Watch this "heart-warming" Church of England Christmas film and accept the invitation

This year’s Church of England Christmas film follows one person through life’s journey, with a powerful invitation to everyone to come together to celebrate the birth of Jesus.

After two years in which the festive season was marked for many by loneliness and uncertainty due to Covid-19, churches across England are now fully open and are inviting people to join services and other events throughout Advent and Christmas.

The moving film follows the story of a woman who is supported by her local church through many Christmases throughout her life, from first appearing in a nativity play as a child, to growing up, marrying, seeing her own children grow up, facing bereavement and beyond.

It ends in a simple message: “Wherever you are on life’s journey, you’re invited to church this Christmas.”

The advert, which will feature across the Church of England’s channels on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and Twitter, is part of the Church of England’s Christmas campaign: “Follow the Star – the Great Invitation”.

The campaign is geared towards those people who might not normally, or ever, attend church. 

It includes a plain-English explanation on what to expect at church this Christmas with answers to common questions which people may be too embarrassed to ask such as “How will I know what to do?”, “What should I wear?” and “What if I do not know all the words?”.

The advert also highlights how, alongside the joy and celebration, Christmas can be a very painful time for many people, especially those experiencing bereavement. This year’s campaign includes a special “Blue Christmas” service led by The Archbishop of York on Sunday 18 December, focusing on these themes. 

There will also be prayers, reflections and an event on Christmas Day at 4pm aimed at anyone who is feeling alone as an opportunity to gather online.

A range of resources are also available to help churches invite local communities into their services and events this year - from Christmas cards to social media graphics and carols to download and play.

Amaris Cole, the Church of England’s Head of Digital, said: “Our Advent and Christmas campaign this year has a clear message – you are welcome to celebrate with us and are invited to one of our services. 

“There is no doubt that the last two Christmases have been incredibly difficult, with gatherings and services limited by Covid-19.

“So we've worked on creating special resources to help churches issue the Great Invitation to their communities this December and welcome people back in, or even to attend for the very first time. 

“The Church of England’s social channels will be sharing messages of invitation, helpful posts that explain services and traditions to those considering church for the first time, and a range of famous faces sharing their favourite Christmas memories of church.

"Wherever you are, we hope to celebrate with you this year. Find your local services and events at AChurchNearYou.com.”  

The Bishop of Ripon, Helen-Ann Hartley, said: “The message of this year’s Christmas campaign, couldn’t be simpler: we’re there for you - in every community in England, and in our congregations across Europe and beyond.

“People have found the last few years very difficult and my prayer is that by coming together in worship this Christmas, we can find renewed hope and inspiration.

“Churches and chaplaincies across the country are getting ready to welcome you. From nativities for all the family, to moments of reflection for those finding it difficult. Take a look at A Church Near You to hear again the hope that the birth of Jesus Christ offers to everyone.”

The Revd Steve Short, Rector of St Michael and St Mary's, Melbourne, Derbyshire, which was among the locations where the advert was filmed, said: “It was a great experience and such a privilege to host colleagues from the Church of England and support their making of this film. They had such passion, drive and joy for what they were doing, and it’s such an exciting initiative.

“Follow the Star is fantastic anyway, but tying it in with The Great Invitation is really impactful: it brings together Christmas and back-to-church Sunday. Research shows that people just want to be invited to things, just as we are invited to follow Christ.

“The resources provided are very helpful, and the vision will reach many. It’s been a real privilege to be involved in this. Thank you for giving our churches a platform.”

Official tips for a safer Christmas

These Christmas safety tips are issued by the Home Office:- 

Check your Christmas tree lights carry the British Safety Standard sign.

Never place candles near a Christmas tree or materials that can easily catch light.

Test your smoke alarms at least monthly and only remove batteries when replacing them.

Most fires start in the kitchen. Avoid leaving cooking unattended.

Avoid cooking when under the influence of alcohol.

Make sure your family and visitors know how to escape in an emergency.

Make sure cigarettes are put out properly.

Decorations can burn easily, so don’t attach them to lights or heaters.

