Trains in the Garden – What a great afternoon!

Saturday 13 July saw the annual Trains in the garden event at Pete and Liz’s house. The main purpose was to raise funds for Jigsaw Kids Ministry and it was wonderful that our mission partner and founder of this charity, Tim Lee was able to join us. There was plenty of cake to eat and tea, coffee and even a jug of Pimms was on the drinks menu. Sitting on the terrace along with the comfortable garden furniture were a number of information boards giving lots of information about the work of the charity. These also included photos of the children taking part in various activities that they wouldn’t be able to experience without this wonderful charity.

A short walk down the path into the garden and you got your first glimpse of train tracks. The distant sound of excited chattering of the children (and some adults!) told you that you were heading in the right direction. Past the raspberry canes and there it was, the train station packed with miniature steam trains, a tram, a diesel engine and even a small scale Thomas the Tank engine. Pete was in his element suitably attired in his blue overalls and Andy was a an impressive station master complete with hat, whistle and high vis jacket.

It was a family affair with Masons of all ages involved in the refreshments, socialising and operating the trains and the points to make sure there were no collisions. It was lovely to see so many families with young children excitedly being driven around the garden to the familiar chuff chuff and tooting of the steam engines.

Many thanks to all involved in putting on this special event from those who baked cakes, made drinks, washed the cups, drove the trains and especially to Pete and Liz for throwing open the doors of their home and welcoming us all. A fantastic amount of money was raised, thank-you.

Jacqueline Abrahams

I would like to say a big Thank You to Pete and Liz Mason for a wonderful afternoon in their garden on Saturday 13th July. It was great to see such a mix of people there, ranging in age from toddlers to ‘oldies’, and being a mix of Church family, the Monday Toddlers group, neighbours, friends, family, and of course special guests the Lee family for whose Jigsaw ministry in Manila money was being raised that afternoon. Friends provided an amazing spread of tempting cakes to be consumed with either tea, coffee, fruit juice or Pimms….deliciously refreshing for a warm afternoon! The weather was warm and dry, apart from a little spatter of rain early on (hardly noticeable) and we basked in beautiful sunshine for the last hour and a half or so. The whole afternoon was a really fun time and a great way to reach out to the wider community. Thank you again Pete and Liz for sharing your garden and your trains with us all (and the helpers of course).

Diana Tunstall