Upcoming events in the Wickford and Runwell Team Ministry

Here are the upcoming events in the Wickford and Runwell Team Ministry during January and February:

Fear not, for I am with you: An exhibition of religious paintings by David Sowerby

9 January – 3 April 2026

St Andrew’s Church, 11 London Road, Wickford SS12 0AN

View the exhibition and hear David speak about his work at ‘Unveiled’, the arts & performance evening at St Andrew’s Wickford, Friday 9 January, 7.00 pm.

St Andrew’s is usually open: Sat 9am-12.30pm; Sun 9.30am-12 noon; Mon 2-3.45pm; Tue 1-4.30pm; Wed 10am-12 noon; Fri 10am-1pm. https://wickfordandrunwellparish.org.uk/whats-on.html 

David Sowerby

Born 24th October 1954

Studied Foundation at Middlesbrough Art College

BA (hons) Art and Design at The Central School of Art (London)

I worked as a freelance illustrator and teacher throughout my life and eventually retired as a Principal Lecturer at The University of the Arts London.

I now support a range of charities, both local and national, via my mutual interest and fascination with art and creativity. 

An earlier exhibition was just prior to the first lockdown which was held at The Transition, Chelmsford, with proceeds going towards The British Heart Foundation raised just over £6,000.

I continue to support local and national charities, contributing a large percentage of any sales to such charitable organisations and causes.  

My work can be viewed on my Facebook pages, search for David Sowerby with more available to view at Sowerbycreations (Facebook again) 

Unveiled

A regular Friday night arts and performance event
at St Andrew’s Church, 7.00 – 9.00 pm
11 London Road, Wickford, Essex SS12 0AN

See below for our Spring 2026 programme and http://wickfordandrunwellparish.org.uk/whats-on.html for more information.

Exhibitions, open mic nights, performances, talks and more!

Unveiled – a wide range of artist and performers from Essex and wider, including Open Mic nights (come and have a go!).
Unveiled – view our hidden painting by acclaimed artist David Folley, plus a range of other exhibitions.

Spring Programme 2026

• 9 January (7.00 pm) – ‘Fear not, for I am with you: An exhibition of religious paintings’ exhibition viewing evening. Meet artist David Sowerby, see his exhibition & hear him speak about his work. David worked as a freelance illustrator and teacher and was a Principal Lecturer at The University of the Arts London.
• 23 January (7.00 pm) – ‘Writing on the Arts’. A talk by Jonathan Evens reflecting on his experiences of writing on the Arts for publications including Artlyst, ArtWay, Church Times, International Times, Seen and Unseen and Stride Magazine, among others.
• 6 February (7.30 pm) – Meet film director Will Norman and see his acclaimed film My Brother Bob, which explores the meaning of quality of life and won Best Documentary at the UKFF. Will Norman is a London based director known for his surreal and playful approach to storytelling across commercials and music videos.
• 27 February (7.30 pm) – Rev Simpkins in concert. Rev Simpkins’ music mixes the colourful folk tradition of Appalachians Mountains with the melodiousness and carefully-observed lyrics of the Kinks. Close harmonies intertwine with banjo, French horn, and bass. “Melodious, chaotic, gloriously energetic, the fruit of the fevered musical imaginations of Matty Simpkins.”
• 13 March (7.00 pm) – ‘Nevendon to Wickford’. A talk by Geoff Whiter of Wickford Community Archive. Geoff’s talk will include a number of unseen photographs of Wickford Town centre.
• 27 March (7.30 pm) – Open Mic Night. Everybody is welcome to come along & play, read, sing or just spectate. See you there for a great evening of live performance!

These events do not require tickets (just turn up on the night). There will be a retiring collection to cover artist and church costs. See http://wickfordandrunwellparish.org.uk/whats-on.html for fuller information.

Rev Simpkins 

Suffolk-Essex musician, Rev Simpkins, presents an evening of acoustic music of great imagination and charm.

The Rev will perform songs from his acclaimed folk albums such as ‘Big Sea’ and ‘Saltings’, together with songs from his band album ‘Pissabed Prophet’. The gig will also feature songs from the Rev’s most recent album ‘Headwater’, a collection of fever dreams and reflections on awe and delirium, recorded in the aftermath of an extreme reaction to immunotherapy treatment for stage 4 cancer. These songs recreate sounds and visions experienced on the hospital ward.

The Rev’s sweeping melodies, rich harmonies, and fascinating lyrics have won him both a cult following and national acclaim. This is a rare chance to experience the breadth of the Rev’s  work in one evening.

