Services commencing from 25th October - Sunday 29th November 2026 in All Saints' Chilton, St Matthew's Harwell 

     

                         

                 

                 

Sunday 25th October
All Saints' Chilton 9.30am Morning Worship
St Matthew's Harwell 10.30am Morning Worship
St Matthew's Harwell 6.00pm Holy Communion

Sunday 1st November
All Saints' Chilton 9.30am Holy Communion
St Matthew's Harwell 10.30am Morning Worship
St Matthew's Harwell 6.00pm Compline

Remembrance Sunday 8th November
All Saints' Chilton 9.30am Remembrance Sunday
Act of Remembrance Harwell War Memorial 10.45am
St Matthew's Harwell 11.15am Remembrance Sunday
St Matthew's Harwell 6.00pm Holy Communion

Thursday 12th November
All Saints' Chilton 11.00am Midweek Communion BCP

Safeguarding Sunday 15th November
All Saints' Chilton 9.30am Safeguarding Sunday Holy Communion
St Matthew's Harwell 10.30am Safeguarding Sunday Morning Worship 
St Matthew's Harwell 6.00pm Evening Prayer BCP

Sunday 22nd November - Christmas gift shoeboxes for Ukrainian soldiers
All Saints' Chilton 9.30am Morning Worship
St Matthew's Harwell 10.30am Morning Worship
St Matthew's Harwell 6.00pm Holy Communion

Sunday 29th November - Christmas gifts for children spending Christmas at the Didcot Women's Refuge
All Saints' Chilton 9.30am Morning Worship
St Matthew's Harwell 10.30am Morning Worship
St Matthew's Harwell 6.00pm Holy Communion

 

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The next Community Cafe will be on Thursday 5th November 2026

 A warm welcome awaits you in St Matthew's Church, Harwell on Thursday 5th November 10.30am - midday when our regular monthly Cafe will meet.

This is a free Cafe serving coffee/tea/squash with delicious biscuits and sometimes cake!

Everyone is welcome.  Hope to see you there!

 

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Chilton Churchyard working party Saturday 14th November  

You are invited to help with tidying up All Saints’ churchyard on Saturday 14th November any time between 9 am and 12 noon.

The main jobs are: weeding the borders in the Garden of Remembrance, trimming and tidying round gravestones, removing ivy, removing side shoots from the lime trees and, of course, raking leaves.

For those looking for a heartier workout there is some clearing of the French drains around the church to be done.

Please bring tools, e.g. forks, secateurs, rakes, bags for garden waste etc.

Refreshments will be provided.

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Safeguarding Sunday Services 15th November 2026       
                                                                            
                                                             

 Safeguarding Sunday Services will be held in All Saints' Chilton 9.30am and
St Matthew's Harwell 10.30am on 15th November 2026.

It is an opportunity for our churches to pause and reflect on our safeguarding journey – to celebrate the good work already happening, be honest about where things can improve, and commit to continuing to build safer places for everyone in our care.

Please come along and join us.



 

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Bring and Share Lunch Sunday 15th November 2026

In St Matthew's Harwell on 15th November 2026 following our Safeguarding Sunday morning service at 10.30am (around 11.45am onwards), everyone is invited to come along to our Bring and Share Lunch.

To ensure that we get a good selection of food to share we ask anyone whose surname begin with letters A-M to bring something savoury, those with surnames N-Z bring something sweet please.  Tea, coffee and juice will be provided. If for any reason you are not able to bring food along to share, please do not worry, looking back over previous events there will be plenty of food to share, you are still very welcome to join us.  

We do hope you are able to come along and join us for both the service and lunch.

 

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Monthly Evening Prayer Meeting on Monday 16th November

As churches, we’re blessed with a strong home groups which approximately 50 to 60 members of our congregations attend on a regular basis.  We plan to supplement our home groups with a monthly prayer meeting for everyone to come together on a regular basis to seek God’s guidance for our churches and to pray for the needs of our churches, local community and our nation.

We’ll meet in St. Matthew’s on the third Monday of each month at 7.30pm to 9.00pm.  We plan that home groups won’t meet during this week so that the members can attend the prayer meeting. (But you don’t need to be a home group member in order to attend the prayer meeting – everyone is welcome!)  Each home group will be asked to lead the prayer meeting in turn.  The next prayer meeting will be on Monday 16th November 2026.  Do join us!  (Coffee from 7:15pm)

The monthly prayer meeting is in addition to the online Saturday morning prayer meeting.

