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