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Festival 200 closes after 7 months of uplifting arts and creativity
24/10/2022
The current St Mary’s Church opened in October 1822
A Civic Service of Thanksgiving yesterday (Sunday) brought to a close the celebrations for the 200th anniversary of St Mary’s Church in Banbury.
The Festival was officially opened in April by the Bishop of Dorchester. During the following seven months the best of local arts and creativity have been showcased through a number of events.
This final weekend of the Festival featured a gala concert on Friday evening and the Bishop of Oxford helping to close the festival at yesterday’s Civic Service, which featured music from the group Gospel Bell.
The Reverend Sarah Bourne is the Chaplain for the Arts at St Mary’s and has been the Festival Director.
Sarah said: “It’s been a really uplifting set of occasions. We’ve had nearly 56 events – a complete range, music events, art workshops, well-being in agriculture workshop and pilgrimages.
“The origami cranes has been the most wonderful art installation which went up in the middle of July. The cranes symbolise reconciliation, flourishing and peace. They were only going to stay for three weeks but because they were so wonderful – and it was such an effort to put them up – we decided we keep them up to the end of the festival.”
Due to the passing of Her Late Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, just one event had to be postponed. Murder in the Cathedral is now rescheduled for February 17 and 18 next year.
The current St Mary’s Church opened in October 1822, having replaced a previous building on the same site.
Sarah is pleased that the bicentenary celebrations have helped bring new faces to the church. She said: “I think that’s been one of the really wonderful things about this festival. For all the events the large majority of people who’ve attended have not been our own congregation. Quite often they’re people I don’t recognise. We have reached out into the community. The festival has really worked for that.”
With the Festival now complete the planning has begun for events this Christmas and in to 2023. Sarah said: “We’ve got a Christmas tree festival that’s going to be happening in early December. I’m starting to have a bit of a think about what we might be doing next year, especially with the Coronation, but for now I think I probably need a few days off to reflect on the Festival!”
Published: by Banbury FM Newsteam