GALLERY: Church is filled with wonder of Christmas
More than 100 festive trees are filling a church.
St Mary’s Church Festival in Stafford is the biggest yet, with a record 110 trees filling the church, decorated by schools, charities, community groups and businesses.
The festival runs until tomorrow. Admission to the event is free, and there is live music daily, plus refreshments and Christmas gifts for sale.
Donations are welcome, which will go to the Mayor of Stafford’s two charities, Eclipse Child Bereavement Service and Macmillan Cancer Support, and to St Mary’s.
The festival ends with Carols Among the Christmas Trees at 2.30pm on Sunday, featuring the Cannock Citadel Salvation Army Band and Yarlet School Choir.
On December 15 St Mary’s holds its Christmas Cracker event for children, a morning of arts and crafts, songs and stories. The free event starts at 10.30am.
On December 16 there will be the Carols By Candlelight service at 6.30pm, with the traditional nine lessons and carols.
There will be sing-along carol services for shoppers at lunchtime on December 20 and December 22, and on December 23 there is Celtic Advent evening prayer by candlelight at 6.30pm, followed by mince pies and mulled wine.
Meanwhile St Chad’s Church, Greengate Street, is marking Christmas with two sing-along carol services at lunchtime on December 15 and December 19. Sat Chad’s is also holding a crib service for children and families at 3.30pm on December 22, and the first Mass of Christmas at 8pm on Christmas Eve.
St Mary’s Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve starts at 11.30pm, and there are two services on Christmas morning, at 8am and 9.30am.
