After a year of community-wide preparations for Thornhill Parish Church’s annual Bazaar, over 400 people gathered at the event on Saturday to raise over £2,600 to contribute towards the church’s maintenance costs.
The Bazaar is one of the church’s regular major fundraising events and brings local people together throughout the year as many contribute towards the preparations.
Brian Pearson, Events Organiser at Thornhill Parish Church, says, “All sections of the church work all year long to put it on - our Craft Group worked every week to make beautiful sewn items, from teapot covers through to Christmas gifts, jewellery and wedding place settings (and they raise £3000 per year outside the Bazaar too!).
“Jam makers, pickle bottlers and cake makers also worked relentlessly.
"At the Bazaar we have gift stalls, books for sale and our café and cake stall - which takes up half the church - and our resident pianist provides excellent café music.”
“Bringing all these together in a happy occasion is what has to be achieved.”
The Bazaar is organised through Thornhill Parish Church’s Outreach Group and is led by Sheila Arnott, ‘one of our church friends who knows the organisation backwards and is a prolific jam maker’.
A popular event in the local calendar, the Bazaar attracted around 400 local people to Thornhill Parish Church at the weekend.
Brian continues, “The Bazaar helps bring all the groups in the church together working for one goal.
“It brings in people who do not regularly come to worship.
“It is a hugely happy social occasion.”