Newsletter 123 – September 2022

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

The AGM on June 30^th was a very happy event:  lively, well attended and confirmation that our membership is still enthusiastically supporting our efforts to look after the Chapel and promote its unique ambience and historical significance to an ever-widening community. There were several suggestions for wider use of the Chapel including certain daytime services, such as funerals, blessings and the renewal of vows, but, as always, these come up against the problem of vehicle access and parking. Cars are not permitted to stop at the main gate, even for a “drop-off”, and there is a great lack of parking space within walking distance, making the situation less attractive.  The meeting expressed great interest in the outline plans for major re-development of the Sainsbury site at the rear of the Chapel – could this possibly provide better vehicle access?  Another idea suggested a change to our Open Day formats:  restricting the established “big” events to two a year – May and November – and adding a regular monthly Saturday morning session, where anyone can pop in for a cup of tea or coffee and a chat, or even just a sit-down and catch-up with friends.   We will need a few volunteers to make these monthly Saturday sessions work – but we’re looking into it. Watch this space!  (We would, of course, still include the annual London Open House weekend – and this Newsletter might reach you JUST IN TIME for this year’s event: September 10^th (10am- 4pm) & 11^th (1pm- 4.30pm).

THURSDAY EUCHARIST SERVICE:

The regular weekly Eucharist Service – every Thursday between 12.35 and 1.15pm continues, of course.  We are here on Thursdays from 12 noon until 2pm, so you’re welcome to call in.  Even if you do not wish to attend the service, there’s a half-hour slot before and slightly longer afterwards – during which there’s usually a cup of tea or coffee on offer

CHRISTMAS BAZAAR:  – Saturday 26^th November 10.30am – 2pm

Back to our fund-raising activities: with heatwaves and drought warnings turning into distant memories, it’s not long until our Annual Christmas Bazaar. Once again, a chance for you, your friends and neighbours to stock up on Christmas gifts and cards in a friendly and civilised way, and a chance to get away from the crowds and the traffic outside in the calm and beauty of Ilford’s oldest building.

We’re taking the liberty of sending you two books of tickets and an addressed envelope to return the appropriate part of the ticket stubs and the money.  We’d like to thank you in advance for your help, which is an important part of our work for the upkeep of our beautiful Chapel. If you happen to object to this kind of fund-raising, then our apologies in advance for sending you tickets.  Just rip them up (and re-cycle, of course!) or, better still, hand them to someone who’ll be happy to support us in this way.  (Incidentally, tickets must not be purchased by, or sold to, anyone under the age of 18 years.)

 

GRATEFUL THANKS

We acknowledge with much gratitude, a legacy of £2,000 from the estate of the late Graham Disney Jones. His son, Trevor, told us how much his father enjoyed attending the Chapel and keenly supported the work of the Friends in preserving and maintaining the building.

 

CHRISTMAS CONCERT BY CANDLELIGHT – Wednesday 14^th December. 7.30pm

Following last year’s much-enjoyed Candle-lit Christmas Carol Concert we are once again delighted to welcome staff and students of the Redbridge Drama and Dance Course, based at the Redbridge Drama Centre. They will be joined by some guest performers from the Kenneth More Theatre, continuing the long-standing tradition of Ilford’s local theatre supporting fund-raising for the Chapel.  This concert of Christmas songs, carols and music will be performed by candlelight, and, at the end of the performance, those who’d like to take the Christmas atmosphere even further, will be invited to join in with a mince-pie and a festive mulled wine.

Tickets are issued for a donation of £10 each, and remittances should be made payable to “Friends of Hospital Chapel” and sent to

Barbara Westcott,

117, Levett Gardens,

Ilford IG3 9BX.

Please enclose a stamped addressed envelope for the return of your tickets

 

Newsletter 122 – March 2022

NORMAL SERVICE HAS BEEN RESUMED!

