As many of you know, I will be retiring as Vicar of Great Coxwell, with Buscot, Coleshill and Eaton Hastings, after eight very happy years, serving these four parishes in the Badbury Group of Churches. My last service at Great Coxwell will be our Communion service for Feast of Dedication to St. Giles on Sunday September 8th at 10.30am (with refreshments in the vicarage afterwards); and my last service will in the benefice will be the Communion service for the Feast of Dedication to St. Michael and All Angels (and Harvest Festival) at Eaton Hastings on Sunday September at 10.30am. I will be moving back to my home in Surrey in November.
Each year I have held a summer Garden Party, which a number of you have attended. Happily the sun has shone each year, and may it do so again this year! For the first few years the Garden Party took place in the vicarage garden here in Great Coxwell. Then in 2017 it was held in Coleshill, and in 2018 in Eaton Hastings. This will be my final Garden Party before I retire, and in order to celebrate my eight years here in a special way, it will take place in Buscot Park (in the tea room conservatory and the walled garden) on Saturday July 20th, from 2.30 to 5.00pm; and I am grateful to Lord Faringdon for hosting the occasion on one of the Saturdays when Buscot Park is not open to the public.
This year there will be not only cakes, savouries, tea, coffee, and fruit juice, but also special celebratory drinks and a band to accompany the afternoon. Everyone who lives in any of the four parishes is most welcome to come, but please let me know if you are planning to be there, as this will be helpful for planning purposes (tel: 01367 240665; e-mail: [email protected]). This is intended to be an event for the whole community.
I hope you can come to the Garden Party, and one of my final services.
With all good wishes,
David, your parish priest