*  NEWS  *

Sunday 13th November 2011 - Service of Remembrance 10.45am

This year the traditional Remembrance Day commemoration will go ahead. There will be a service in church at 10.45am, attended by ex-servicemen and women, uniformed organisations, and the people of Shard End. The two minute silence will be observed at 11am. After the church service there will be a march to The Crown Club (Hurst Lane) with a short open-air service around the cenotaph. Refreshments (with a supporting programme of events) will follow at The Crown Club.

Please come and support this initiative as we remember all who have lost their lives in war, we pray for those who serve today, and seek peace and stability in our world.

November 2011 - Shard End Crescent building progress

There are now three shop units open within the Ownall Rd shopping parade. On 2nd November the new Co-Operative Supermarket opened its doors. Ownall Rd has reopened after a six week closure and landscaping and tidy-up work is being carried out around the new shopping area. More photos soon.

July 2011 - Photo Album Updated

The Photo Album has been updated.

July 2011 - Shard End Crescent building progress

The first residents have moved into their new homes on Ownall Rd. Construction of the Library continues and there has been some landscaping of the Church Square (the area behind the church). One new shop has opened and the Post Office should be opening soon. Demolition of part of the Shard End Crescent parade of shops has begun. Phase 2 of the housing development has begun - a little earlier than first planned. See the Photo Album pages for some pictures of the work over recent months

(Click here to see a larger photo of the hoarding advertising the new homes being built)

July 2011 - Summer Fair

A fine dry day allowed a good turnout at this outdoor event. It was encouraging to see quite a few new faces, though the overall numbers were down a little. Some pictures on the Photo Album page.

June 2011 - Confirmations

Two candidates were confirmed by the Bishop of Aston at St Barnabas' Kingshurst on Ascension Day. Confirmation is an opportunity for Christians to affirm with their own mouth the promises made on their behalf at their Christening. It is expected that those baptised as infants will come to Confirmation when they are old enough to make their own profession of faith. We wish both our candidates joy and blessing as they continue on their Christian journey.

February 2011 - Shard End Crescent building progress

The Show Home is now open and the first houses are available for sale - completion due around Easter. The housing development is called 'The Crescent' and details of the properties can be found on the Barratts Homes website. Towards the end of February the steel was erected for the new library - work on the shops is also progressing well.

2011 Events Diary

The new list of events has been added (see link in the left-hand column).

Church Hall Update

In November 2010 the Lighthouse Baptist Church began to meet in the main hall on Sundays. In November we also hosted the launch event for the Shard End Urban Village development. This was attended by representatives from the main contractors and agencies involved in the development, as well as City Council officers and our Councillors. In connection with this, the entrance foyer to the hall was redecorated, courtesy of Barratts Homes.

Remembrance Sunday - 14th November 2010

There will be a service of Holy Communion in church, at the earlier time of 9.30am (for this day only). Please note that this year the Service of Remembrance will be held at the British Legion (Crown Club) on Hurst Lane, commencing at 10:55am - not in church. Our apologies for this change of arrangement - it is not of our making and is outside of our control.

October 2010 All Saints Church celebrates its 55th birthday.

The highlight of the day was the dedication of the new memorial garden. This has been funded in part from the Mary Briggs Charity and built with the aid of labour from the Community Payback scheme. The garden is intended to be a place of quiet reflection end remembrance. It will be available for the interment of cremated remains in the near future.

  (Click here to see a larger photo of the memorial garden)

September 2010 Building Starts on New Shops, Library and Housing

At last, new building work has commenced! Phase 1 of the development will see the construction of new shops and library, along with the first tranche of housing. There is lots of noise, activity and mess all around us, but at last something new is in the making - signs of hope for the future of a revitalised part of Shard End.

  (Click here to see a larger photo of new building)

Confirmations on Ascension Day 2010

On 13th May 2010, four adult candidates from All Saints were confirmed by Assistant Bishop Maurice Sinclair. Confirmation is an opportunity for Christians to affirm with their own mouth the promises made on their behalf at their Christening. It is expected that those baptised as infants will come to Confirmation when they are old enough to make their own profession of faith. We wish all our candidates joy and blessing as they continue on their Christian journey.

Church Hall Refurbishment

Work on improvements to the church hall have been ongoing for the last three years, little by little as funds permit. A grant from the SITA Trust (via the Government Landfill Tax Scheme) has enabled the life-expired toilets to be replaced with a modern and accessible facility. The hall is now used by a number of community support projects, as well as by another church group on Sundays. Other community groups wishing to use the hall on a regular basis (subject to availability and the approval of the Parochial Church Council) are invited to get in touch.