St Mary’s Church Bradenstoke was decorated in an amazing display of autumnal flowers, produce and animal sculptures to help the village celebrate and give thanks for another successful harvest in the community.

Celebrations included decorating the local church with baskets of fruit and food in a festival known as Harvest Festival Open Day.

Open Day organiser, Mrs Sue Thompson, who lives in Bradenstoke, was overwhelmed by the amount of effort that had been put in by local villagers and moreso, the standard of work of the animal sculptures made by pupils of Lyneham Infant School.

Among the collection of photographs taken by Sue Thompson, and kindly sent to Lyneham Village Online, we can witness the splendid gifts, flowers and produce being towered by the animal replicas.

Harvest Festival reminds people of all the good things that has been given to them, making them want to share with others who are not so fortunate. The gifts and produce gratefully made will be donated to 'The Green Hut’ charity in Swindon who supports those who are homeless and in need.

Sue Thompson, Pat Probert, Margaret Webb and Sheila Allen, welcomed many new faces to the St Mary's during the open day with a cup of hot coffee and a bit of history both about the church and the village itself.

Joan Harrison, Ros Wheeler and Sheila Allen, worked their magic on the superb displays that brought life and vibrancy to every corner of the church. It was lovely to see several people who had just moved to the village or were in the process of trying to buy a house visit this celebration.

Many visitors commented on the talents of the Lyneham Infant School children in making their animal sculptures out of recycled materials and their teachers who had helped them. Comments in the visitors book on the day reflected what a success the open day was and just how much we all still appreciate the giving and sharing at Harvest Time.

The open day was not a fundraising event really but we were able to give the Flower fund £50 from a raffle and donations on the day. The many people, both locally and visitors from afar who attended, compliments placed in the guest book and community spirit made the whole day much more worthwhile to the organisers.

Mrs Sue Thompson commented afterwards: “Its great to see that many people appreciate all the hard work put in, and we must pass our grateful thanks to everyone who joined us, admired and supported the event its makes it all worth while.”

Historical background to Harvest Festival
The celebration of Harvest in Britain dates back to pre-Christian times when the success of the crop governed the lives of the people. Saxon farmers offered the first cut sheaf of corn to one of their gods of fertility, in order to safeguard a good harvest the following year. The last sheaf was thought to contain the Spirit of the Corn, and its cutting was usually accompanied by the ritual sacrifice of an animal - often a hare caught hiding in the corn.

Later, a model hare, made from straw, was used to represent the continuity of the Spirit. This practice eventually led to the making of plaited 'corn collies', symbolising the goddess of the grain. These were hung from the rafters in farmhouses until the next year. When the harvest was in, a celebratory supper was held to which the whole community was invited.

The now widespread practice of celebrating Harvest Festival in churches began in 1843, when the reverend Robert Hawker invited parishioners to a special thanksgiving service at his church at Morwenstow in Cornwall. This led to the long-practised custom of decorating churches with home-grown produce.