Love Stortford: Churches prepare to show the love with free Love Hearts, hot drinks, craft kits, 'lonely bouquets' and 'a hug in a mug' for the town's care home workers
A second Love Stortford week will kick off at the town's carnival on Saturday (June 18).
A float will carry professional Elvis impersonator Miguel Olivares, a member of the New Life Church based at The Bishop's Stortford High School in London Road, as he sings All You Need is Love.
As the parade makes its way through the town from South Road to Link Road, he will be surrounded by volunteers wearing campaign T-shirts who will hand out hundreds of tubes of Love Hearts sweets and a message about the initiative.
It says simply: "As members of local churches we are all people whose lives have been transformed by the love of God through Jesus Christ. We aim to spread this love in practical ways so that you may come to know this love in your own life."
A QR code will provide further information for those who want to learn more.
The congregations of Holy Trinity Church and the Methodist Church, both in South Street, will serve free tea and coffee to those watching the parade along the float route. There will also be hot drinks on offer from Bishop's Stortford Christian Assembly outside their centre at Hockerill during the carnival and further freebies at their new café on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday during the week.
Once the carnival procession has finished, the Community Church at the Charis Centre in Water Lane is co-ordinating hundreds of random acts of kindness for people at the Sworder's Field showground.
They will be giving away flowers, sweets and children's craft kits, and volunteers are being encouraged to fund their own philanthropy, such as buying coffee or lunch for a stranger, on the day.
Volunteers Roger and Teresa Alsey will lead a team serving free tea and coffee to carnival-goers at Sworder's Field and then more free refreshments from a stall at the market next Thursday (June 23).
New Life Church worshipper Amanda Alexander is leading a "care home angels" initiative to deliver small gifts to staff in the town's care homes.
Workers will receive a cappuccino sachet and biscuit as a "hug in a mug" to show how much they are appreciated. Other Love Stortford supporters will be preparing gifts for some primary school teachers.
One of the organisers, John Barfoot, said: "During Covid-19 lockdown, we made gifts for domiciliary care workers at Care By Us and delivered 700. We're now saying a very small 'thank you' to care home workers."
He said next year's week of activism was likely to focus on showing appreciation to all the town's teachers.
The raft of random acts of kindness is a repeat of the successful activism during the first Love Stortford in 2019.
To prepare for the week, Methodist minister the Rev Gill Hulme will lead a prayer walk on Thursday evening (June 16) starting from St Michael's in Windhill at 7pm and ending at her church in South Street at 8.30pm.
The Hub Church Centre in Portland Road, led by pastor Jim Baxter, will head a social action project with evening litter picking sessions around the town. TUBS, the Tidy Up Bishop's Stortford group, is lending its equipment, including gloves and bags, to the congregation.
The Baptist Church in Twyford Road is assembling and distributing "lonely bouquets". The flowers will be left in public places to be found by lucky recipients; the gift also includes a message of encouragement.
Worshippers at St Michael's in Windhill and St James the Great, Thorley, are set to join forces and serve hot dogs to youngsters in Sworder's Field, following a successful outreach event at the skate park.
To find out more, see facebook.com/lovebishopsstortford.
