Events
Situated in the centre of the Cinque Port town of Sandwich, St Peter’s Church makes an attractive venue for a range of community activities (social and charitable) such as exhibitions, performances and fund-raising fairs (seasonal, arts, crafts etc).
| Date |
Events 2009 |
| 17th April |
Irish Folk Music with Trotwood, 7.30pm, £5 |
| 6th June |
Craft Fair: locally produced art and craft, 10am-1pm |
| 9th - 14th June |
Young Artists: Artwork from local schools, 10am-4.30pm |
| 26th - 28th June |
Friday 26th June 6pm Drawn from Memory: Book Illustrating Exhibition Preview Evening, with canapes and wine.
Exhibition will be open over the weekend of 27th - 28th June, 10 am - 4pm. This event is in aid of the St Clement's Church Tower Appeal. |
| 19th July |
National Archaeology Week: visit the ancient undercroft and south vestry at St Peter's - not normally open to the public. 10am - 4pm |
| 18th - 26th July |
SLATE Art Exhibition: Artwork by Art Teachers, 10am - 5pm.
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| 29th Aug |
Sandwich Festival: Stalls in the churchyard selling a variety of wares, 9am-4.30pm
Market Street Barn Dance, 3-10.30pm |
| 30th Aug |
Sandwich Festival: Churches Together in Sandwich event in the churchyard, 1.30-5pm |
| 12th Sept |
Heritage Open Days: The Curfew Bell of St Peter's - a talk, at 11am in St Peter's church. It will also be possible to visit the undercroft and south vestry - not normally open to the public. |
| 8th - 22nd Oct |
East Kent Art Society: Artwork from the area, 10am - 4-30pm |
| 10th Oct |
The Big Draw: Medieval Knights -
Draw your own knight in St Peter's church, 10am - 4pm |
| 29th Oct - 1st Nov |
LOCUS Arts: Sculpture Exhibition, daily |
| 28th Nov |
RNLI Christmas Fair: Fundraising for the Royal National Lifeboat Institute, 10am-1pm |
| 5th Dec |
Sandwich Lights Committee presents: Christmas Fayre, 10am-1pm |
| 9th - 15th Dec |
Festival of Trees: Fundraising for St Clement's Church Tower Appeal, with a display of Christmas trees, 10am-4.30pm |
| 24th Dec |
Christmas Eve Holy Communion Service, 7.30pm
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| For information about these events and hiring the church, please contact the Secretary of the Friends of St Peter's, Tony Evans, at Sackville House, 53 New Street, Sandwich, CT13 9BB or telephone him on 01304-621554. |
| To make Hire and Booking enquiries Click Here |
The Chuches Conservation Trust comes to Sandwich
 On a sunny afternoon in June (16th June 2009) a group of people from the Churches Conservation Trust (CCT) visited the chuches of St Mary's and St Peter's in Sandwich. These formed part of their annual Grand Tour of a selection of churches in their care.
The Friends of St Peter's (FOSP) provided tea, cakes and home-made scones for their guests and enjoyed the opportunity to talk to members of the CCT staff, including the Chief Executive, Crispin Truman. CCT adviser, Neil Rushton, gave a brief talk about the architectural features of St  Peter's after which the Chair of FOSP, Dick Perry, was presented with a Certificate and a limited edition CCT 40th anniversary mug in recognition of his stalwart efforts to support St Peter's in its developing role within the community.
Those present were reminded that St Peter's is one of the most visited CCT churches in the area - a fact of which its supporters are very proud.
£50,000 NEEDED TO SECURE DEVELOPMENT OF ST PETER'S AS A COMMUNITY VENUE
A Craft Fair in St Peter's Church on Saturday 6th June (2009) attracted well over 500 visitors. Admission was free and the church was full, with over 30 stalls selling handmade goods. For sale were copper sculptures by well-known local sculptor Emily Stone, stained glass, felt goods, jewellery, wooden objects, patchwork, cushions, decorated hats, plants and artwork. Reflexology, manicure and massage were also available. Visitors were entertained with live music and spinning demonstrations. Home-made cakes formed part of the refreshments.
Many people remarked on the high quality of crafts on offer and the friendly and welcoming atmosphere and expressed the hope that another fair would be held in this delightful setting soon. The event raised funds for the development of facilities at St Peter's. This is an ongoing project and donations are always welcome. They should be made payable to the Sandwich Development Fund and can be posted to Tony Evans, Secretary, FOSP, 53 New Street, Sandwich, Kent, CT13 9BB. Any donations, however small, are much appreciated.
The first major fund-raising event was held in the church on Friday, 17th April 2009 and comprised a concert of Irish music performed by family group, Trotwood.
Irish Magic in St Peter's
Irish music formed the main programme of music delivered by French-Irish band, Trotwood, when they performed in St Peter's. They also drew on their large repertoire of European songs to entertain their appreciative audience. Over 120 people enjoyed the vocal harmonies and musicianship of the six members of the band, which spanned three generations of the Trotwood family. The concert celebrated the fortieth anniversary of the founding of the Churches Conservation Trust, which looks after the fabric of the building. Organised by Anne Evans on behalf of the Friends of St Peter's, the event helped to raise funds for improvements to this redundant church. 
Trotwood comprises four singers who also play a variety of instruments: the Irish harp, fiddle, Irish diatonic button accordion (bosca ceol), Irish flute and tin whistles, banjo, guitars and cello…. On this occasion, they were accompanied by two younger members of the family, who added vocal texture and musicianship. Their repertoire has its roots in the traditional oral Irish pub and farm culture: jigs, reels, polkas, slides, hornpipes, songs and ballads - either traditional (oral transmission). They also compose and perform their own material -see their website: www.trotwood.eu.
Trotwood generously donated their services to help this fund-raising event and were presented with a token of appreciation in the form of an artwork by calligrapher, Julia Baxter, appropriately featuring Shakespeare's words from Twelfth Night, "If music be the food of love, play on".
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