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Oasis Cafe on
Saturday 21st November

 

A warm welcome awaits you at the Oasis Cafe on Saturday 21st November from 10am to noon in All Saints' Chilton.  Come and enjoy coffee, tea and biscuits in friendly company.
We Look forward to seeing you there, everyone is welcome.

 
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2026 Christmas gift shoeboxes for injured Ukrainian soldiers 

 

This Christmas marks the fourth year we are uniting to bring comfort to Ukraine’s wounded soldiers, of which there are thousands, many with severe and life-changing injuries. Each gift is more than a present - it is a message of gratitude, love and hope. These brave men and women have made huge sacrifices defending their country and freedom, and together we can remind them they are not forgotten. With your help, we will deliver warmth, care, and dignity to men and women undergoing treatment and rehab across Ukraine, often a long way from home. 
If you would like to help, you are invited to pack a shoe box for an injured soldier. They are mostly men, but there are some women. Please fill a shoe box with a selection of the following:

🧣 *Warm Clothing* e.g. hats, warm socks, scarves, gloves, fleece neck/head tubes

🍫 *Food & Treats* e.g. chocolates, sweets, biscuits, other treats that will keep well

🔦 *Practical Presents* e.g. head torch with some batteries, power bank/battery pack for powering a mobile device during frequent power cuts

🎨 *Art & Stationery* e.g. Pens and pencils, notebooks/drawing books, felt-tip pens, other small art supplies

🃏 *Entertainment* e.g. playing cards, small game/puzzle
NB can’t be language dependent

🧴 *Luxury Toiletries* e.g. moisturiser, luxury shower gel, aftershave
NB not everyday toiletries – they can get standard shower gel, toothpaste, etc. in the hospital. Please ensure the top is secure and there is no risk of leakage or spills in transit which could ruin the other gifts in your box

*NO ALCOHOL OR CIGARETTES*

Please wrap the OUTSIDE OF THE BOX AND LID SEPARATELY - but not the contents - so that they receive a brightly wrapped box. If the lid is loose, use a piece of Sellotape to secure it. 

If you cannot fill a shoe box, but would still like to do something, we are also going to be sending large boxes of Quality Street/Celebrations to the hospital staff - a box of these would
be very welcome.

Deadline: Sunday 22nd November

Take your box to the 9.30am church service in Chilton or to the 10.30am service in Harwell on Sunday 22 November or drop it at the church office (normally open 9am-2pm Mon-Thurs up the stairs in St Matthew’s church, Harwell) or deliver it to Yvonne Sanderson’s house in Harwell. You can contact Yvonne at yksanderson@yahoo.co.uk or on 07930 998 221.

 

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2026 Christmas gifts/toys for children spending Christmas at the Didcot Women's Refuge 

                                          

This Christmas, St Matthew’s Harwell and All Saints’ Chilton are once more supporting our
local Women’s Refuge by providing gifts for mothers to give to their children on Christmas
day. This Refuge is now in Didcot rather than Oxford (the Oxford one has closed).

Some people will have already expended their Christmas budget on providing gifts for
injured Ukrainian soldiers. Please do not feel under any pressure to provide a further gift
for a child at the Refuge.

Why is there a need for gifts?
As you might imagine, women and their children tend to flee to the refuge with very few
belongings. So possessions are scarce and spare cash is tight for these families.
Unfortunately, domestic violence is particularly prevalent over the Christmas period, so
the refuge often experiences an influx then. Having a decent gift to give their child at
Christmas can make an enormous difference to these mothers and children. Gifts are also
used for a Christmas party for the families, and as ‘welcome’ gifts for children coming to
the Refuge throughout the year.

What are the timings?
Please bring your gift to one of our church services on Sunday 29 November. The service
at All Saints’, Chilton starts at 9.30am. The service at St Matthew’s, Harwell starts at
10.30am. Alternatively, you can hand your gift in at the Church Office by 1.00pm on
Thursday 26 November. The office is normally open Monday-Thursday 9am-2pm and is
up the spiral staircase near the back of St. Matthew’s church, Harwell.

What kind of gifts are needed?
This year we are appealing for donations of toys/gifts suitable for children aged 3-10
years (the easiest ages to buy for!). See the list below for the number of children of each
sex and age who are expected to be in residence at the Refuge at Christmas. Items with
violent connotations (e.g. with images of swords, guns, etc) would not be a good idea, for
obvious reasons.

