Christmas Wishes With Free Mince Pies

It is said that there is no such thing as a ‘free lunch’ but shoppers emerging from Waitrose in Chandler’s Ford on Friday morning were surprised to discover that there is such a thing as a free mince pie!

Churches Together in Chandler’s Ford (CTCF) comprises representatives from St Boniface and St Martin in the Wood, St Edward the Confessor (The Catholic Parish of St Swithun Wells), St Francis Church in Valley Park, the Methodist Church, United Reformed Church, Velmore Church and New Community Church.

Paul Bentley from Waitrose management was approached earlier in the year and gave permission for CTCF to distribute mince pies to Waitrose customers as they left the store. As a very generous gesture, Waitrose offered to donate 300 pies for this event! Each pie was presented in a small bag labelled with the message:

“Churches Together in Chandler’s Ford wish you a peaceful Christmas. Check out www.ctcf.org.uk for details of Christmas church services in the local area.”

Members of the committee and friends braved the cold wind and enjoyed offering the pies to customers. Many people had trouble accepting that the pie was a free gift from the churches and tried to offer money, which was gracefully refused.

The CTCF committee wishes to record our grateful thanks to members of Waitrose staff who provided equipment and helped us set up at this very busy time of year for retail staff.