East Garston

With the organ refurbishment complete, thoughts and efforts now turn to the task of paying for it. At the end of August 2005, the fund to finance the work stood at £8.600: this includes a share of the proceeds from the Fete, a grant of £1,000 from the Garfield Weston Foundation, several private donations and one from the Conservative Association............(this allowed the project to proceed).

There is a need to raise another £10,000 and our annual Gift Day this year which was held on on the 3rd of September - was used soley to target reduction of this debt. It was also decided to tie in the Gift Day with an open Church weekend making the weekend one of celebration, marking the return of the Organ to its former glory. The Church was open from 10 am through until 5pm on both days, and would be richly decorated with flowers following partly upon a wedding that had taken place the previous week.

A varied programme of music was implemented on both days featuring the talants of local musicians who, it must be said,
produced music recitals that would have been perfectly at home had they have been played in any of our great Cathedrals.

The Organists for Saturday 3rd September.

10.00 am Michael Evans
Michael studied at the Royal Acadamy of music. He is organist at St Augustine's East Hendred and Holy Trinity West Hendred and is also Choirmaster at St Mary's Chieveley. He has also played in St Edward's Cathedral Jerusalem. Michael teaches piano and organ and was previously Schools Music Advisor for Oxfordshire.

l2.00 noon Dr Stephen Holmes
Stephen studied the organ at the Hulme Grammar School Oldham, and at Oxford University with Jane Freeman. From 1980 to 1984 he was organist of All Souls South Ascot. In 1987 he accompanied the Southern Chamber Choir on their tour to Gibraltar and gave a recital in the cathedral. Since 1993 he has been organist and Choirmaster of St Michael and All Angels Lamboum. He often gives recitals in Newbury.

2.00 pm Hugo Kennard (Young Musician)

Hugo was a chorister at Chichester Cathedral and subsequently was top Organ Scholar at Charterhouse from 2000 - 2003. He is now involved in the racing world and combines this with playing the organ atSt Michaels and All Angels Lambourn.

3.00 pm Katrina Easterling

Katrina studied the organ at the age of 11 and after four months in 1973 she became organist at All Saints East Garston as well as at St James the Greater at Eastbury and at Woodlands St Mary. Katrina continued organ studies at Addington Palace and on returning to the area after university, played at St Thomas' Woolton Hill. She has played on Christmas Day at East Garston almost every year for the last 22 years.

4.00pm Alistair Davis

Alistair is organist at St John's Stockcross, He gives an annual summer concert at Stockcross and plays in regular lunchtime recitals at St Nicolas Newbury.

The Organists for Sunday 4th September.

11.30am Nancy Leyland

Nancy is the resident organist at All Saints, East Garston, but she also plays at St Michael and All Angels Lambourn, at St James the Greater Eastbury and at Woodlands St Mary,

2.00 pm Mrs Elaine Rumble

Mrs Elaine Rumble has been organist atWickam and Welford for well over ten years. She plays also at St Lawrence Hungerford and Chilton Foliat and at the Roman Catholic churches of The Sacred Heart at Lambourn and Our Lady of Lourdes at Hungerford.

4.00 pm Susan Holmes (Young Musician)

Susan is a pupil at St Bartholomew's School in Newbury, and will be taking her GCSEs next year. She is studying the violin with Jonathan Burnett and the piano with Audrey Harington Hawes. She plays with the West Berkshire String Orchestra. She passed her Grade 8 piano examination last December and hopes to make a career in music as an accompanist. Her father is the organist at St Michael and All Angels Lambourn.

Floral Decorations by
Diana Pilling and Sue Briant

Conducted by the Rev. Tony Cumberlidge; the two day celebration culminated in
Special Service consisting of well-known hymns and music..