"Bizarre Post-Punk mastery...Ludicrously cool" 8/10 Vive le Rock on ‘Pissabed Prophet’

“Headwater takes us into new ruminative territory with its industrial electronic soundscapes and use of drones and silences to bring us into contemplation.” International Times

Nazareth Community Gathering

Saturday 17 January, 2.00 pm

St John’s Church, Outwood Common Rd, Billericay CM11 2LE

A first meeting of the incipient South Essex Nazareth Community including: Study (Letter from Nazareth); Sharing (Wonderings); Staying With (Preparing a 7S’s Rule of Life); and Sacrament (Eucharist).  

A contemporary Rule of Life: Silence, Service, Scripture, Sacrament, Sharing, Sabbath, Staying With

All are welcome to find out more and take part in this initial Gathering to begin forming a Nazareth Community in South Essex.

WICKFORD AND RUNWELL 

PARISH STUDY DAY 2026 

THE BIG STORY: THE BIBLE IN FIVE ACTS 

Saturday 31st January 2026 

9.30am - 2pm in St Andrews church 

Lunch provided.

Explore the amazing story told through the Bible from Creation to Jesus and the Early Church and look into the future and what it means for us.

... discuss ...

Discuss is a youth discussion group meeting monthly on Fridays, 7.00 pm, St Andrew's Centre. All discussion topics chosen by the group. All teens and twenties are welcome.

Dates:

• 16 January
• 20 February
• 20 March
• 17 April
• 15 May
• 12 June
• 10 July

Pancake Party

St Catherine’s Hall

17th February 2026

Between 2.30 pm and 4pm

£5 for pancakes and tea or coffee

There will also be a raffle

Sign up lists coming soon, pay on the day

WICKFORD AND RUNWELL PARISH 

LENT 2026 

Inspired to Follow: Who is my Neighbour 

A journey through Lent 

A course from St Martin-in-the-Fields in conjunction with the National Gallery, exploring Art and the Bible Story. We are offering this six week course from week commencing 23rd February. The final week will be decided by each group. 

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Rev Simpkins - In The Marsh A Desert.

The religious art of Rosemary Rutherford

Today I gave a talk, with Kathy Rouse, at St Mary with St Leonard Broomfield about the religious art of Rosemary Rutherford. 

In my part of the talk I explained that Rosemary Rutherford was part of a generation of innovative female artists whose work is increasingly being rediscovered and re-evaluated. These artists include Vanessa Bell, Hilda Carline, Enid Chadwick, Evelyn Dunbar, Gwen John, Laura Knight, Winifred Knights, Dod Procter, Betty Swanwick and Annie Walke. All of these artists, who challenged the conventions of their day to become respected artists, engaged with religious art or church commissions. 

At the beginning of the twentieth century there was also a movement looking for a re-association of the Artist and the Church following the break in that relationship caused by the beginnings of modernism. Laura Knight, Dod Proctor and Annie Walke were involved in a project to decorate St Hilary’s Church near Goldsithney in Cornwall, while Vanessa Bell was part of a project to decorate St Michael and All Angels at Berwick in Sussex. Added impetus was given to this movement following the Second World War as windows and churches needed repair.Artists such as Elizabeth Frink, Henry Moore, John Piper and Graham Sutherland became associated with this development.

Rosemary Rutherford was part of these artistic movements, benefiting from them and making a significant contribution to them. I used the talk as an opportunity to compare and contrast the religious art of Rutherford with others creating work in a similar period. By doing so, I aimed to identify some of the strengths of Rutherford’s contribution and some of the shared emphases of the movements of which she was part.

I ended the talk by saying that religious and biblical art was a significant part of Rosemary’s oeuvre, as would be expected of an artist who was deeply religious. Her spirituality and her inspiration as an artist were very much in harmony leading her to create profound, compelling and often original depictions of Biblical scenes and stories. Her expressive approach means that her images have both emotional impact and spiritual depth. However, her religious paintings are by no means as well known as her stained glass. They are often in private hands rather than public collections and, in some cases, as with St Paul’s Clacton, who have a marvellous collection of works, there is not the space to display them. McVitie Weston, who support this series, also have a substantive holding of Rosemary’s religious art. 

Susan Gray, writing in Church Times, viewed Rosemary Rutherford as one of Benton End’s rediscovered stars in the exhibition “Life with Art: Benton End and the East Anglian School of Painting and Drawing” at Firstsite in Colchester. That exhibition has been followed by exhibitions focusing on the careers of first Lucy Harwood and then, at Gainsborough's House, Cedric Morris and Lett Haines. A similar retrospective for Rutherford would enable more of us to rediscover the beauty, depth and originality of her work, in particular that of her religious art.

