Carol Service

The Mayor of Westhoughton, Cllr Gillian Wroe, was invited to a Carol Service in Leyland on Sunday 14th December. She writes:

‘I was happy to accept an invitation from the Mayor of South Ribble, Cllr Paul Wharton-Hardman, to a Carol Service with a bit of a difference.

The service was held in St Ambrose Church, Leyland, organised by the Chorley & Leyland Group of Freemasons (incorporating Westhoughton and Horwich) and led by Father Paul Robinson.

The traditional carols were interspersed with readings giving a modern interpretation of the meaning of the carols. For the ‘We Three Kings’ Carol Father Paul ‘invited’ the Chairman, Vice Chairman (Mayor of S. Ribble) and the Chairman of Farington Parish Council to perform the Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh verses as solos. They handled it well!

During the service the Chairman of the Group, David Bishop, presented cheques of £1,150 each to 8 different food banks around the area including Bolton Outreach (including W’ton) and Horwich Foodshare. It was a really heartwarming moment.

We finished the service with a rendition of the 12 Days of Christmas, with actions.

Afterwards we went into the Church Hall where Father Christmas made a surprise visit.

Thank you to everyone who made the event so enjoyable.

Pictured are: front L to R - Mayor of Horwich, Cllr Victoria Rigby, me, Mayor of South Ribble, Cllr Paul Wharton-Hardman

Back - Group Chairman David Bishop, Chairman of Farington Parish Council Cllr Shaun Bradbury and S. Ribble Consort Mr Chris Wharton-Hardman.