If you enjoy baking, you may be interested in Project Wingman which is helping to make life better for NHS staff and has a project to make cakes for Frimley Park hospital.

Hale resident Pippa Young, cabin crew with British Airways, is asking for people to donate cakes (no fresh cream) for the staff members at the hospital to eat as they relax with a tea or coffee. You can find out more on the Project Wingman website

If you can help, contact Nigel Harrison on 07736 737773. Pictured above are just a few of the cakes.

Rowena, one of our lovely volunteers at the Share Farnham Community Store, modelling a face mask kindly donated by the Upper Hale For the Love of Scrubs group - thank you!

Last year we were delighted that you participated in the Flower Festival as part of St John’s 175^th Anniversary celebrations. The festival was an overwhelming success attracting over 60 stunning exhibits from various community groups and individuals as well as several hundred visitors from across the Farnham area. The feedback was incredibly positive with many people asking for this to become an annual part of our community diary.

Sadly, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the current lockdown has prevented us from bringing people together to do this again this year in the same way. However, we do not want to have to wait another year to be able to share and enjoy another celebration of flowers.

We will therefore be holding an online flower festival on the theme of “A Celebration of Summer Flowers” on the weekend of the 27^th and 28^th June.  We would very much like you to take part again this year by photographing or videoing your flower arrangements, floral art or craft, gardens or flower beds all for submission by Friday 19^th June to give us time to edit them all together. Being online this year instead of in the church provides opportunities for us to be even more creative and we want to encourage people from all ages to allow your floral imagination to flow to make this into another fantastic community project.

Please be creative – this really is not about endless vases of flower arrangements and is for all ages – children and adults.

To help the smooth planning of this event can you please confirm your entry by the 23rd May so that we can secure your place in the Flower Festival 2020.

We very much look forward to your involvement in this fantastic community event and I keenly await your reply.

If someone wishes to de-register for food parcels they can either:

• Re-register via the government portal and say ‘yes’ to the question ‘Do you have a way of getting essential supplies delivered?’
• Report to the call handler through 0800 028 8327 that they no longer need boxes delivered. Note, they will need their NHS number.
• Refuse the parcel when it is delivered

If someone is having problems de-registering they can call the Farnham Coronavirus Helpline (01252 745 446), where a call handler can assist them.

Deregistering from food parcels will not cause the loss of priority status slots for supermarket delivery.

An initiative is underway to raise funds to provide free Android-based tablets to enable care home residents, supported by staff, to video call their families and friends. The devices are preloaded with Skype, Zoom and Hangout, so carers can help residents keep in touch with their families. The aim is that any care home that needs one, should be able to have a free tablet available for residents to 

make video calls to their loved-ones. There is a waiting list of many homes that need them.

If you would like to donate or read more information, please click here.

Thank you, John and Alan who have managed to keep, on top of the grass and keep things going in the garden during lockdown.  

Mainly, due to their sterling efforts, we hopefully will have a good harvest later in the year, as they have now planted courgettes, potatoes, beetroot, lettuces, radishes, peas, dwarf beans, sweet corn, strawberries, rhubarb and spinach in the various beds.

The raspberry and gooseberry bushes are doing well, and the Incredible Edible beds have been plated up with strawberries and pumpkins.

The boat currently has several plants in bloom now bringing a touch of much needed colour and cheer to the garden. 

Later in the year, the Dahlias in two of the beds will hopefully be a colourful celebration as we finally come out of lockdown and our wonderful gardening volunteers return!!

Take care and stay safe (and stay alert!)

Thank you, John and Alan

Join us in an online service to give thanks for and pray for the NHS and other frontline workers! 

A service will be on the website on Thursday, April 30, from 7pm, with prayers, readings, music, artwork by children, videos, and pictures of frontline workers. Jeremy Hunt, MP, is taking part as is Cllr Pat Evans, Mayor of Farnham, but we need your help too. Here is how you can help

• Have your children or grandchildren made any rainbows to display in the window to thank the NHS and other carers? Can you take a photo of their art?
• Would your children or grandchildren like to be videoed saying a prayer?
• When you go out to clap for our carers this Thursday at 8pm, could you take a video?
• If you or a friend or family member is a frontline worker could you send us a picture, or take a picture (with permission) of a key worker such as a doctor, nurse or other hospital worker, paramedic, carer, shopworker, refuse collector, delivery driver, postal worker, teacher, anyone who is keeping the country running and risking their own health while doing so?
• Can you record yourself saying 'And Also with you' for this service and the Sunday services?

Send these to Alan by Sunday evening (26th) either via his email address revd.alan@badshotleaandhale.org, or if the file is very large via https://www.filemail.com/. Full details of how to record videos and send them are here.

More details about the service are here. 

ITS OFFICIAL, we are ready to open our Community Store tomorrow morning (12th May) 10:00 am to 12:00 noon. 

Come along, our Volunteers are ready to welcome you and there's loads of "stuff" to tempt you whatever your interests!

PS: Don't forget that we still need donations, so please bring any unwanted items along with you when you visit!

A big thank you to everyone who donated items to our new Community Store - we have been overwhelmed by the response!

THE STORE OFFICIALLY OPENS DAILY - Monday to Friday

FROM TUESDAY 12TH MAY 

10:00 am to 12:00 noon

More donations will be welcome in the coming weeks, so please keep donating.

Donations including childrens' clothes, can be dropped at the Farnham Maltings or Hale Community Centre daily, Monday to Friday, between 10:00 am and 12:00 noon.

Focus on your wellbeing with the Surrey Virtual Wellbeing Hub.

Join a coffee morning from your kitchen, or a Zumba class from your living room!

Here's the link for you to find a session - https://www.healthysurrey.org.uk/mental-wellbeing/adults/virtual

In response to the coronavirus pandemic, a number of organisations have come together to donate an initial £22,000 towards the creation of the Farnham Coronavirus Support Fund which aims to provide financial support or assistance to individuals and families in Farnham who find themselves in exceptional circumstances due to the pressures caused by lockdown, social distancing and coronavirus..

You can find out more about the fund from Farnham Town Council by clicking the links below:-

• how to donate. 
• how to apply
• information for referrers