In June 2024, the Beacon Parish launched a new initiative, Our Community in Flowers.

 

This was intended to celebrate God's gift to us of nature's bounty and turned St Margaret's Church in Ditchling into our own mini-Chelsea Flower Show, where we invited local organisations and businesses to provide or sponsor a flower display. It was generously supported and ably organised by our enthusiastic volunteers and was timed to coincide with the biennial Ditchling Village Fair. This ensured a steady stream of visitors into the Church, who all had the benefit of a descriptive leaflet, guiding them around the many beautiful and varied displays, which showcased the best of our local talent.

 

The generosity of our visitors to both the displays and to our cake stall in the adjoining Village Fair enabled us to make a sizeable donation to St Peter and St James Hospice. We hope to repeat this community event on the occasion of the next Village Fair in 2026.

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