The toys should be new and unwrapped. Gifts for the mothers at the Refuge are not
required. Toys suitable for young children should be deemed as safe for those ages –
check the label/packaging before you buy.

These are the age and sex of the children we need to cover this year:

 5 boys aged 3-5 years
 1 girl aged 3-5 years
 1 boy aged 8-10 years
 1 girl aged 8-10 years

If you would like advice about what to donate, feel free to contact Jane Woolley on Tel (01235) 221 030 or janemn.woolley@hotmail.co.uk.
Chilton PCC would like any monetary gifts to be donated to the SeeSaw Charity which provides grief support for the children of Oxfordshire.

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Harwellcome Community Cafe is back!

We’re delighted to share that the Harwellcome Community Café is back and running every Thursday, 2–4pm right through to May.

As always, you can expect:
☕ Free tea, coffee & cake
🤗 A warm, friendly welcome
🎲 Games available — Scrabble, cards and more
💬 A relaxed space to chat, connect, and unwind

We’d love to see familiar faces returning… and new ones too. Everyone is welcome, bring your friends, family and neighbours. 💛

To help keep the café running smoothly, we’re looking for a few extra volunteers — friendly faces who can help welcome visitors, offer support where needed, and help make Thursday afternoons feel special.

If you feel you could help in any way — whether regularly or occasionally — please get in touch with Elaine Shrimpton at e.shrimpton17@gmail.com for more information.

 

 

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Sustainable Didcot 

Community Fridge
Food Rescue

Each year in the UK we throw away almost 15 million tonnes of food and drink. Nearly half of this is perfectly good to eat!
Community Fridges enable businesses and individuals to waste less through the sharing of good quality food that’s within it’s use-by date.
At times there may be restrictions on how much you can take, but all the food is available for re-distribution to anyone. There are NO restrictions on WHO can take food.

For details of when food is available keep an eye on the Sustainable Didcot Food Rescue Facebook page.  (QR Code to the page below). 
  

A simple solution to wasting less through the sharing of good quality food.      
 

 

Repair Café – Monthly

A monthly Repair Café gives people the opportunity to bring along broken items for assessment and, where possible, repair. The volunteer fixers can help with electrical and mechanical items, as well as sewing repairs.
While we cannot guarantee that every item can be repaired, we work on a best-endeavours basis and successfully extend the life of lots of items that might otherwise be discarded. As with all our events, donations are entirely voluntary and based on what individuals or organisations can afford.

If you have any questions about Sustainable Didcot or any of our events, please feel free to contact us at sustainabledidcot@gmail.com.
 

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October Prayer update from the Wilsons 

Dear friends,

For some time, we've been wanting to have a month of prayer and fasting for Ermi and his adoption case, and we've decided to do so this month (October).
 
We're at a significant moment in which our lawyer is now planning to submit a letter to the Ministry of Women and Social Affairs requesting our adoption of Ermi. He has been clear from the beginning that a positive response is very unlikely. However, this is Plan A, as a positive response would mean the case would likely be resolved more quickly, with a high likelihood that we could adopt. If they refuse, we will begin the process of taking the case to court. We expect it to take over a year before our case is heard, with no guarantee of a favourable result.
 
We went into this never sure of the outcome. But we are confident of the character of God who reveals Himself as just, righteous and good, and therefore we rest in the assurance that Ermi is safe as we commit him into the arms of God.
 
If you are able, we’d love for you to join us in prayer this month: for Ermi and his wellbeing, for God to make a way for us to adopt him, and to praise God for the life of this little boy and the privilege it is to have him in our family.
 
Love, Suzy and Chris



                

                                      

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Parochial Church Council Newsletters

This year we are seeing the introduction of a regular newsletter from All Saints Chilton PCC and St Matthew's Harwell PCC giving you an update on items of interest discussed.  A takeaway hard copy will be available in the relevant church.

St Matthew's PCC Newsletter
January 2026
June 2026
September 2026

All Saint's PCC Newsletter 
February 2026
June 2026
September 2026
 

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Fledgelings Refreshment Volunteers needed! 

Fledgelings meets on a Monday during term time in St Matthew's Church Harwell between 9.30am-11.30am.  We have a small group of volunteers who help when they can, which we are very grateful for, but we would like to increase the number of volunteers to help share the load!