On Friday 6 December (7.00 pm) at St Andrew's Wickford, I will be giving an illustrated talk on Broomfield artists in the Basildon Deanery. Find out about artworks in Basildon and Nevendon by Thomas Bayliss Huxley-Jones and Rosemary Rutherford.

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Paul Mealor - She Walks In Beauty.

New Town, New Collection: Tales from George Morl’s private art collection

12 – 14 May 2023St Andrew’s Church, 11 London Road, Wickford SS12 0AN

This exhibition brings together works acquired by artist and curator George Morl. Through founding a collection which reflects on the communal legacies of New Towns, Plotlands, and the possibility of human connections across the virtual world, it visions a future art collection centring support. New Town, New Collection features works by contemporary artists such as Grayson Perry, Elsa James, Madge Gill, Rosie Hastings & Hannah Quinlan, Uma Breakdown, as well as by Morl.

Friday 12 May 7.00 pm, St Andrew’s Church - Talk: New Town, New Collection

Join George Morl for a talk about their collection as displayed in the exhibition New Town, New Collection. Reflecting on experiences as an artist and through their role as Programme Assistant at Firstsite in Colchester, Morl shares their joy of acquiring art, and motivations for building a collection to share for others.

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Bruce Cockburn - Us All.

Concert, exhibition & artist talk

The summer term exhibition and Unveiled programme at St Andrew's Wickford begins this week.

 
From Easter to the summer, there is a feast of The Arts coming to Wickford and Runwell, beginning with the summer programme for 'Unveiled' at St Andrew's Wickford and continuing with the 'One Beautiful World' Arts Festival, which has churches in Wickford and Runwell as its venues. Art, collections, dance, music, photography, poetry. Art trails, concerts, exhibitions, performance, readings, talks. Full details can be found at https://joninbetween.blogspot.com/2023/04/feast-of-arts-in-wickford-and-runwell.html and https://onebeautifulworldfestival.blogspot.com/.

 
This feast of arts events begins with:

One Beautiful World: An exhibition of space art by Jackie E. Burns
26 April – 23 July 2023
St Andrew’s Church , 11 London Road, Wickford SS12 0AN

Jackie E. Burns is a Fellow of the International Association of Astronomical Artists and seeks to foster the inquisitive joy of art and astronomy while inspiring people to the awe and beauty of space and astronomy.

Hear Jackie speak about her work at ‘Unveiled’ – the arts & performance evenings in St Andrew’s Wickford - Friday 28 April, 7.00 pm.

During the One Beautiful World Arts Festival this exhibition will be on show from 16-26 May.

and

FRIDAY, APRIL 28, 2023 AT 2 PM – 4 PM
One Voice Choir Community Performance
St Andrew's Church (11 London Road, Wickford SS12 0AN)

One Voice Choir community performance presented by The Grange Care Home. Please come along for an afternoon of songs performed by residents of The Grange care home. Free entry. All welcome. Cream Tea at the end of the performance.

This term's Unveiled programme begins on 28 April with Jackie Burns speaking about her space art. We continue with a talk on collecting by artist and curator George Morl (12 May), a concert by Simon Law (26 May), a talk on the Plotlands by Ken Porter (9 June), a talk on the Memorial Park by Kim Oakes (23 June), a talk on art in worship by Jonathan Evens (7 July), and an Open Mic Night on 27 July.

The One Beautiful World Arts Festival includes the following: Art Trail - 20 May; Concerts - Six Hands Together (12 May), Emma-Marie Kabanova (14 May), Yardarm Folk Orchestra (19 May), Festival Music Event (21 May), Simon Law (26 May); Dance - Steven Turner (13 May); Exhibitions - Tim Harrold (12-26 May), George Morl collection (12-14 May), Jackie Burns (16-26 May), Compass Photography (19-20 May), Wickford Christian Centre (25 & 26 May); and a Poetry Reading (20 May).

We also have the Allegro Choir in concert on the evening of Saturday 24 June (this will be a ticketed event - more information to follow) plus two Quiet Days on 31 May (Creation) and 1 July (poetry and prayer).

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David Bowie - Space Oddity.

Pots and thrones: ritual bronze vessels of the Shang and Zhou dynasties

Last night at St Martin-in-the-Fields we heard Yi Chen speak on 'Pots and thrones: ritual bronze vessels of the Shang and Zhou dynasties.' This was the fourth in an occasional series of talks on different aspects of Chinese Art organised as joint events with our Chinese Congregations.

