Christmas Flower Festival At Bishop Monkton

A novel and very special flower festival based around the song 'The Twelve Days of Christmas' is taking place at Bishop Monkton Parish Church from Friday, December 17 until Monday, December 20. with the flowers staying on viuew until Twlefth NMight/

Novel floral celebration to mark ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’

A small ‘army’ of volunteers has been at work preparing for a very special and novel flower festival at John Baptist Parish Church, Bishop Monkton, to mark the Twelve Festive Days of Christmas.

The festival entitled ‘A Dozen Festive Days’ is based around the song, ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’. It will include 12 floral exhibits to represent each of the days in the song, a celebration concert, separate music by village musicians, themed competitions, seasonal refreshments plus a series of special services.

The event will be launched on Friday, December 17th at 7 30pm with a celebration concert for Advent and Christmas given by St Peter’s Singers of Leeds. And the festival will be open thereafter for three days from 10am to 4pm.

The floral aspect of the festival follows a previously highly successful event organised by the church in 2006 at the time of the last World Cup, and included more than a dozen remarkable themed floral exhibits including one showing a life-size Wayne Rooney nursing an injured metatarsal.

That show attracted 500 visitors to the church and raised £1,800 for church funds. The new event is also being organised by Jane Newsome, wife of Churchwarden Stuart Newsome.

‘It’s pretty unusual to organise a flower festival of this size at this time of year and this has its special challenges but we are sure it will be very beautiful and should delight both villagers and visitors’ says Jane.

The floral celebration runs from Saturday, December 18th until Monday, December 20th and the floral exhibits will remain in place to provide the Christmas decoration for the church and to entertain visitors until Twelfth Night.

Tickets for the celebration concert on Friday, December 17th are £5 for adults, £2.50 for children and are available from Alan Ebbutt (01765 676461). Admission to the festival is free but donations will be welcome. Proceeds are for Church funds.