The “Friends of St Mary’s Kidlington” was set up in 2016 to provide a forum for everyone who wanted to support the development of St Mary’s for the benefit of the community. This was available to all, not just members of the congregation, as a way of raising funds to contribute to the fabric and facilities in the church, separate from regular funding for parish activities.
We held a variety of events, trips, talks, etc but then everything came to a halt with COVID. But we are delighted to say that FOSMK is now reborn. The first step (though perhaps not the most exciting) was to hold a long-overdue Annual General Meeting in St Mary’s on Thursday 30th May 2024. Refreshments and AGM were followed by a talk by Ven David Meara “A Serious House: Why Church buildings matter today”.
Also in 2024 we held an evening reception at Exeter College, hosted by Sir Rick Trainor, Rector, and Lady Trainor, with drinks, talk and tour of refurbished library, and a series of Autumn Talks, with some very well-known and fascinating speakers.
In 2025 we have had a truly exhilarating evening of words and music, celebrating “Seasons”, a visit to Oxford Airport for a talk about a pioneer women WWII pilot, and a Food Festival exploring different tastes available from local suppliers. We are now looking forward to the 2025 Autumn Talks, starting on October 4th.
You can also find out more by going the the new FOSMK website at fosmk.org.uk