Methodist church rejoices as Angel Fest successfully delivers festive message around the city

Allhallowgate Methodist followed up on last year’s popular Nativity Festival with and Angel Fest, complete with Angel bombing around the city.

Knitted angels, each carrying a Christmas message, were placed around the city for people to pick up and take home.

“The Angel Fest was a great success and people who had found one of the almost 200 angels left in Ripon last week came to the display proudly carrying their find,” said spokesman Lynda Blackburn.

The angel display in the church area had been put together from contributions by the church members and also from community groups, including Jennyruth workshop who decorated the foyer and staff and residents of Lister House who provided angels on acetate to form the basis of a stained glass window effect.

Organisations using the premises including 6th Ripon Cubs and Beavers and the adult and toddler group Twiglets did window decorations.

“It was a great pleasure to have such community involvement as that was the aim of the weekend,” added Lynda.

“Saturday was a great fun day with a good number of young people and their parents contributing to the completion of the mural painting, now mounted on the outside of the building on Victoria Grove.

“It’s amazing how good children’s painting can look when they are given chance to fill in a large space; all the event workers had to do was to go over the outlines again and put eyes and noses back on the sheep and the shepherds.”

Young people, including from the Brick Club and Ripon Youth Drama group joined in with the painting and angel craft making.

“The best outcome of the weekend was that so many people visited the display and enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere as they walked around looking at nativities, angels and other items associated with the Christmas story without being pressurised to buy anything at all,” added Lynda.