At last!  At long last, things seem to be getting back to normal.  We made a start at the tail-end of last year with a very successful Christmas Bazaar on November 27^th.  It was lovely to be back in a bustling Chapel, and thanks to our stallholders, customers and those who purchased Christmas Draw tickets, the Bazaar was able to provide the grand total of £1,430 to our fundraising account.

This was followed on December 15^th with a candle-lit Carol Concert organised by Owen Smith and performed by staff and students of the Redbridge Dance & Drama Course based at Redbridge Drama Centre. Despite audience facemasks and social distancing, it was extremely well supported (and the candle-light, mulled wine and mince-pies just added to a lovely atmosphere!). Many thanks all round, especially for the £585 added to the funds.

DARE WE NOW START PLANNING AHEAD FOR A NORMAL YEAR?

For the first time in two years we are able to make some advance plans, and put together a programme of future events stretching beyond the short notice associated with the “scientific data” and “government reviews” that have been so predominant in the recent past. You might like to note (provisionally!) the following dates:

Planned Open Days in 2022

We plan to resume our series of Open Days when we invite the public (and, of course, our members!) to visit the Chapel and have a tour around the building, learn something of our history (thanks to our team of knowledgeable guides), and sit and chat over a cup of tea or coffee.  The Open Days in March and July will offer simple, uncluttered access to the building in the same way as the London Open House in September. The May and November Open Days will be more bustling affairs, offering stalls, merchandise and memorabilia in the form of a Spring Fayre and a Christmas Bazaar.

 

OPEN HOUSE                      Saturday March 12^th

SPRING FAYRE                  Saturday May 14^th

OPEN HOUSE                      Saturday July 9^th

LONDON OPEN HOUSE   Saturday & Sunday September 10^th & 11^th

CHRISTMAS BAZAAR      Saturday November 26^th

 

THURSDAY EUCHARIST SERVICE:

Most importantly, of course, the Chapel will continue to offer our regular weekly Eucharist Service –  every Thursday between 12.35 and 1.15pm.  We are here on Thursdays from 12 noon until 2pm, so you’re welcome to call in.  Even if you do not wish to attend the service, there’s a half-hour slot before and slightly longer afterwards – during which there’s usually a cup of tea or coffee on offer.

 

 

 

 

            THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING WILL BE HELD  at 2pm on THURSDAY 30^th JUNE

            AT THE HOSPITAL CHAPEL

 

 

Nominations are requested for the following Honorary Officers:

1. Chairman.
2. Vice-Chairman/Membership Secretary.
3. Treasurer.
4. Publicity Officer.
5. Minute Secretary

and nominations are requested for FIVE other persons to serve as Honorary Committee Members. (The current representatives are listed at the end of this Newsletter, and all have indicated their willingness to stand for re-election.  At present the position of Treasurer is vacant and nominations are especially welcomed).   Nominations for persons other than those below offering themselves for re-election should be made in advance of the meeting and posted to Barbara Westcott, MBE, at 117, Levett Gardens, Ilford IG3 9BX to enable verification that the nominee is prepared to stand for election.

YOUR COMMITTEE

We are sorry to report the resignations of two committee members.  Gwendoline Dodds, who returned to the committee last June, has chosen to resign following a change in her personal circumstances.  Jackie Kavanagh has resigned after six years of enthusiastic support and outstanding effort as a committee member. She has been a driving force, an innovator, and a superb organiser on our behalf.  She will be missed, and leaves with our very best wishes for her future endeavours. In the meantime, Peter Haseldine and Joanna Urbanak (long-time supporters and regular guides on our Open Days) have been co-opted and heartily welcomed to the committee.

