Let’s try to raise a Grand for St Luke’s and have a whole lot of fun doing it! After an 8-year gap, 2023 is the year to bring back The Grand Scheme
EVENTS PLANNED (with more to be announced, check back regularly)
18-Feb | The Food of Love: Concert of Music & Poetry
04-Mar | Sacred & Profane: Writing Workshop
08-Mar | Menopause Matters
11-Mar | Film Night: Boyhood
11-Mar | Bigger Birding
17-Mar | Salsa Party
18-Mar | Easy Peasy Birding
29-Mar | Silver Hallmarking
31-Mar | Games Evening
19-Apr | Local History Talk
Date TBC | Climate Fresk
THE FOOD OF LOVE
A Valentine’s cocktail of love songs, music and poetry from Greensleeves to Gershwin performed by Justin Butcher, Caroline Faber & Daniel Zappi.
Songs by Irving Berlin, Hoagy Carmichael, John Dowland, George Gershwin, Paul Simon & Hank Williams. Arranged by Harvey Brough (of the Wallbangers).
Click here for the flyer.
Date: Saturday 18 February
Time: 8pm (doors open at 7.30pm)
Location: St Luke’s Church
Tickets: £10 available here
SACRED & PROFANE, A WRITING WORKSHOP
Co-hosted by the prize-winning poet Jenny Mitchell and Martin Wroe.
Anyone interested in writing is welcome to join us as we explore ‘how poetry can reimagine traditional ideas of the sacred and profane’.
Email for more info - martinwroe@mac.com
Beginning at 10, the day will be conversational and informal and finish up with a reading at 3 where people are invited to share their work - and Jenny and I will read from our poems. Here's the flyer.
Date: Saturday 4 March
Time: 10am – 4pm
Location: St Luke’s Church
Tickets: £8 - £15 available here
MENOPAUSE MATTERS
Are you going through the (peri)menopause? Can you see menopause on the horizon and are wondering what to expect? Or have you come through the other side and want to reflect on your experience and share your wisdom? Then this event is for you.
Learn what the menopause really is, options for dealing with symptoms (medical solutions, complementary therapies and lifestyle), how to protect your future health, and more. It will also be a safe space for women to share their experiences and swap information about what they’ve found helpful.
You’ll receive a free PDF copy of the book First Steps Through The Menopause by Cath Francis after the session.
This is a female-only event. However, if partners or family members want to learn how to support the menopausal woman in their life, PDF or paperback copies of the book can be purchased for £5 (all money goes to St Luke’s Grand Scheme) – speak to Cath.
Joy Hinson is a retired professor and research scientist specialising in endocrinology (hormones).
Cath Francis is a magazine journalist, health writer and author.
Date: Wednesday 8 March (International Women’s Day!)
Time: 7pm (TBC)
Location: St Luke’s Small Hall
Tickets: £10 buy at church on Sunday or email to reserve your place
FILM NIGHT – BOYHOOD
Filmed from 2002 to 2013, Boyhood depicts the childhood and adolescence of Mason Evans Jr. from ages six to eighteen as he grows up with divorced parents. Highly acclaimed and with a host of nominations and awards.
Drinks and Nibbles provided.
Date: Saturday 11 March
Time: 7pm (TBC)
Location: St Luke’s Small Hall
Tickets: £10 buy at church on Sunday or email to reserve your place
2 BIRDWATCHING WALKS
With Andy Harrison
Bad Birdwatching Rules apply - if there's nothing to see, we get bored and/or it's wet we’ll adjourn to the pub.
Bigger Birding
Bring binoculars and sandwiches.
(Binoculars for hire, sandwiches, snacks available at reserve centre)
N.B. the £10 ticket fee for this is the donation to St Luke’s for Andy’s expert guidance and facilitating.
Participants will need to pay their train fare and £6 entry to the RSPB Reserve.
Date: Saturday 11 March
Time: 11am – 3pm (approx.)
Location: Meet Finsbury Park Station - rear entrance outside M&S at 9.15 (Blackhorse Road, Barking, train arrives Purfleet at 10.36). Or people make their own way to Rainham Marshes.
