New star in the Chigwell sky brings hope and reminds us of the true meaning of Christmas
A bright shining star visible from the Chigwell sky has begun to lift the spirits of local people with many talking about the phenomenon on a community whatsapp and other social media.
The star which has been placed on the top of All Saints Church flagpole on their bell-tower is part of the Christmas lights that the community have been working towards since October.
At 4pm on Sunday 29th November 2020, local people were alerted to the bright star after hearing bells-ringing by inexperienced but dedicated teenagers from the community, who had spent a whole weekend getting the star and a larger light display ready for local people.
Led by local church volunteer William Worth, the youth learned how to use u-shaped nails and tie wraps, to join together 3 sets of rope lights shaped as stars. He then helped them hoist the stars into place with our Chairman Wilson Chowdhry, to create a multifaceted star-shape that is now visible across the whole of the ward and much, much further.
Local people were encouraged to come out of their homes and to view the star that would lead them to Jesus (well a nativity scene that will be placed on the grounds of the church on 6th December).
The teenagers were treated to a tour of the famous All Saints Church, Bell Tower which is the highest accessible point in Essex and has wonderful views. They enjoyed a trip around the church grounds and found a group of rare toadstools. Without being asked the teenagers even cleared up all the litter on the grounds of the church, disappointed at the amount of rubbish that had accumulated - an amazing gesture.
Teenagers experienced the ancient art of campanology.
Later in the afternoon the remaining teenagers were able to experience bell-ringing first-hand, as they were given the opportunity to alert local people that the Chigwell star was in the sky (residents were forewarned about the stars being announced by bells via a whatsapp group).
On 6th December the long awaited Chigwell Row light display will be switched on at 4pm. A socially-distanced event which local people can attend in household bubbles up to a maximum of six (unless families living together are larger).
Some background Christmas songs will be played and local people will be treated to carols sung by the All Saints Choir.
There will be an opportunity to obtain professional family photographs by the nativity and Christmas lights for a small fee. While a small crafts stall will also be present for you to purchase gifts or items for your own homes.
Tea, coffee, mince-pies and cake will be served for free, sponsored by Lambwood Heights Care Homes, but please obey rules such as sending one person from each bubble to collect refreshments and please do come to the event wearing a mask as we will have to refuse entry for people without one.
Covid-19 has been difficult for all of us and that will have affected people in many different ways. We hope the season of Christmas which has always been a trigger for hope and emphasises the need for peace and love, gives our community a chance to heal and strengthen bonds.
We are really excited by this and have heard that the success of the All Saints Christmas lights, is also leading to a demand by local councillors for an emergency fund to bring Christmas lights to our local street-lamps too. Let's hope they can finally get some Christmas lights for us too, so that during this festive season we can brightly go into our new year with greater expectations than ever before.
Hannah Chowdhry, who created the crowdfund for the project, said:
"So glad that we were able to bring a public nativity to the people of Chigwell.
"Christmas is not about Santa and buying presents there is a deeper meaning to the celebration and I feel it is important that people are reminded of this.
"Christmas is a time of hope and peace and I can think of no better time to get back to these basics."
Patrycja Kaczanowska, said:
"I only moved here in September and am so excited to be a part of something so special.
"So glad Hannah got me involved as I learnt a lot of new things.
"Ringing church bells and going to the top of the tower was just amazing."
Wilson Chowdhry, said:
"All Saints is located right at the centre of our ward and their tower is the highest accessible point in Essex.
"I hope we do not confuse to many stargazers with our star, especially those looking out for Venus and other planets close to our orbit at this time of year.
"Christmas is a special time and I hope local people have enjoyed working together to make this project successful - there will of course be more to come in the new year."
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