You don't have to bring anything with you, other than yourself and we can show you what needs to be done.

It's a great opportunity to meet and chat to some of the mums and dads  over coffee/tea and cake that come along to the session.

We are really flexible on when people can help, so please consider it and get in contact with Deborah at de.hcchurches@gmail.com.  Alternatively, you can leave a message at the church office on 01235 834256 and someone will call you back.
 

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Sustainable Didcot The LOT

Is there to promote sustainability. Additionally, to help reduce waste and promote sharing and recycling of items. It also offers people the option of flexibility and financial saving, both in terms of not having to find space to store occasionally or rarely used items, whilst at the same time avoiding extra costs of purchasing potentially expensive items that can often put a strain on household budgets. It works in a very similar way to a library, whereby users can register and sign up, then go on to borrow items from our central storage location at The Green Hub for a period of time.

The LOT is located at The Green Hub, at the rear of the SOHA building down near Didcot railway station and is open and running at the times shown on the poster.

 

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Fledgelings are back on ......
                                               

Monday 8th September in St Matthew's Harwell, and Wednesday 10th September in Chilton Community Room.  Both Harwell and Chilton sessions start at 9.30am.

See you there!


 

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In preparation for the Christmas Ukraine Collection 

We are again sending Christmas boxes to the Ukraine and need shoe boxes. 

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Mid week Communion(BCP) in St Matthew's 

11.00am Mid Week Communion on a Thursday in St Matthew’s  has now come to an end, 
but continues to be offered at All Saints’ Chilton on a monthly basis with the next service being held on Thursday 8th May 2025  11.00am


Everyone is welcome

 

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A Harvest visit from Harwell School to St Matthew's Church 

On Monday 7th October, around 200 children from Harwell School came into St Matthew's to celebrate Harvest Festival and with them they bought a wonderful amount of donations for the Didcot Foodbank.

Firstly, a thank you to Mr Bryn Gibson the head teacher, the teachers, teacher assistants and all the children for walking down to the Church in somewhat changeable weather.  Thank you also to the many parents that also came along.

Anyone passing the church between 1.30am-2.30pm, may have heard the wonderful loud singing by the children, it was rather amazing!

We look forward to welcoming Harwell School again soon.

The image is of all the kind donations made by Harwell School for the foodbank.  Two of our volunteers took all of the items, plus more that had been kindly left in the church to the foodbank on Tuesday.  

As a reminder:

In St Matthew's and All Saints'

St Matthew's and All Saints' continue to have a Foodbank box in each of the Churches where non perishable items, with a shelf life of at least six months can be left for onward transportation to the Food Bank. 

At this present time they would be particularly grateful for:

Long life milk
Long life fruit juice
Hot chocolate
breakfast cereals
biscuits/treats
Pasta
Pasta sauce
Jam
Peanut butter
Rice
Tea bags
Small jars of coffee
Tins of fish
Tins of fruit
Tins of meat
Tins of vegetables
Tins of soup
Tin puddings

Thank you so much for the continued support for the Foodbank.

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The Almshouses in Harwell need our help in finding Trustees

The Almshouses in Harwell are a fascinating feature in the history of the village. They are situated in the High Street next to the War Memorial and date back to the early 18thcentury when Frances Geering, a lady with very modern-day views, decided when she married late in life, that rather than allow her new husband to take over her considerable financial assets, she would use them to establish Almshouses which would benefit the village. Since then, they have provided much appreciated housing for many ladies, and continue to do so now.

The Almshouses are a registered charity, administered by a group of Trustees whose duties include the upkeep of the Grade 2* listed building, ensuring compliance with the requirements of the Charity Commission, management of the finance and the appointment and well-being of the residents who live there. This is a wide brief and so requires people with a broad spectrum of experience and interest to offer.

At present there are six Trustees who hold evening meetings four times a year. The Trustees are now looking for two additional persons who could, in particular, offer experience in data protection and storage or in fundraising. However, they would also be very pleased to hear from anyone who maybe just has an interest in being involved in the management and preservation of this historic element of our village. While this is a wonderful opportunity for retirees who may have some extra time to spare, the Trustees would encourage younger parties in the community to consider applying, to obtain as broad approach to Trustee duties as possible – please note that Trustees must be at least 18 years of age.

For more information about both positions, please contact the Clerk to the Trustees, Serena Fuller, by phone: 07903637124 or by email: serena.fuller24@gmail.com.

