Children’s choir, refugee rucksacks and dinner speech

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Children’s choir, refugee rucksacks and dinner speech

Latest news from across the Diocese of East Anglia includes an inter-faith children’s choir, a refugee rucksack project and an entertaining Norwich dinner.


The All Souls Children’s Choir sang two hymns as part of the Annual Peterborough Inter Faiths Council’s United Nations Children’s Day Celebration in Peterborough Cathedral on Wednesday February 27, reports Brian Keegan.

All Souls in Peterborough is blessed with having parishioners from all over our world including Africa, India, The Philippines and Eastern Europe.

The Choir (pictured above), led by Jeremy Jepson, included children from many different heritages, they sang ‘Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desire’ and ‘A Hymn to Love.’ accompanied by pianist Emily Smith and oboist Victoria Worthington.

Children from the Islamic, Sikh, Hindu, Jewish Faiths also participated and all joined together to sing with the audience to sing ‘Peace is Flowing Like a River’ for the final hymn.  


In February the leader of the local community choir The Cringleford Singers, Margaret Smith, presented a cheque for £500 to Carol Chilton instigator of The Welcome Rucksack Project.

Carol is a member of Norwich Justice and Peace Group based at St John’s Cathedral and devised the scheme two years ago to respond to the needs of newly arrived asylum seekers into the city.

Carol said: “This generous funding from the choir will enable us to buy the rucksacks we will give out in the coming year. They are filled with cleaning products, personal hygiene items as well as extras like a mug and sewing kit. We also provide rucksacks for children between 4 and 6 and pre/teens for those 7-14 with age appropriate fillings.

“Together with a bag of food from Foodbank and a hand-knitted blanket, the asylum seekers become aware that there is a welcome here for them and that people care.”

Carol would welcome any help with the project so feel free to email her on carolchilton@hotmail.co.uk

Pictured right are, from right to left, Carol Chilton, Norwich Justice and Peace member,  Margaret Smith Cringleford Singers leader and Sarah Ebelewicz (chair of Norwich Justice and Peace and choir member)


The highlight of February’s meeting of the Norwich Circle of the Catenian Association held in the Refectory of the Old Hospital in the grounds of the Anglican Cathedral was a fascinating after-dinner speech delivered by Circle member James Bush, a journalist  with Anglia TV,  about his work in the media.

It included  the subject of so-called ‘Fake News’ ranging from the Nazi propaganda broadcast by Irish /American William Joyce, aka Lord Haw Haw, during World War Two plus the Orson Welles spoof, War of the Worlds, up to the recent USA election in which it was claimed the Pope backed Trump and  Hilary Clinton’s health was failing.

The 30-strong assembled audience responded with an enthusiastic round of applause led by Circle President, Tony  Baker.

Pictured above are James Bush (left) and Tony Baker.

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