essex and East London. Like Essex Air Ambulance, the charity is totally reliant on the generosity of the Essex public.

The Great Essex Feast

FECT has joined forces with the Essex Air Ambulance for an exciting fund-raising event.  We are asking people across the county to hold dinner or lunch parties on the weekend of 27-28 February 2010 in aid of both charities.  As a host you can ask as many, or as few, guests as you like and make the meal as formal or informal as you wish.  What we do ask is that each of your friends gives a donation. To add to the fun there will be an on-line auction which will enable guests to bid for some fantastic prizes.

If you would like to host a party with a difference, please click here for more details and information about how to register.

 

 

2009 Ride and stride

Hundreds of churches in Essex and East London will be taking part in the 2009 Friends of Essex Churches Trust sponsored Ride & Stride this Saturday, 12 September - when cyclists and walkers will travel from church to church by bike or on foot to raise funds to repair and restore churches and chapels.

This year's Ride & Stride was officially launched today, Monday 7 September, by Essex sporting ambassador, Russell Hampton. A top cyclist, Russell has been recognised by Essex County Council as having the potential to compete in the London 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games.  
The launch took place at St Thomas’ Church in Brentwood.  St Thomas’ raised £2,400 in the 2008 Ride & Stride. This was the best church contribution. The Bishop of Brentwood, Rt Revd Thomas McMahon, presented a trophy to Roland Platt from St Thomas’ at the launch to mark the achievement.

 

 

Contact:
For more information contact Mrs Fiona Nelmes, Ride & Stride Organiser
Tel 01245 380365
Email fionanelmes@lineone.net

 

Ride & Stride 2008

Ride & Stride raised £106,409in last year's event. Please click here to view the 2008 results.

New Chairman elected

Mrs Claire Cottrell DL, from Birch near Colchester, was elected chairman of the Friends of Essex Churches Trust at the Annual General Meeting on May 14. She succeeded Mrs Julia Abel Smith DL. Claire Cottrell has said: "My grandmother, Mrs Charles Round, was the founder member of The Friends of Essex Churches Trust in 1951. You can imagine how much pleasure it gives me to be chairman by following in her footsteps." 

The AGM heard that the Trust gave nearly £200,000 in grants to 24 projects for the repair and restoration of churches and chapels in 2008.

The AGM was held at St Mary's Church in Bocking. The Dean of Bocking, the Very Revd Canon Philip Need, showed members the newest stained glass in St Mary’s which had been installed on the previous day. This, he said, is the latest chapter in the history of the church which began when land was given for a church to be built in 995 AD. Bocking has the distinction of being the oldest of just six 'peculiar' parishes in England - called 'peculiar' because it came directly under the jurisdiction of the Archbishops of Canterbury. 

Promotional Posters

To promote the aims of FOECT please download our promotional poster. The poster is available in both A4 and A3 sizes. To download the posters, which are in PDF format, please click on one of the links below:

Download A4 poster
Download A3 poster

Once downloaded the posters can be printer on your desk top printer and saved on your computer..