All over Leeds, churches are bringing in real animals for their Christmas services.
At Riverside Church (which meets at Holy Trinity, Boar Lane), the Revd James Barnett says, “We wanted a fun way of telling the story that would engage kids and adults. So this year, as well as singing carols, we’ve got a fancy dress animal nativity - with real animals, including a donkey, a sheep and maybe a pig, and we're telling the story using clips from the film Inside Out. It'll be organised chaos”. Their service is on 20 December, at 10.30am.
There'll be more animals in the inner city this Sunday, when the all-age Christmas celebration at St Luke's Holbeck will feature a miniature donkey, a calf, some goats plus several small animals. Over 150 people are expected. (13 December at10.30am).
The animals at both churches are provided by the Purple Pig Company: http://www.thepurplepigcompany.com
And in Calverley, a walking nativity will take place this Sunday - accompanied by a Shetland pony.
Local residents follow the story of Christmas as it unfolds at different locations around the village, and at each point carols and biblical readings accompany the dramatic tableaux. The Revd Phil Arnold, vicar of St Wilfrid’s, says, “It was really successful last year, bringing people of all ages together and helping build a stronger community. So we hope that lots of people will again dress up as shepherds and angels and be part of the procession.”
The event starts at Calverley Methodist Church at 4pm this Sunday (13th) and ends with a nativity scene at The Barn (next to St Wilfrid’s), followed by mince pies and mulled wine.