I'm a real supporter of conservation and environmental matters, and the challenge of designing and creating a garden for the parish really appealed to me. When I was asked to get involved, I thought it would be a great opportunity to help build a legacy that the whole community could enjoy for many years to come. The LiveSimply award is all about being able to demonstrate a commitment to important issues that not only affect our immediate environment, but those that exist outside our own community, and I wanted to be part of that. (Joe Falzon)
It is so uplifting to see the "Live Simply, Live Sustainably, Live in Solidarity" theme all round our Parish and this has caused me to re-assess my life and what it means to pursue the simple pleasures that so often we miss. I have found much comfort in the Church and its Scriptures which reminds me of all that it embodies and "Live Simply" is one of them. (Anon)
My family had a great time at the Kainmari curry night. We really enjoyed cooking and then eating communally with so many people from the parish - a great opportunity to get to know new people. The kids loved all the activities to do with Bangladesh - and particularly the dancing! We also participated in the walk to church day - and have taken public transport or walked part of the way several times since. I find the LiveSimply messages very powerful - and it's very helpful to have them up at the front of the church ... reminding us we can definitely go without a little more often, so others can simply live. Ken and I are looking into solar panels for our home - we are both working on climate change issues, and are deeply concerned that not enough is being done ... I do hope the church will continue with this effort. (Yolande)
Bananas! Thanks to the Brownies I now really appreciate the importance of buying Fairtrade bananas. (Joanna Longhurst)
The LiveSimply campaign has allowed me an opportunity to meet up with members of our Church that attend at different Mass times to that of our family. I have met and shared some very amusing sessions with members of the Gardening Team - these meetings have allowed for what were acquaintances to become friends. As a family we cycled to Mass on the 'Leave the Car at Home Weekend', an activity that we have continued when the weather has allowed. It means an earlier start but we certainly get to Mass on time this way! (Mel Deasy)
We had supported Curry Night when we first moved into the area and another event over the year. We felt welcomed through such activity, and it also helped us to built a positive relationship with some parishioners. Our participation has given us a sense of belongingness in the community, and we have made new friends in the process. We are very pleased and would like to thank everyone involved in organising these events. (Niljo Roy)
The Curry Night was a wonderful occasion bringing together our parish community over a delicious shared meal and giving us food for thought as we heard about those in Kainmari; how they live and work and how their lives are different from ours. It was particularly lovely to see how the children engaged with the Bangladesh quiz at all different levels and I'm sure they all learned something new. The gardening project is generating a great sense of community spirit as we work together to create a little corner of peace in our parish garden. It will be something for everyone to enjoy when complete. Watching the Cubs engage in games and activities relating to recycling, and really understanding how important it is to our global community, has been lovely. Sharing a meal is always a special occasion, but the Lenten Lunch it was made even more so by the video CAFOD stories we heard during it. I think everyone appreciated how lucky we are to live in this small patch of the world which is blessed by so much compared to many others. (Sue David)
At LiveSimply events I have been impressed by the spirit of community, generosity and friendliness among parishioners. The LiveSimply activities appear to have encouraged these attributes within the parish in addition to contributing to the wider aims of LiveSimply. (Diana Betts)
What have we noticed? Fairtrade wine for the Passover Supper was worth hunting out, Firm believers inter-Church nature walk and picnic to appreciate the lovely natural area so close to our Church. We enjoyed cycling to Mass on ancient, resurrected bikes. Made a very small contribution to garden clearance early on when the spirit of co-operation and friendship was so evident. The signs either side of the Sanctuary are such a good and constant reminder to Live Simply. (Doreen Hairs)
On seeing the website page about the Lenten Lunch, Guide Leader Julia Crudgington wrote: Wow - the report and photos are lovely and I think really capture the spirit of the lunch. At a time when so many young people receive a bad press, I think the girls did themselves proud, from making the posters to serving the soup and clearing away. A very big thank you to the members of the LiveSimply team who gave so willingly of their time and energy, and thank you to Audrey for the great photos. I have to confess to being rather anxious at the outset but am happy to say that I thoroughly enjoyed being a part of this particular LiveSimply initiative, I can now also put a few more names to faces!