The service itself, the 17th consecutive, was held in the historic Guild Chapel of Stratford-upon-Avon. It was a traditional service of nine lessons and carols, led by the Rev. Brian Mason and with readers drawn from all sections of the Springfield community, staff, volunteers, members and trustees and enhanced by the singing of Village Voices, from Warwick.
The service was followed by refreshments and mince pies donated by Tesco and organised by the Stratford Soroptimists in the Town Hall, where there were also displays by local agencies offering support to those affected by mental illness, a sales table of Christmas novelties made by a member and unobtrusive live music played and sung by Dave Tandy, father of a staff member.
When Maria Fennell, CEO of Springfield Mind gave her address, thanking those who had supported the event, she welcomed
Ann Morrison, mayor of Leamington Spa, shown in the lower right of second pic
Juliet Short, Stratford-upon-Avon Town Councillor
The Rev. Brian Mason, who had taken the service
Chris Last, organist and current administrator
The Village Voices Male Voice Choir, from Warwick, who sang two carols, one being a wonderful arrangement of “In the Deep Mid Winter” by the organist
Tesco for their generous support
Dave Tandy, for vocals and jazz
One-Stop for providing hampers for the raffle prizes
The Soroptimists who organised the refreshments.
This annual event takes place in an attempt to reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness and as a result of people helping each other in the community. The Soroptimists are always proud to be a part of that and, over the years, have helped Springfield in many different ways.