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Rosedale Community News

Welcome to the Rosedale blog. This is where we share news and information about events in Rosedale and the wider community throughout the year. You’ll also find news about the village timetable, our micro enterprises, school events, clubs, and lively socials.

Archive for the ‘Church Appeal’ Category

Rosedale Wedding Dress Festival 24 May – 2 June 2019

A big thank you to all who supported and took part in the Rosedale Wedding Dress Festival.  We raised £3,851 (and moved the Angel up a notch). That takes our total fund-raising to a grand £26,487. Our target is £90,000. 

We can now show we mean business in grant applications to save Rosedale Church from closure. 

Congratulations to the five raffle winners! And thank you to the local businesses who provided the prizes and supported the event.

Any ideas for the next fundraising event will be warmly welcomed. Until then, thank you again – your donations and positive feedback have been very much appreciated.

Best wishes 

Linda Blackburne 

Festival Organiser

Rosedale Wedding Dress Festival Preview – 24 May 2019

The preview evening for the Wedding Dress Festival in aid of the appeal for St Mary and St Lawrence Church in Rosedale Abbey was very well attended and over £655 was raised for the appeal fund.

The Rev David Haddon-Reece thanking the choir for their excellent performance
Part of the display of dresses, the rest of which fills the whole church
Some of the dresses, with the raffle star prize – a three tier cake by Graze on The Green.

The festival, with its wonderful display of over thirty wedding dresses, stories, memorabilia and sales of local arts and crafts runs through to Sunday 2 June when there will be a Renewal of Wedding Vows Service in the Church at 10.30. Entry is free from 10.00am each day – donations to the appeal are, of course, very welcome!

Rosedale Wedding Dress Festival on Radio York – 3 April

On BBC Radio York at around 8.00pm on Wednesday 3 April on the programme ‘God’s Own Countyfile’ David Haddon-Reece and Linda Blackburne will be interviewed about our forthcoming Wedding Dress Festival which will take place in the church from Saturday 25 May to Sunday 2 June in order to raise more badly needed funds for the church repair project.

More details about the festival itself will be published shortly – watch this space!

Coffee Morning – 2 February 2019

The coffee morning held  on a cold and snowy morning in the Coach House Inn on Saturday 2 February 2019 raised a much needed £255 for the Save Rosedale Church appeal.

Prizes Galore!

Thanks, as ever, to Dave and Ali in the Coach House Inn and to Margaret and Carol for masterminding the raffle.

The next coffee morning will be on Saturday 2 March from 10.00 to 12.00am in aid of Yorkshire Cancer Research – all are most welcome to come along for the coffee, cake sale and raffle.

The Ascending Angel

The Angel on the Celestial Ladder on the side of St Mary and St Lawrence Church has been moved up a notch as a result of the outstanding £5000 raised at the the recent Flower Festival.

The Angel as at 24 September 2018

and as at 27 September

The fund raising effort continues as can be seen from the height of the ladder. Cards, notebooks and the Rosedale 2019 Calendar are available from the Abbey Stores, Graze on The Green tearooms, the Coach House Inn, Gillies Jones Glass and the Caravan Club site shop. Also keep a look out on this site and on social media for further news about fundraising events for this vitally important cause.

Rosedale Flower Festival

Some more images from the festival in St Mary and St Lawrence Church, which has now concluded after a very successful ten days, as indicated in the amounts raised below:

The nave of St Mary and St Lawrence Church
The Harvest Thanksgiving Display
Jo Barker from Moorjocks Felt and Fleece in Hutton le Hole, demonstrating the spinning of local moorland fleeces into wool

Felt work by pupils from Rosedale Community Primary School
A lovely window arrangement

Flowers by the font

The farming display by the Pickering flower arrangers
The Women’s Institute Display
Pulpit Flowers

So far over £4800 (and rising) has been raised through donations and sales, a tremendous result and a fitting tribute to all the hard work of the volunteers who set up and helped throughout the festival and especially to the astonishing generosity of all who donated money to the Appeal – it is hoped that the Angel can now be raised a few notches up to the £20,000 mark on the Celestial Ladder (see the exterior wall at the east end of the church).

Rosedale Flower Festival Preview Evening

A preview evening was held for the Flower Festival on Friday 14 September 2018 in aid of the Save Rosedale Abbey Church Appeal. Close to a hundred people, visitors and locals, attended and enjoyed a very convivial event and were royally entertained by the Eskuleles ukelele band.

Father Bill Godfrey formally opening the Festival


The Eskuleles in full flow.
Enjoying the Craic!

Over £600 pounds was raised from donations and sales of Appeal related merchandise, an excellent effort by all involved. Thanks go to all who helped set up the the displays and who who contributed to the Appeal on the evening.

Please remember the church will be open to view the wonderful displays by local groups from 10.00am to 5.00pm each day through to Sunday 23 September, with the Harvest Service followed by a Bring-and-Share supper on Saturday 22 September starting at 6.00pm. All are very welcome to St Mary and St Lawrence Church.

Rosedale Flower Festival – 15 to 23 September 2018

As part of the Save Rosedale Abbey Church Appeal, there will be a flower festival held in St Mary and St Lawrence Church from Saturday 15 September to Sunday 23 September. Entry, which is free, will be from 10.00 am to 5pm each day.

There will be a Preview Evening in the church on Friday 14 September from 6.30pm – join us for a glass of wine and a chance to see the church in all its floral splendour.

On Saturday 22 September there will be a Harvest Service at 6.00pm followed by a ‘Bring and Share’ Supper.

All are welcome to these events. Over £90,000 is needed to make our church safe and secure for the future and you can help the appeal by making a donation while enjoying your visit to our beautifully decorated church.