All meet in Rainham Marshes RSPB reserve visitor centre at 11.15am.
Entry free for RSPB members, £6 adults.
Tickets: £10 buy at church on Sunday or email to reserve your place
Easy Peasy Birding
Bring packed lunch.
Bring binoculars.
Date: Saturday 18 March
Time: 11am – 3pm
Location: Meet Oxford Road entrance to Finsbury Park 11am. Check the park then stroll to and around Woodberry Down reserve
Tickets: £10 buy at church on Sunday or email to reserve your place
SILVER HALLMARKS
What are they and what do they do?
If you have ever wondered what Hallmarks are, come along and learn all about them.
Bring along any silver item that you would like to learn more about.
Norman Willson will lead us through an evening of discovery with a glass of wine and a magnifying glass.
Date: Wednesday 29 March
Time: Evening
Location: TBC – St Luke’s or nearby
Tickets: £10 buy at church on Sunday or email to reserve your place
CLIMATE FRESK
St Luke's is Going Green – Are you?
Play Climate Fresk and be inspired, consoled and informed about the reality, dangers and demands of climate change.
This is a collaborative workshop with a card game that teaches all the causes and effects of global warming, directly from the UN IPCC scientific reports. The team must layout out the concepts of climate change in sequence of cause and effect, with help from the descriptions on the cards, the pooled knowledge of the group, and the trained Fresk facilitator (if you really get stuck), followed by a discussion of what this means for us, personally and socially.
Facilitated by EcoCounts volunteer Adam Hardy.
Halfway through we will break for a supper of home-made soup and bread.
Date: We’re currently working out the best date and time for the people who have signed up
Location: hosted in the Cagnoni Kitchen in Penn Road
Numbers are limited so please email pccsecretary@saintlukeschurch.org.uk asap to secure your place and be sent full details.
Tickets: £10
GAMES NIGHT
An evening of “Parlour Games” facilitated by Stef and Bernadette, hosted by Adrian and Bridget. Maybe “the Colander Game”, maybe “Guests at our Party”, maybe Charades – come along and find out!
Date: Friday 31 March
Time: 7pm
Location: Adrian & Bridget’s (Hillmarton Road)
Tickets: £10 buy at church on Sunday or email to reserve your place
LOCAL HISTORY TALK
How did St Luke’s church come to be? What is its shared history with the neighbouring parish of St Georges? How did Islington and West Holloway in particular develop over the centuries from open farmland to the streets we know today?
Caroline Jackson and Stefano Cagnoni can tell you all this and more…
Date: Wednesday 19 April
Time: 7pm
Location: St Luke’s Small Hall
Tickets: £10 buy at church on Sunday or email to reserve your place
BACKGROUND OF THE GRAND SCHEME
What is it?
An opportunity to combine fundraising and the good people of St Luke’s getting together in small groups for social events.
How does it work?
Individual members of the community offer to organise and host an event (in the church, in their home, in whatever location is appropriate). Tickets are sold for the events and the money goes to St Luke’s.
What sort of events?
Whatever you are inspired to organise – do you have a skill to share? A fun activity to facilitate? Hospitality to offer? In the past we have had things like;
Dinner Parties
A Bird Watching Walk
Local History Talk
Afternoon Tea
Film session in the Small Hall (both interactive with singing and popcorn or more cerebral with discussions afterwards)
Crochet lessons
Sunday Lunch
Organised Sing-around
Games Night (charades, board games)
How do I get involved?
Offer to host an event and, more importantly, buy tickets to attend events.
What you do
Define your event
How many attendees are invited
What price the tickets should be
The date
The location (if you want it to be at St Luke’s, we’ll need to liaise with Federico to check availability)
What we do
Co-ordinate all the events
Sell tickets
Liaise between host and attendees
Publicise and support
When is it happening?
Planning has already begun and the aim is to schedule events throughout February and probably early March.
Call to Action
Email pccsecretary@saintlukeschurch.org.uk with your suggestions. We are happy to discuss ideas if you don’t have a firm proposal or want a sounding board before you commit.
Join in and support The Scheme.
(It will be Grand.)