Keep candles, lighters and matches out of children’s reach. Never leave burning candles unattended.

Never overload electrical sockets. Always switch Christmas lights off and unplug them before you go to bed.

Store fireworks safely. Never go back to a lit firework and keep a bucket of water nearby.

Take care around open fireplaces as clothes may catch fire.

Take time to check on older relatives and neighbours this Christmas as they are at greater risk from fire.

For advice specific to you and your home, complete your own home fire safety check, https://www.safelincs.co.uk/hfsc. 

(Image courtesy of Kramarz and Pixabay) 

That's Christmas acknowledges the assistance of the Home Office in preparing this feature. 

Give a Gift of Hope this Christmas with Pecan and Southwark Foodbank

It's going to be an especially tough Christmas for too many people this year. We're already seeing higher rates of hunger this year.  Help us to bring hope to families this winter. 

In 2022, more families than ever are having to decide whether to heat their home or feed their family. Together we can help Feed a Family this Christmas and continue to support the community into 2023 and beyond. "Heat or eat" is becoming a sad but common saying this year for many people.

But you can offer your support. This year, Pecan are collaborating with Southwark Foodbank for their Christmas campaign ‘Give a Gift of Hope’. Donations will ensure they can provide hundreds of families in Southwark with gift cards and special Christmas parcels with treats and small gifts. This is over and above the regular support we continue to offer at their Foodbank centres.  

Demand for the foodbank has inevitably risen due to the cost-of-living crisis and now that winter has arrived. Your donations will go a long way to helping make Christmas that much more hopeful for people facing crisis and ongoing hardship. Your kind donations and belief in people will also support families and individuals that access our other services.

The cost-of-living crisis will be with us long after Christmas, and Pecan’s community projects work tirelessly to meet the needs of our community with Kindness, Belief and Hope. Each of our projects, from the Southwark Foodbank to Women’s Services, Peckham Pantry, and our new Community Hub, rely on our community to support them. By donating to Pecan and Southwark Foodbank, you support each one of these projects.  

Your donation will go towards impacting the lives of people in Southwark, whether it is:-

Providing food parcels through the Southwark Foodbank. 

Giving women advocacy support to settle back into community or recover from domestic abuse. 

Helping someone who is lonely or isolated make connections through our community activities. 

Providing someone with support and warmth in our Community Hub. 

Providing essential employment and life skills through our community workshops and courses 

Providing affordable, healthy food to local people through the Peckham Pantry. 

Chris Price the CEO at Pecan said: “Over the summer we saw energy and food prices continually rising. The people most affected by this are those of us on the lowest incomes, who were already struggling to get by. With the winter now here, an increasing number of people will find the issue of struggling to heat or eat a reality, potentially for the first time.  

"At Pecan, we know this isn’t merely a financial or physical issue, it will also take a dramatic toll on everyone’s wellbeing and ability to cope with the bleak situation everyone is facing. To help reduce the impact of the crisis, Pecan have been planning how to make better use of our building this winter. Our aim is to provide a dignified response that will provide a welcome that enables wellbeing and helps people to access support.

"If you would like to support us during this winter crisis, then please donate to our Give a Gift of Hope Christmas campaign with Southwark Foodbank.”

pecan.org.uk

Ukrainian Singer Shares Her Powerful Performance of a Christmas Classic

Undoubtedly you've heard carollers sing "Carol Of The Bells" every holiday season. You may also remember this song from the cult classic film "Home Alone", but most won't be aware that this tune is an Americanised re-write of a 100+ year old Ukrainian folk song called "Schedryk." 

Castlehill Entertainment artist Usanova, a young female singer from Ukraine, passionately offers the original version in her native tongue along with a powerful visual performance.

Amidst the ongoing war and devastation in Ukraine, Usanova is one of the lucky ones. In the pursuit of her music career she was in Zurich, Switzerland when the war broke out, making it impossible to return home to her family. Wanting to deliver a message of her and her country's distress to the world, she put a new spin on the Christmas classic. 