Yi Chen is Curator: Early Chinese Collections at the British Museum. Since it first opened in 1992, the China and South Asia gallery (Room 33) at the British Museum (of which the Early Chinese Collections are part) has helped millions of visitors experience its rich history through a plethora of objects, paintings, and sculptures. The gallery underwent a significant redesign and re-opened in November of 2017 with the content within the gallery being condensed and brought up to the present day. In addition to her work at the British Museum, Yi has spoken and written on aspects of Chinese Art from Late Neolithic to Bronze Age southern China through Buddhist Images on the theme of Pure Land to Fang Zhaoling, one of the foremost women artists of 20th-century China.

Tonight she focused on pots and thrones, ritual bronze vessels from the time of the earliest archaeologically recorded dynasty in Chinese history and opened up aspects of the growth and maturity of a civilization that would be sustained in its essential aspects for another 2,000 years. The rituals for which these vessels were used carried such an important social function, that it is possible to read into the forms and decorations of these objects some of the central concerns of the societies that produced them.

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Fairport Convention - Who Knows Where The Time Goes.

Silks from Imperial China: Ming and Qing dynasty costumes and textiles 1368-1911

Jacqueline Simcox gave a wonderful talk on Silks from Imperial China: Ming and Qing dynasty costumes and textiles 1368-1911 at St Martin-in-the-Fields on Monday. The event was jointly organised with our Chinese Congregations and was greatly appreciated by those who came.

Jacqueline spoke about some of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) textiles and some of the imperial costumes and festivals and showed how they changed when the Machu from the north took over the country from 1644-1911 (Qing dynasty).

We received lots of appreciative comments about the amount that people had learnt and also the opportunity to see actual silks. People were fascinated about how the embroidery work was done. The quality of the professional embroidery work is stunning. Those from our Chinese congregations also appreciated the stories linked to designs that Jacqueline shared, with several commenting that she had reminded them of stories they had been told but had forgotten. 

Jacqueline Simcox has written numerous articles on Chinese textiles, catalogued private collections and contributed essays to museum exhibition catalogues, such as ‘Celestial Silks’, Art Gallery of New South Wales, in 2004. More recently she has co-authored, with John Vollmer, a book on the imperial Chinese textiles in the Mactaggart Art Collection, University of Alberta, in Canada. ‘Emblems of Empire’was published in 2010.

The talk was sponsored by Bonhams Chinese Department.

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Beijing Central Music Academy - Music of the Zhihua Temple.

Light the Well project: SALT installation extension

Anna Sikorska's SALT installation set in the Light Well of St Martin-in-the-Fields is the culmination of the Light the Well community art project and its stay at St Martin's has been extended until 14 December. The installation features in the current edition of Church Times as a photo story.

This installation set in the Light Well has been made by the hands of people at St Martin-in-the-Fields. Individuals from across our shared life – Church congregation, Chinese community, clergy, staff, clients from the Connection and members of our International Group – have, over some time, gathered together over tables of clay and carefully formed the pieces which fill the Light Well. Each porcelain ‘lantern’ is filled with light from a simple string of lamps. They will sit together in-situ for one week, during which we celebrate the Feast of St Martin and also the 30th anniversaries of St Martin-in-the-Fields Limited and the Bishop Ho Ming Wah Community Centre.

Conversations around the tables when making the lanterns touched on ‘cracked pots’, Jesus’ story of searching for the 100th sheep, the continental tradition of ‘St Martin’s day’ paper lanterns, networks of sea buoys, St Paul describing light inside clay vessels, faces, the fragility of our lives and bodies, ‘broken but not crushed’, and Leonard Cohen: ‘Forget your perfect offering / There is a crack in everything / That’s how the light gets in.’ This installation has been the work of Anna Sikorska, Jonathan Evens, Katja Werne, Jim and Sarah Sikorski and everyone who accepted a lump of porcelain and gave it a form. Thank you.

From the 19th November you are invited to be part of changing the gathered constellation into an expanded field, dispersing the pots/lanterns amongst our community and beyond. You will be able to buy a piece to take away and light a small candle inside. Proceeds to the New Art Studio and Art Refuge UK, both charities working with art therapy in the context of migration and displacement. Each lantern costs £10 (cash only) and must be collected on the morning of Sunday 17 December. To reserve a lantern go to the Box Office.

St Martin-in-the-Fields is home to several commissions and permanent installations by contemporary artists. We also have an exciting programme of temporary exhibitions, as well as a group of artists and craftspeople from the St Martin’s community who show artwork and organise art projects on a temporary basis.

