Copy of Funeral Service for Douglas Stanley Brewis Read MBE held at St. Mary's Church, Bampton, on 1st March 2022

'Go Thou and Do Likewise' is on the top of the banner of the Friendly Society. On Hospital Sunday the members walked from their headquarters in one of the inns to St Mary's for a service and in this picture, they are seen leaving after the annual service. Before the days of the National Health Service, those who could, paid into 'the club' ie the Friendly Society and if they were ill and could not work, sufficient money was provided for the family to buy food. It was literally a life saver for them. The National Health Service came into being July 5th 1948.
1a Foresters A photograph of the Foresters with their banner outside Oathurst, now called Rosebank Nursing Home. Bampton’s Brass band is with them. People paid into clubs like the Foresters then, if they were unable to work, the club kept them from starving. This was before the welfare state came into being and so these friendly societies were very important.

There was a very full program of events that took place throughout Bampton from Saturday June 2nd to Tuesday June 5th.
This is the full list of the events.

This is the service program for the service of thanksgiving, held on Tuesday June 5th 2012, for the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II in St Mary The Virgin Church, Bampton.

The Flower Guild put on a wonderful flower festival through the Bank Holiday weekend at the end of May and on the Monday they also sell sandwiches, quiche slices, cakes, tea, coffee and squash.

The Wedding Neil O'Brien & Sarah Bisp September 27th 2003. The gathering is on Church Green on the south side of Saint Mary's.
Di O'Brien is Neil's mother and was school secretary in Bampton for many years.

The Friends of St Mary's have recently been arranging a series of 3 talks, one in Feb, March and April to raise funds for the church. This poster was for the Feb 2018 talk entitled
"The Graveyard Shift: surgery and body snatching at Guy's Hospital in the 19th century."
The talk was given by Professor Roger Jones.

The makers of Downton Abbey invited local people to take part as extras. Doreen and Douglas Clare were delighted to be chosen each each from 2011 through 2015.