An appeal has been launched to help secure the future of the fifty year old annual traditional Service of Carols by Candlelight at St George’s Church, Shimpling.

Maurice Philpot, who has been associated with the Church since 1972, is retiring from organising the Carol Service (and other events) at the Church, following the 2014 Service – to be held on 18^th December.  St George’s Church is one of over 340 churches in the care of The Churches Conservation Trust.

Anyone interested in organising events at St George’s – and, in particular, the Carol Service – should contact The Churches Conservation Trust’s Volunteering Officer for Norfolk and Suffolk, Laura McLean, on 07799 424078 or [email protected]

Meanwhile, during 2014, a full programme of events continues: including a Celebration of the Patronal Festival of the Church on St George’s Day (23^rd April 2014), a talk on ‘Some Eccentric East Anglian Clergymen’ (18^th June), and a Commemoration of the twelve men of Shimpling who died in the Service of their Country, 1914-1918 (27^th July).  The Church will again be participating in the annual national Heritage Open Weekend on Saturday 13^th and Sunday 14^th September.

Mr Philpot will not be severing all links with St George’s Church and The Churches Conservation Trust.  He will continue to clean the Church, to offer informal conducted tours of the Church for local groups – and also to provide those special ‘Shimpling refreshments’ for participants in the annual Norfolk Churches Trust sponsored cycle ride on the second Saturday of each September.