BAMBER GASCOIGNE

We were saddened to hear of the death of Bamber Gascoigne at the age of 87. Martin Fairhurst writes:

The Gascoigne family’s involvement with Barking and the Ilford Hospital Chapel goes back to the 1720’s when Crisp Gascoyne bought the patronage of the Chapel. He married the daughter of a Barking physician, Dr Bamber and named their first son Bamber Gascoyne, and the name has continued in every generation since. In the Millennium year the Friends commissioned a DVD to record some of the events in the Chapel during the year, including a quiz led by Bamber Gascoigne with teams made up of local people. You can see extracts of this online: go to londonsscreenarchives.org.uk and search for ‘The Hospital Chapel 2000’. In the clip you will also recognise many faces of people who have been involved in the Chapel and were members of the quiz teams. There’s also an excellent history of the Gascoigne family’s involvement with Barking by William George on the Facebook page ‘Barking and District Historical Society’.

 

 

Newsletter 121 – November 2021

 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

The AGM on August 26^th was a lively, well attended event, notable for the general enthusiasm of members wanting to make up for the “lost” eighteen months of Covid restrictions and launch a “new” session of fund-raising and support for the Chapel.  Details of the elected officers for 2021-22 appear at the end of this newsletter.  We were sorry to note the retirement of Ian Patience after so many years of service to the committee but delighted to know that he intends to continue to help, albeit in a somewhat reduced capacity. Happily, Stephen Romaniuk was elected to take over Ian’s duties as Publicity Officer.  We were also delighted to welcome back  Gwendoline Dodkins  to the committee.

 

 THURSDAY EUCHARIST SERVICE:

Now that things are gradually getting back to normal, the Chapel once again offers a weekly Eucharist Service  –  every Thursday between 12.35 and 1.15pm.  We are here on Thursdays from 12 noon until 2pm, so you’re welcome to call in.  Even if you do not wish to attend the service, there’s a half-hour slot before and slightly longer afterwards – during which there’s usually a cup of tea or coffee on offer.  Among many useful ideas emerging from discussions at the AGM were suggestions of how to spread the word about our Thursday lunchtime services – especially to people working in the area.  There may well be a number of people who would like to combine their lunchtime break with attending the service.  If you know anyone who might be interested, do spread the word. The lunchtime services on Thursday December 23^rd and 30^th might well be an especial relief for anyone caught up in the usual pre-Christmas and pre-Sales madness!

 

 CHRISTMAS BAZAAR:

Saturday 27^th November 10.30am – 2pmWe’re delighted – at last! –  to be able to resume fund-raising activities for our beautiful and unique Chapel and hope you will be able to come along to our Annual Christmas Bazaar. (Well, for some years it has been an “annual” event, except for last year’s problems!) Now we are back – a little more restrained and spaced because safety remains important – but still offering you, your friends and neighbours a chance to stock up on Christmas gifts and cards in a friendly and civilised way, and a chance to get away from the crowds and the traffic outside, have a look around, and sit down with a cuppa in the calm and beauty of Ilford’s oldest building.

If you’ve chosen to support our Grand Christmas Draw, and you haven’t already done so, please remember to return the appropriate part of the ticket stubs in time for the Draw, which will take place at 1.30pm during the Bazaar.

CHRISTMAS CAROL CONCERT

Wednesday 15^th December. 7.30pm

We are extremely delighted that this year we are able to hold a Candle-lit Christmas Carol Concert in the Hospital Chapel. This will take place thanks to the staff and students of the Redbridge Drama and Dance Course, based at the Redbridge Drama Centre and the Kenneth More Theatre.  The Theatre is under the new management of Vision, and it is especially heart-warming that the new tenants of the KMT are enthusiastic to carry on the long-standing tradition of Ilford’s local theatre supporting fund-raising for the Chapel

Advance booking for this concert is strongly advised to enable Best Practice Covid Control (the issue of last-minute tickets on the door may be restricted due to the volume of advance take-up.)

Tickets are issued for a donation of £10 each, and remittances should be made payable to “Friends of Hospital Chapel” and sent to

Barbara Westcott,

117, Levett Gardens,

Ilford IG3 9BX.

Please enclose a stamped addressed envelope for the return of your tickets