The Autumn Leaves Club Christmas Lunch was greatly enjoyed by 56 members and four visitors at the New Times Restaurant.

Christmas crackers were pulled and paper crowns worn to start the club's celebrations. Doris and Joan were remembered with a round of applause as their birthdays were announced.

The raffle prize, which had kindly been donated by the proprietor of the restaurant, was a voucher for a Christmas meal for two, and this was won by Ethel Powell.

The next outing for the club will be to a pantomime at Grays on January 10. Our next meeting will be a party in the village hall on Wednesday December 19, starting at 2.15pm.

AUCTION

Chris and Nigel's first auction for the year 2008 will be held at Longfields, Plains Road, Great Totham, on a different day to normal, starting at 10am prompt on Tuesday, January 1. For any enquiries, you should telephone 892717.

BINGO

Don't forget that bingo will be held just after Christmas on a different day from usual.

Bingo can be played in the village hall, starting promptly at 8pm on Thursday, December 27.

After this, bingo will revert back to its normal day of every Wednesday, commencing on January 2, 2008.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

May I, through this column, wish all readers a Very Happy Christmas and Prosperous and Healthy New Year.

Thanks go out to all of you who have kept me informed of your forthcoming events over the past year - please keep this up in 2008.

Also, it would be nice to hear from more people from the village.

Remember, it is not only news from organisations using the hall that interests people, but family news as well, an achievement someone has made or a special occasion.