Usanova says: "Her reason for creating and sharing this piece is "to put focus on the plight of my people during this holiday season. My intention wasn't to take the joy out of the season, but to remind the world that many are suffering in Ukraine and other parts of the world." 

She will be donating any proceeds from the song and video to UNICEF, an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to children worldwide.

The 25 year-old-singer, who is also a skilled piano player and yoga Gurudevi, has been focused on traveling to new places in order to experience new people and cultures. She speaks several languages including English, Japanese, besides her native Ukrainian. Usanova describes her sound as "world music" bringing together multiple influences with a contemporary twist.  

For "Schedryk" she enlisted the help of Hollywood music producer/composer Fingazz to modernize the holiday classic and deliver her compelling message. Recorded and filmed in Zurich, composed, mixed, and edited in Los Angeles, then managed and released by Toronto's Tom Stephen from Castlehill Entertainment - the end product has truly been an international affair.

Businessman issues warning as scammers target vulnerable online shoppers looking for appliance bargains this Christmas

A businessman who runs one of the UK’s top appliance reuse networks has called for more to be done to protect people buying electrical goods online this Christmas.

James Farmer, who is a director of The Appliance Recycling Group, based in Tipton, in the West Midlands, said vulnerable people looking for low-priced second-hand goods and appliances amid the cost-of-living crisis were being ripped off and left out of pocket by unscrupulous traders.

“Appliance poverty is a real issue, and the cost-of-living crisis means people are often forced to find new ways to save money,” he said. “When their washing machine or fridge breaks, especially at this time of year, they have no choice but to look for a quick and cheap replacement online.

“But they're in a vulnerable position. Scammers posing as individuals may take cash and leave them with a faulty appliance or one that doesn’t work at all, which makes a bad thing worse.

“Scammers are everywhere, especially at this time of year, and people should take extra care when they are looking to buy second-hand goods online. The companies that run these online buying and selling sites should also take more care to protect those involved.”

James said sites like eBay had systems in place to protect buyers, but others weren't so robust.

James points out that Facebook Marketplace in particular is a huge draw for people looking for bargains. It does have measures in place for users to report scammers and fraudulent posts, but people are still falling victims to unscrupulous sellers.

James went on to say: “Some people pose as homeowners saying they need to sell an item due to a house move or redecoration. Some of them actually have dozens of fake profiles that they set up to sell hundreds of items online.

“They sometimes offer to deliver the item and ask for cash so you can be left with an item that doesn’t work, having handed over cash and you don't even have an address to trace it back to.

“You could even then be left with a £25 fee to have the item taken away.”

James added: “Reuse is more important than ever now, and more and more people are looking to buy second-hand appliances. We're seeing an increase in the number of people buying reuse appliances, but if they’re buying from an individual online seller, they should take extra care as there's no right of warranty.”

James added where possible people should buy from authorised reuse facilities, as The Appliance Recycling Group, which is based in George Henry Road, Tipton. 

“We supply items with a 90-day warranty, and we test 55,000 products annually across our network. We comply with the strictest environmental standards, which govern the reuse of electrical goods, so buyers have complete peace of mind,” he added.

“It might be a few pounds more than those so-called online bargain, but it's almost like an insurance policy. It’s worth paying that little extra to know you're getting an item that works and is safe to use.”

James said people should follow the following tips to stay safe when buying online:

Always look for a picture of the item in situ. If it’s a fridge or washing machine it should be pictured in a kitchen or utility room. Pictures of the item outside or in a garage should ring alarm bells as it can be a sign the item hasn't been in use in a home.

Don't buy an appliance based on a photo; ask to see the appliance on a video call. A photo cannot indicate whether that appliance is capable of working.

Don't fall for an offer of free delivery. A buyer could drop it off, take your cash and leave you with a faulty or broken item. Ask to collect the item, even if you are unable to. By engaging the seller, you have an address (you can let them know that a delivery would help after, if you are satisfied). When engaged, scammers will often tell you that the item is sold once you press for more details.

Don’t pay cash. a credit or debit card, bank transfer or PayPal is best. Any legitimate individual or business or seller won’t mind how you pay.

