Celebration with the licensing for clergy for the Central Hartlepool Group of Churches

The Anglican churches in the town centre have had to come up with a solution to there being more churches than clergy and the ensuing expansion of responsibilities is being recognised and celebrated on Sunday, February 17.

There will be a group celebration with the licensing for clergy for the Central Hartlepool Group of Churches.

This will be held in St Aidan’s Church at 10.30am on February 17.

It will include the licensing of Rev Gemma Sampson and the Rev Norman Shave, and the commissioning of the Group Council.

This will be conducted by Bishop Paul.

On Friday, February 15, at the Nursery Inn, there will be a quiz in aid of the food bank.

Tickets are £5 per head to include pie and peas and the chance to win a prize. There will also be a raffle.

Tickets available from the Nursery and from the food bank, telephone 01429 598404.

Have you ever looked at the packaging of something you have unwrapped and wondered which bin you should put it in – rubbish or recycling?

The members of Hartlepool Global Peace and Justice have and decided to find some answers.

As a result, they are holding ‘A Rubbish Evening’ in St George’s York Road on Monday, February 25, at 7pm.

Tony Hanson, Hartlepool Borough Council assistant director of the environment and neighbourhood, will make a presentation which will answer what to recycle, what happens to it and how you can help in your group.

Quite a few churches are aiming to be Eco-churches and this may be an opportunity to find out how your church can tackle recycling.

Now, another opportunity to get your creative juices flowing. The end of February and the beginning of March marks Fairtrade Fortnight.

This year, the stress is on cocoa and chocolate and highlights the low wages which are paid to the majority of workers who grow the cacao beans.

Usually the competition is a baking competition but this year the scope has been widened and people are asked to create the most beautiful thing they can out of cocoa or chocolate.

Recently on television I saw a lizard being created from chocolate and I know you can paint with coffee, so why not cocoa? Get your thinking caps on.

Entries will be brought along to the Baltic Suite in the Naval Museum on Friday morning on March 8 for the judging.

Who knows? – you could be the holder for a year of the wooden Fairtrade banana trophy. What kudos!

More details nearer the date.