THE Christmas spirit was in abundance as hundreds gathered for this year's Evening Star carol service.The sounds of festivity reverberated around St Margaret's Church, in Ipswich, as up to 200 people packed in to rejoice and celebrate the Christmas story.
THE Christmas spirit was in abundance as hundreds gathered for this year's Evening Star carol service.
The sounds of festivity reverberated around St Margaret's Church, in Ipswich, as up to 200 people packed in to rejoice and celebrate the Christmas story.
The historic church setting was again the ideal location to kick start the festive season as people of all ages joined together to see in the second week of advent.
Weeks of planning for the Evening Star's Carol Service culminated in celebration by friends, neighbours and colleagues, old and young.
The church was brilliantly lit with candles, adding to the festive feel provided by the church choir singing well known carols throughout the evening.
Rev Canon David Cutts led last night's service, which opened with Sprites Infants School singing as the congregation took their seats in the crowded the pews.
Rev Cutts welcomed everyone to the church and said he hoped all those gathered would be able to reflect on and make their own response to the relevance of the Christmas story.
“May everyone be inspired by the message of Christmas,” he said, before offering prayer to the sick, anxious, lonely, fearful and bereaved.
The Evening Star's head of news Russell Cook read from the Gospel of Luke and representatives of Suffolk New College and University Campus Suffolk also read festive poems and passages. They included Jen Mackness, academic registrar; Julian Illman, Aimhigher Suffolk, manager; Marilyn Watsham, deputy principal; and third year student Mark Osbourne, who is studying criminology and sociology.
Guests of honour were deputy mayor and mayoress David Hale and Betty Baskett.
The service closed with a rendition of O Come All Ye Faithfull and a blessing from Rev Cutts.
St Margarets Guides and Brownies helped collect much needed funds for the Star's Have a Heart campaign, aimed at securing serious heart attack services for Ipswich Hospital.
Did you attend the service? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN or email eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here