Parish Barbecue 2019

Cast your mind back to a warm and sunny Sunday in September, when lots of people gathered in the Cathedral garden. There was laughter, chat, food and drink. Children played, sausages sizzled, and several glasses of Pimms and champagne were consumed. Ah yes, the Parish Barbecue.

The annual Parish Barbecue is a chance for us all to come together as a church community. We have a choice of Masses – 9.30am or 11.15am on Sunday in the Cathedral or 6.15pm on Saturday in the convent, and that means we sometimes run on parallel tracks, vaguely aware of others but not getting time to interact. Regardless of whether we are regulars or irregulars, this event gives us a lovely opportunity to catch up with others.

This year’s barbecue was very well attended and our prayers for good weather were answered, although it was almost a little too warm. Mental note to self – more shade. The burgers and sausages were excellent quality as usual, and the strawberries, home-made cakes and various drinks all went down very nicely.

Of course, there’s a lot of work behind the scenes, both leading up to and on the day itself. It wouldn’t be possible without sterling work from lots of people, who moved furniture, bought supplies, chopped vegetables, cooked the food, served the food, ran stalls, organised games, cleared up afterwards and generally kept the whole thing going. There was much lugging around of chairs and tables and some wrestling of a gazebo into submission. Brave souls in the kitchen took multitasking to a whole new level, while outside there was a smooth flow of burger flipping and barbecue coal management. Teenagers and children were roped in to do various tasks, shrieking now and then as a paper plate took off on the breeze.

Everyone agreed what good value it was, as ticket prices have been held the same for some years. The aim is not to make a profit but simply run an enjoyable and successful parish community event. Rumour has it that Canon Tim’s dog Sybil was the only one who didn’t appreciate it … as she had to be locked upstairs to protect the burgers!

Next year’s Parish Barbecue will be on Sunday 6th September 2020. Please do save the date, it’s worth it. We look forward to seeing you there.

Emer Osborne