Join Us for Festival Week Across the Leightonstone Churches!
Samuel, our Church and Community Support Adviser has teamed up with PCCs to plan a themed week of events occurring across the Leightonstones Benefices from Saturday 14 - Sunday 22 June 2025.
Festival Week is brand-new trial project that seeks to bring together churches from across benefices to collaborate and engage with their local communities. If this event is successful in the Leightonstones, we hope to try it elsewhere in the Diocese!
Festival Week is a celebration of our wonderful Leightonstone churches, bringing communities together through shared events, and open doors. This special week is all about building stronger relationships within each parish, shining a light on the beauty and heritage of our churches, and welcoming others—both near and far—to join in. By concentrating events in one week, we hope to create a buzz of activity that will inspire greater interest and interaction from people across all our villages. It's a chance to explore different churches, meet new people, and enjoy a variety of community-led experiences.
Festival events can be anything—from traditional church fetes and concerts to creative partnerships with local schools. There’s also the opportunity to take part in activity trails that encourage visitors to discover different churches throughout the week. Some of the events we have planned include a Pop-Up Pub, a church tour, a talk by a local author, patronal festivals, a stained glass presentation, and many more. Please read the full list below, and come along to one (or more) of our events, show your support for the churches involved, and explore how a similar initiative may work for your church and benefice.
If you want to find out more about Festivals Week, please get in touch with Samuel at samuel.pedlar@elydiocese.org.
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Stow Longa Traditional Village Fete
- St Botolph's Church, Stow Longa
- Saturday 14 June
- 2.30pm
- Stalls, including books, plants, small bric a brac, gifts, tombola, human fruit machine, number of sweets in a jar. Kelly's kitchen serving burgers and hot dogs and Cream teas in the church.
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Stow Longa Outdoor Family Service (weather permitting)
- St Botolph's Church, Stow Longa
- Sunday 15 June
- 10.30am
- Followed by Refreshments
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Picnic in the Churchyard at Stow Longa
- St Botolph's Church, Stow Longa
- Sunday 15 June
- 12.00pm
- Lunchtime Father's Day picnic in our beautiful churchyard
- With an opportunity to join part of Discovering the Hidden Treasurers of the Leightonstones at 12 noon
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Discover the Hidden Treasurers of the Leightonstones - A Self-Drive Church Architecture Tour, led by Historian John Vigar
- Catworth, Abbots Ripton, Stow Longa, and Alconbury
- Sunday 15 June
- 11.00am - 4.00pm
- Book your place now for a day of architecture, history, and community.
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An evening with local author and former BBC journalist Fiona Chesterton
- All Saints' Church, Hamerton
- Monday 16 June
- 7.00pm
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Molesworth Open Gardens
- St Peter's Church, Molesworth
- Tuesday 17 June
- From 10.00am
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The Stained Glass of Huntingdonshire - A talk by the Rev’d Stephen Day
- St Peter's Church, Molesworth
- Wednesday 18 June
- 7.30pm
- RSVP to samuel.pedlar@elydiocese.org
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Bythorn Church party
- St Lawrence Church, Bythorn
- Friday 20 June
- 7.00pm
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Summertime Picnic in the Churchyard at Winwick
- All Saints' Church, Winwick
- Saturday 21 June
- From 4.00pm
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Kings Ripton Pop-up pub
- St Peter's Church, Kings Ripton
- Friday 20 - Saturday 21 June
- 6.00pm
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Keyston Patronal Festival
- St John's Church, Keyston
- Saturday 21 June
- 3.00pm
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Leighton Bromswold History talk
- St Mary's Church, Leighton Bromswold
- Sunday 22 June
- 3.00pm - 5.00pm