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Showing posts with label concert. Show all posts
Showing posts with label concert. Show all posts

Saturday, 5 September 2026

International Times - Ebb & Flow

Here's my latest review for International Times, which is on an IMMERSE performance by Wilderthorn at Bradwell Chapel:

'As Wilderthorn, he is known for gigs in disused and abandoned spaces, turning forgotten places of history and atmosphere into wild and magical experiences. These IMMERSE performances in ancient, hidden, sacred or natural spaces aim, through improvisation, to respond to the ambience, atmosphere, acoustic, sounds and senses of such spaces. Performing together with the multi-instrumentalist Sekrit and the violinist Natasha Petrović de Maio, Wilderthorn created a meditative experience of ethereal sounds and atmospheric textures amid the Chapel’s candle-lit space.'
 
My earlier pieces for IT are: an interview with curator Jacquiline Creswell; an interview with the artist Alexander de Cadenet; an interview with artist, poet, priest Spencer Reece, an interview with the poet Chris Emery, an interview with Jago Cooper, Director of the the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, a profile of singer-songwriter Bill Fay, plus reviews of:
Several of my short stories have been published by IT including three about Nicola Ravenscroft's EarthAngel sculptures (then called mudcubs), which we exhibited at St Andrew's Wickford in 2022. The first story in the series is 'The Mudcubs and the O Zone holes'. The second is 'The Mudcubs and the Clean-Up King', and the third is 'The mudcubs and the Wall'. My other short stories to have been published by International Times are 'The Black Rain', a story about the impact of violence in our media, 'The New Dark Ages', a story about principles and understandings that are gradually fading away from our modern societies, and 'The curious glasses', a story based on the butterfly effect.

IT have also published several of my poems, including 'Spencer Reece at Bemerton' which is based on the visit that I made to Bemerton in 2026 with Spencer Reece, 'The ABC of creativity', which covers attention, beginning and creation, and 'The Edge of Chaos', a state of existence poem. Also published have been three poems from my 'Five Trios' series. 'Barking' is about St Margaret’s Barking and Barking Abbey and draws on my time as a curate at St Margaret's. 'Bradwell' is a celebration of the history of the Chapel of St Peter-on-the-Wall, the Othona Community, and of pilgrimage to those places. Broomfield in Essex became a village of artists following the arrival of Revd John Rutherford in 1930. His daughter, the artist Rosemary Rutherford, also moved with them and made the vicarage a base for her artwork including paintings and stained glass. Then, Gwynneth Holt and Thomas Bayliss Huxley-Jones moved to Broomfield in 1949 where they shared a large studio in their garden and both achieved high personal success. 'Broomfield' reviews their stories, work, legacy and motivations.

To read my poems published by Stride, click here, here, here, here, here, and here. My poems published in Amethyst Review are: 'Runwell', 'Are/Are Not', 'Attend, attend' and 'Maritain, Green, Beckett and Anderson in conversation down through the ages'.

I am among those whose poetry has been included in Thin Places & Sacred Spaces, a recent anthology from Amethyst Press. I also had a poem included in All Shall Be Well: Poems for Julian of Norwich, the first Amethyst Press anthology of new poems.

'Five Trios' is a series of poems on thin places and sacred spaces in the Diocese of Chelmsford. The five poems in the series are:
These poems have been published by Amethyst Review and International Times.

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Wilderthorn : IMMERSE - Live at Chanctonbury Ring [Part 1].

Friday, 12 June 2026

St Catherine's Wickford: 150th Anniversary services and events

































































We continued celebrating the 150th Anniversary of St Catherine's Church in Wickford last weekend with a wonderful Anniversary Flower Festival featuring displays from local clubs, schools and the community. This was very well well attended as were the Coffee morning and Cream Tea afternoon which ran alongside in St Catherine's Hall.

Our Anniversary Eucharist on Sunday was led by the Archdeacon of Southend, The Ven. Dr, Sue Lucas, and included the Choir from Wickford Church of England School. The previous Sunday a joint service at St Catherine's brought all our three congregations together. The preacher was former Team Rector, The Ven. David Lowman. The joint Anniversary Service can be viewed by clicking here.

This coming weekend we continue our services and events celebrating the 150th Anniversary of St Catherine's Church with the Parish Garden Party in the Rectory Garden. That begins at 2.00 pm tomorrow.

Our 150th Anniversary events come to a conclusion with a second fundraising concert. Rumatica will be in concert at St Catherine’s Church on Saturday 20th June at 3.00 pm. They are a Ukulele Band with a difference! Playing a wide range of Rock, Pop, Country, Swing, Indie, Blues and Folk Music - https://www.rumatica.co.uk/. We are celebrating the 150th Anniversary of St Catherine’s Wickford with a fundraising concert as subsidence has caused cracks in the walls requiring underpinning - a retiring collection will be taken.

Fundraising Campaign
St Catherine’s Church, Wickford


Due to the long dry summer of 2022, the foundations of the NW corner of St Catherine’s Church subsided. This caused large cracks to appear in the walls. In 2023, we completed Phase 1 of our campaign involving safety and weather protection work costing £20,000, with funds raised by donations, events and grants. In 2024 we began Phase 2 involving groundwork investigations and design of an underpinning solution. This cost £13,560 and is essential to design a long-term solution. Phase 3, for which we are now raising funds, will cost £162,500.00 + VAT and will enable the NW corner of the church to be underpinned.

If you wish to contribute, please go to https://givealittle.co/c/CXlEMNUoerIeTUtbQmvYS
to donate online.

Send cheques to Wickford and Runwell PCC to The Rectory, 120 Southend Road, Wickford SS11 8EB or phone 07803 562329/email jonathan.evens@btinternet.com for bank details for a transfer.

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When God Almighty Came To Earth.