Patronal Festival Report - St John of Beverley, Whatton-in-the-Vale

St John of Beverley, Whatton-in-the-Vale
Patron saint: St John of Beverley
Festival date: 11 May

St John of Beverley’s Patronal Festival Evensong was a lively and uplifting occasion, with a full church and a strong musical line-up. The Cranmer Company of Singers, directed by Deborah Davies, sang alongside local guests in a Come & Sing format, with Paul Hale playing the organ. The programme included Batten’s O Praise the Lord, Moreland Responses, Stanford in C and Gordon Jacob’s O Lord, I will praise thee.

The church looked splendid thanks to a newly formed decoration team, and generous refreshments were enjoyed afterwards. The event drew many who do not usually attend worship, bringing together people of varied ages and backgrounds. The Vicar, the Revd Tim Chambers, and the congregation worked hard to ensure the service was well prepared and well publicised, with invitations delivered to every home in the village.

The grant played a key role in enabling the festival, and the parish hopes to build on its success with further Evensongs and future Patronal celebrations.