The artists and craftspeoples group is organising an Advent Oasis on Sunday 3 December from 2-4 pm in the George Richards & Austen Williams Rooms. This will be another ‘Oasis’ time of quiet scripture reflection, prayer and practical art. Art materials will be available for you to explore, play with colour and be creative through collage, painting, drawing or writing. All are very welcome – please let Helena Tarrant know if you wish to come – tel: 020 7766 1100 or email: helana.tarrant@smitf.org.

Then in January the group are involved in the organisation of an Art Talk on Chinese Textiles - 6.30pm, Monday 15 January 2018, St Martin's Hall. This talk by Jacqueline Simcox will be on Silks From Imperial China: Ming and Qing dynasty costumes and textiles 1368-1911. Free tickets from https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lecture-chinese-textilestickets-38247649750. It is the first in an occasional series of art talks focusing on aspects of Chinese Art and organised with the Chinese Speaking Congregations of St Martin's.

Jacqueline Simcox, who has written numerous articles on Chinese textiles, will talk about some of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) textiles and some of the imperial costumes and festivals and show how they changed when the Machu from the north took over the country from 1644-1911 (Qing dynasty).

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T Bone Burnett - Everything Is Free.

commission4mission's Vision exhibition & reception

Vision is an exhibition of artworks by members of commission4mission which will be held at St Stephen Walbrook (39 Walbrook, London EC4N 8BN) from Monday 4 to Friday 15 September 2017, Weekdays 10.00am – 4.00pm (Weds 11.00am – 3.00pm).

A group exhibition by commission4mission, Vision is intended as a broad theme open to wide interpretation, but will explore sight, visions and revelations. Artists taking part will showcase their individual engagements with the theme. The exhibition will feature assemblage, ceramics, collage, digital prints, etchings, film, icons, installations, paintings, photography, poetry and sculpture.

The exhibition will include work by 27 commission4mission artists including Ally Ashworth, Hayley Bowen, Harvey Bradley, Irina Bradley, Christopher Clack, maryjean donaghey, Jonathan Evens, Terence Ffyffe, Rob Floyd, Maurizio Galia (Italy), Michael Garaway, John Gentry, Clorinda Goodman, Judy Goring, Laura Grenci (Italy), Barbara Harris, Deborah Harrison, Tim Harrold, David Hawkins, Jacek Kulikowski, Mark Lewis, Adeliza Mole, Colin Riches, Janet Roberts, Henry Shelton, Monica Thornton and Peter Webb.

Former Bishop of Barking David Hawkins, commission4mission’s Patron, contributes Adam and Eve (after Masacio’s ‘Adam and Eve Expelled from the Garden of Eden’ 15th century), 35” x 15”, photograph and acrylic.

David writes: “During a woodland walk, in a moment, I saw standing before me Adam and Eve – shortly before they were expelled from the Garden of Eden. The serpent was there, as was the Tree of Good and Evil, the Tree of Calvary and the Tree of Life. The ivy, like evil, entwined the couple as they in turn clung to the tree.

The relationship of English Ivy (Hedera helix) to a tree has similarities to the behaviour of evil towards human life. Its habit is to attach itself to anything that stands, with the help of suction-like roots called ‘hold fasts’. Although it does not kill the tree, it competes for nutrients, water and sunlight, and so it may weaken the tree making it more prone to disease and branch dieback.”

A reception to launch the exhibition will be held on Monday 4 September from 6.30pm. During this reception commission4mission Associate member, Wendy McTernan, will give a talk entitled ‘Interpretations of the Cross in Contemporary Art & Culture’. In today’s secular society, it is perhaps surprising that artists still find themselves drawn to the Christian cross as a means of expression. The cross has never been an event about which one can remain neutral; from the start it was an offence. Contemporary artists’ interpretations have taken many forms. Wendy will look at some examples and see how, in unexpected and sometimes shocking ways, Jesus’ story becomes part of theirs – and ours. commission4mission’s AGM will also be held at 5.00pm.

Revd Jonathan Evens, commission4mission’s secretary says, “Classical, modern and contemporary art and architecture beautifully combine for commission4mission’s fifth group exhibition in the setting of St Stephen Walbrook. The theme of the show will be ‘Vision’ and, as in previous years, will feature a wide variety of work from longstanding and new members.”

commission4mission’s Chair, Peter Webb, says: “We are very fortunate to be able to exhibit regularly at St Stephen Walbrook. The exhibition always attracts a great deal of attention in the City. As before, interpretation of the theme is up to individual artists, and no doubt we will have the usual amazing variety and originality in the work submitted.”

A gift of 10 per cent of the proceeds from sales will be donated to the charity Oasis. commission4mission has made Oasis our charity of choice, meaning that charitable giving will be exclusively to Oasis for the time being.
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Damien Rice - On Children.