Facebook Marketplace offers shopping safety tips and guidelines to avoid fraudsters on the site and makes it easy to report a suspected scam. In some cases, it can offer a refund for those who have been targeted.

Meta, which owns Facebook, works closely with law enforcement to support investigations, and keep scammers off its platforms. It is also a part of Stop Scams UK, an industry-led group of businesses working together to stop the spread of scams.

To find out more about the Appliance Recycling Group, visit theappliancerecyclinggroup.com.

Get your home Christmas décor ready with VonHaus

It’s that time of year again, the annual jobs of getting all the Christmas decorations out, making sure you have got everything you need and making sure everything looks perfectly and properly festive. 

But sometimes, it’s not just as straightforward as you might hope. For example, if you’re missing a crucial tool or you just can’t reach something, it can be a very frustrating, or even impossible, task.

If you're a Christmas decorator, take the stress out of these tasks with the VonHaus’ range of Christmas décor must-haves. 

There's everything you'll ever need, from tools to electrical essentials, you can get all of these with free UK mainland delivery (3-5 days) or with £2.99 next day delivery for those who feeling the last-minute rush.

(Christmas cut off dates apply – 21st December for standard mainland delivery and 22nd December, 1pm for next day delivery)

Step Steel Ladders

If you’re in need of that extra bit of (safe!) height to get into your loft or cupboard to retrieve your Christmas decorations, there sturdy 4 step steel ladder is a must-have. It has an ultra-durable frame along with rubber caps on its feet, which means you won’t have to worry about safety.

Premium 2 Step Ladder

If you’re opting for an epic-sized tree this year, you might  need a little bit of a helping hand putting the star on the top! This premium 2 step ladder is the ideal size for this type of job. It's not too bulky to put away and will give you the extra boost needed to complete your Christmas décor.

6 Socket Black Extension Lead with USB

There’s nothing worse than not having enough plugs for all the Christmas lights! Make the task of plugging them in easier with a 6-socket extension, which includes 2 USB ports, just in case you need to charge a phone or tablet nearby. It even has inbuilt power surge protection to protect your valuable hardware from damage.

25m Splash-Proof Extension Reel

If a bit more length is needed for Christmas trees further away from plugs or outdoor lights, a longer extension reel will do just the trick. This one is 25M in length and is even splash-proof, which means any damp weather conditions won't affect it.

E-Series 18V Cordless Drill Driver Bundle

You’ve got the tree sorted, but what about the other decorations around the house that might need screwing in or attaching to walls? This easy-to-use cordless drill driver will get the job done in no time at all – there won’t be any need to struggle doing those tasks by hand.

112pc Household Tool Set

If you are prepared to do all the festive prep by hand, this 112pc tool set is a must-have for Christmas and all the other times you might need a helping hand. It features all the hand tools you could ever need, and it even includes picture hooks too – perfect for popping up those smaller Christmas decorations.

visit www.vonhaus.com for a full view of available products.

Shop Independent this Christmas and ‘Be a Star’ with Paper Starlight

Andy Jupp, the owner of Paper Starlights said: "This Christmas more than ever it’s vitally important to support small independent businesses. 

"At Paper Starlights, we’ve teamed up with Independent businesses in our town of Chesterfield, Derbyshire, to do just that. 

We're introducing the ‘Be a Star and Support Independents’ campaign.

Andy Jupp added: "We’ve donated 100 of our handmade star lanterns to some 80 businesses across the town centre of Chesterfield, for passers-by to see. It's to help encourage people to shop locally this festive season and put money back into the local economy. Our stars have been kindly distributed with the help of fellow Chesterfield Independent, Shop Indie."

Andy went on to say: "We wanted to say thank you to all the local Derbyshire businesses who have given us so much support over these last 2 years. Now, more than ever, we need to keep shopping local.

"The stars will be on display across Chesterfield until Christmas 2022. We encourage everyone to go out and see how many stars you can spot. As well as to shop independently this festive season."

paperstarlights.com

If you are a local trader in a different town, why not take a leaf out of Andy Jupp's book and organise your own ‘Be a Star and Support Independents’ campaign?