News
Wednesday, 27 April 2011
Cotswold Churches Festival
A glimpse of the doorway that inspired the entrance to the Mines of Moria in The Lord of the Rings, a detective trail through your family history, a scarecrow festival and a chance to visit the only ‘upstairs’ church in the Cotswolds – all this and much more will be on offer during the Cotswold Churches Festival this spring.
The Cotswold Churches Festival runs from Saturday 14th - Sunday 22nd May 2011, when many of the area’s finest churches will be welcoming visitors. So far 75 have signed up to take part. The churches will be putting on a whole range of events, ranging from cream teas to exhibitions and concerts.
The idea for the Festival originated with the Diocese of Oxford, but includes churches from neighbouring Anglican dioceses (Gloucester, Coventry and Worcester) and other denominations.
The Bishop of Dorchester, the Rt Revd Colin Fletcher, who is chairing the Festival planning committee, says: “The Cotswolds are known across the world for their delightful scenery, picturesque villages and historic towns. At the heart of these villages and towns are their churches, which come in all shapes, sizes, ages and denominations.
“For centuries, the churches have been at the centre of community life. Far from being stuck in their history, they remain to this day vibrant centres of worship and activities serving the needs both of their regular congregations and of their wider communities, to say nothing of the many thousands of visitors who come to the Cotswolds throughout the year.
“Our new Cotswold Churches Festival gives us an opportunity to show visitors the spiritual life on offer in our churches today, alongside our rich history and tradition. We look forward to giving our visitors a warm welcome and telling our story.”
To find out more, see the Cotswold Churches Festival website. You can also phone David Gambier on 0845 122 2660 or Sarah Meyrick on 01865 208224.