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Check out these moments of faith! 

 God is doing some amazing things through CAP across the UK!

• 98 people said yes to following Jesus for the first time
• 47 people re-committed to following Jesus
• 107 people shared their story of becoming a Christian
• 21 people got baptised
• 335 people expressed curiosity to learn more about Christianity
• 109 people attended Alpha or other explorers course for the first time
• 339 people heard the gospel for the first time
• 70 people joined a Bible study or small group for the first time
• 336 people attended a church social or hospitality event for the first time
• 194 came along to a church worship service for the first time
• 125 people accessed the wider support of the church
• 89 people volunteered at church for the first time
• 690 people accepted prayer for the first time
• 220 people experienced answered prayer
• 135 people asked for prayer for the first time
• 447 people continued to attend church, Bible study, explorers course or support groups.

(Nov 2023 till present day)

Take some time to celebrate and thank God for all he is doing week by week around the UK through our churches!

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Volunteers needed 

"The Church Hall Project Group has been given the go ahead by the PCC to start to make the church hall more usable and used.

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St Matthew’s needs car parking marshals (training provided)

St Matthew’s is looking to build a team of car parking marshals to draw upon when we are expecting large numbers of people who have driven e.g. for weddings, funerals, baptisms and concerts. We can now only use Princes Manor farmyard for parking if we have marshals present. Marshals work in pairs so you wouldn’t be on your own, and of course it would be subject to your availability.

Please contact Jane Woolley at janemn.woolley@hotmail.co.uk or 0794 112 4620 if you would like to find out more.

Training and equipment e.g. hi viz jacket will be provided. We can offer free entry if you marshal for a concert or its rehearsals!   

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Do you have experience in Health and Safety? 

 
All Saints' Church in Chilton needs some help to advise us on health and safety.  We need a volunteer with appropriate experience to look at our church building and our procedures to make sure that they meet requirements and advise on any changes/improvements needed.  We would also need occasional advice on an ad hoc basis.  We would really appreciate your help on this.  Please give us a call on 01235 832484 or email judithrussell100@gmail.com to have a chat and find out more.

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An opportunity to explore! 

 Anyone interested in exploring helping out on the concert/event manager rota (that is, being the responsible person in church while visiting artistes rehearse or perform) is invited to a drop-in at St Matthew's 10.30am on Saturday 12 August to be shown what it entails.
It's not only a great way to take part (free!) in the cultural life of our village but a really important outreach into our community demonstrating the church building to be accessible and our welcome to be warm.

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Do you have electrical expertise? 

The 5-year electrical installations inspection for St. Matthew’s is due this year. It would be a great help to the Churchwardens and Buildings Committee if there is someone with suitable interest and expertise who could take on the organisation of this work.

If you can help please contact Tony Hughes, Chairman of the Buildings Committee, tel: 01235 835301 or a.hughes09@btinternet.com .

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would you have a few hours to spare possibly a couple times a year? 

Would you have a few hours to spare possibly a couple of times a year? The Christians Against Poverty Debt Centre which our churches support is looking for friendly people who could move 'blessings' around the greater Didcot area. A 'blessing' is a donation to help a Debt Centre client get back on their feet. It might be as large as a piece of furniture or as small as a smartphone and needs collecting from the donor and delivering to clients.

If you'd like to chat about this opportunity (which isn't restricted to weekdays).

Please contact Naomi Gibson naomigibson3107@gmail.com or 07884 425460 in Chilton or Liz Roberts lizzyroberts333@gmail.com or 07745 802030 in Harwell.



 

 

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didcot food bank needs our Help

In both St Matthew's Harwell and All Saints' Chilton there is a box at the back of the Church where you are able to leave your kind donated non perishable food/toiletry items which we then pass onto Didcot foodbank.  

What food is needed? 

Tins of meat / fish / potatoes / carrots / peas / soup / fruit / puddings 

Jars of pasta sauces / jam / peanut butter / coffee (small)  

Packets of pasta / rice / packets dried potato / breakfast cereals / biscuits / treats / tea 

Cartons of long-life milk/long-life juice / hot chocolate 
 

also……toiletries, toilet rolls, & clothes-wash items, but no alcohol, razors, medicines, or homemade preserves

Please note that all donated items must be long life and, where applicable, have a best before or use by date at least six months ahead, i.e. anything donated in March 2023 must have a date of Sept 2023 or later.

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