Goose Green celebrates

On Saturday, 27 October the Goose Green Centre in East Dulwich celebrated the completion of the Green Goose Appeal which raised £585,000 to build the community centre next to St. John the Evangelist Church.

A further £46,000 was raised to pay for landscaping, noticeboards and new gates.

The Mayor of Southwark, Councillor Hilary Wines, joined in the community celebrations, unveiling a watercolour painting of the Centre. Guests were entertained by children from the Puddleduck Nursery, members of the T'ai Chi group and a magician.

The Centre's current activities include a nursery, mother and baby group, lunch club, yoga, T'ai Chi, karate, Alcoholics Anonymous, M.P. and local councillors' surgeries, public meetings and family events. It is also used by St. John's church every Sunday.

Funds have been raised from trusts and charities, Southwark Diocese, commercial companies, individuals, the Friends of St. John's and Southwark Council.

Gateway to Heaven

Double, double

Two pairs of identical twins were among seven young members of All Saints, Battersea, confirmed when Bishop Wilfred visited on All Saints Sunday.

Lovelina and Naveena have their roots in India, Hassan and Hussein in Sierra Leone. Jennifer (Nigeria), Joana (Portugal) and Lesley (Ghana) were the other candidates from All Saints.

Candidates from St Mary, Battersea, and St Margaret, Streatham, were also confirmed and added further to the ethnic diversity.

All creatures great and small...

St Andrew's, South Wimbledon, held a pets blessing service on a very wet Sunday in October. The service is part of a monthly series of themed children's services said to be 'short, fun, with lots to do'.

As well as the dogs, rabbits and guinea pigs in church, the vicar, Rev Andrew Wakefield also blessed at long range through photographs animals unable or unwilling to travel, including cats and a pony.

'I had feared that a food chain might develop, my own dog Rosie being the most likely instigator, but all animals were kept on tight leashes and we had no injuries, not even to my blessing hand,' said Andrew.

The feast of St Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals was the lynch pin for the occasion and his story was told. Local charity, Deen City Farm, set up a petting corner with rabbits, ducklings, chickens and even a rat. Still embargoed by foot and mouth disease, the sheep and donkeys were unable to come, said Andrew,.

"But, after the success of this service we will be making it an annual event and hope that next October Deen City Farm can bring even more and bigger animals."

"The demography of Wimbledon has changed considerably in the last few years," he commented, "and we now have lots of young children locally. We want to draw into the church people who would not, at least initially, come to a longish traditional mass.

"These are families with very busy working lives, whose weekends are packed anyway. By starting these short and lively services, we build on our connections with young families", said Andrew.