LAST month St Francis’ Church, Byworth, just off Crondall Lane on the northern edge of Farnham, celebrated 60 years since its consecration by the then Bishop of Guildford on May 14, 1957.

St Francis is a daughter church of St Andrew’s Parish Church of Farnham, and was built thanks to the generosity of a Mrs Jackson, Farnham’s first woman magistrate. It replaced an earlier mission church, the ‘Tin Mission’, at Dippenhall.

The anniversary service took St Francis of Assisi as its theme. It was led by Andrew Partridge, a lay minister in Farnham parish, and was assisted by the ‘Junior Voices’ choir run by Liz Lee, who sang What a Wonderful World to reflect St Francis’ love of the natural world, and Kum ba yah to reflect his holiness.

Also present were Angus Cleaver who had led services at St Francis for many years in the 1990s, Eileen Stone whose late husband Dennis ran the Sunday school in the 1960s, and Stella Barter who assisted in the same period.

The service was followed by a reception in the adjacent church hall, and then by a picnic and swimming for the children and braver adults at the nearby home of parishioners Matthew and Joanna Elliott.

David Uffindell, rector of Farnham, away at his son-in-law’s ordination on the day, afterwards commented “I am delighted to hear of the excellent anniversary party at St Francis’s Church. We are honouring the past, celebrating the present and planning for the future in ministry and mission in this part of the town. I am very grateful to all those who helped to make this such a great day”.