The Parish Magazine February 2026

Serving the communities of Charvil, Sonning & Sonning Eye since 1869
The Parish Magazine — February 2026 1
Magazine
Parish Te
1869
2026
Serving Charvil, Sonning and Sonning Eye
The John King Trophy
and Gold Award
Best Magazine 2018
National Parish Magazine
Awards
Best Overall 2015, 2020, 2022, 2023
Best Content 2016, 2021
Best Editor 2019
Best Print 2018
information — 1
Contents February 2026
THE VICAR'S Letter, 5
THE parish noticeboard
— Candlemas, 7
— How to make your Christingle, 7
— For your prayers, 7
— Lent 2026, 9
— Tempting thoughts, 9
— The Archbishop of Canterbury, 12
— The persecuted Church, 13
— Claude on the street, 15
— From the editor's desk, 15
— 2001 A Space Odyssey, 17
— Archbishop welcomes travellers,17
FEATURE
— Swimming round New York, 20-21
Around the Villages
— FoStAC Quiz night, 19
— The Scarecrows are coming, 19,
— Coffee and Chat,19
— Brambles animals, 19
— Sonning Glebe WI, 19
— Heart Month, 19
— RSPCA fund raiser, 19
— Sonning School celebrations, 23
— Phil Mason's animal world, 24
— FoStAC Bourne Again Shadows, 24
— STAY youth service, 24
HOME & GARDEN
— Afoot in the garden, 25
— Look out for thieves, 25
THE ARTS
— St John's Chapel Adel, 27
— Book Reviews, 27
HISTORY
— Was it really? 29
LANGUAGE
— Contonyms, 29
FASHION
— Fun and Romance, 31
This ISSUE's FRONT COVER
The
Parish
Magazine
February 2026 — Candlemas and Lent
157
Image: Peter Rennie
EDITORIAL DEADLINE
The editorial deadline for every issue
of The Parish Magazine is 12 noon on
the sixth day of the month prior to the
date of publication.
The deadline for the March 2026
issue of The Parish Magazine is:
Friday 6 February at 12 noon
Recent issues of The Parish Magazine
can also be read online at
https://theparishmagazine.co.uk
For access to The Parish Magazine
archives which holds copies of the
magazine from 1869, please contact:
editor@theparishmagazine.co.uk
YEARS
The church of st andrew, SERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF
CHARVIL, SONNING and sonning eye SINCE THE 7 th CENTURY
The Parish Magazine — February 2026 3
Services in
St Andrew's
Church Sonning
Sunday 1 February
— 8.00am Holy Communion (BCP)
— 10.30am Family Service
— 4.00pm Evensong
Sunday 8 February
— 8.00am Holy Communion (BCP)
— 10.30am Parish Eucharist with
Sunday Club
— 6.00pm STAY Youth Service
Sunday 15 February
— 8.00am Holy Communion (BCP)
— 10.30am Parish Eucharist
— 3.00pm Messy Church in The Ark
Sunday 22 February
— 8.00am Holy Communion (BCP)
— 10.30am Parish Eucharist with
STAY and Sunday Club
— 5.45pm Sunday at Six in The Ark
OTHER REGULAR SERVICES
Mid-week Communion in The Ark is
held every Wednesday at 10.00am. Tea
and coffee follows the service.
Home Communion at Sonning
Gardens Care Home is held on the first
Monday of each month at 11.00am.
HEALTH
— Men's health, 33
— Remembering names, 31
— Keeping healthier, 31
PUZZLE PAGE, 35
CHILDREN'S PAGE, 37
INFORMATION
— Church services, 3
— From the registers, 3
— Classified, 36
— Parish contacts, 38
— Advertisers' index, 38
From the Registers
BAPTISMS
— Sunday 14 December, Phoebe Harvey, and Rosie Giles
— Sunday 4 January, Thomas James Mills
FUNERALS
— Monday 8 December, Lynda Jane Coldwell, Funeral service in
St Andrew's Church followed by Cremation at Reading Crematorium
— Tuesday 23 December, Frank Leighton Glasspool, Funeral service in
St Andrew's Church followed by Cremation at Reading Crematorium