Past events
Here you'll find information and pictures from events that have taken place at St Andrew's - click on the links to see more!
The weather was fine, the temperature (for December) was warm, the churchyard was prepared for visitors - and they arrived! Around 170 people attended our Beer and Carols in the Churchyard - it was wonderful to see so many enjoying the singing and the fellowship.
Do you think of The Twelve Days of Christmas as traditional ladies in long dresses and men in top hats? See what St Andrew's made of it all!
To accompany the Our Lockdown in 30 Objects Exhibition at St Andrew's, and to reflect our Harvest theme of Thankfulness, the churchyard at St Andrew's came alive with examples of how we experienced Lockdown.
The collection of 30 objects and stories gave an insight into how life has been throughout this time for a cross-section of our community, and we hoped that visitors also found echoes of their own personal experiences in it.
The animals went in two by two! Throughout August, we watched as the story of Noah unfolded in our Churchyard...
Once again, church was brought outside into the churchyard - this time as we told the Easter Story. The crowds laid palms in front of Jesus as he entered Jerusalem on a donkey; the Easter story unfolded with the Last Supper and Good Friday Cross; and the joy of Easter Sunday was celebrated with colourful signs of new life!
For two weeks in February, Missing You trees appeared in the churchyard at St Andrew's. You were invited to write on a red heart who or what you were missing then hang it on the tree.
There was an amazing response from the community as many visitors added their Missing You hearts to the trees.
Our life-size Nativity developed in the churchyard at St Andrew's during Advent.
Some special visitors took up residence at St Andrew's Church during Hertford's Scarecrow Fest...
The weekend before Christmas and St Andrew's was full of people of all ages enjoying carol singing, cask ale, mulled wine, Christmas craft, winter wonderland model railway, nativity photo booth and lots more.
A Christmas Concert like no other! St Andrew's is gaining a growing reputation as a great venue for folk concerts and it was no surprise to hear lead Melrose singer Jess Arrowsmith introduce the band's two-hour set with, "Wow, playing in a church! This is a first for us. What a fantastic place to play and sing a few Christmas songs and carols."
Playing as an acoustic singer songwriter for over 40 years, Steve Knightley has built a reputation as one of England’s most accomplished folk performers. It caused quite a stir in Hertford folk circles and the local area when it was announced that he would be playing at St Andrew's as part of his 2019 solo tour.
St Andrew's and St Mary's congregations returned to Belsey Bridge Conference Centre in Suffolk to enjoy a weekend together exploring the theme of Amazing Grace.
The De Merc Chamber Choir, directed by Alison Smart Fisher, performed a special Requiem for charity Third Hope Africa at St Andrew's Church in April 2019. All profits from the retiring collection went towards working for the long-term rehabilitation of ex-child soldiers in Northern Uganda.
The church was full of families who came to the party and enjoyed the pumpkin carving, lantern making, face paints, photo booth, crafts, challenges, quiz, food and more.
Local theatre company Pins & Feathers brought their play The March to St Andrew’s in September 2018.
Written by Kate Miller to celebrate the centenary of women gaining the vote in Parliamentary elections, The March was based on the real-life stories of Hertfordshire women who fought for change and featured the extraordinary Great Pilgrimage of July 1913, in which thousands of Suffragists from all over the country marched to London to demonstrate peaceful mass support for the vote.
We welcomed more than 500 adults, plus many young children, to our 2018 Beer Festival. It was a marvellous success that far exceeded our expectations. Beers began to sell out from 5.30pm, all the pasties and sausage rolls were gone by 6.00pm and people kept coming through the gate until nearly 8.00pm.
One of the most skilled folk guitarists currently playing on the British and American folk scene performed live at St Andrew's in April 2018. It was a real coup that Martin chose to play a gig with us; he said the acoustics in the nave were ‘unbelievably clear and beautiful’.
We were delighted to welcome Bishop Stortford-based Choir, Amici Cantate, to St Andrew's for a wonderful selection of choral music in March 2018. The concert raised funds for Christian Aid and the music proved to be moving, uplifting and had us tapping our toes in the aisles.
New play
Seeing it Through was performed at St Andrew's in October 2016. The performance told the stories of the home front in 1914-18, from the words of the extraordinary women, men and children who saw it through. It portrayed a time of unprecedented upheaval, loss, change - and opportunity - in Hertford and the surrounding towns and villages; a time which shaped our world today.
Staged Easter 2015 at St Andrew's, First Light was a bold reimagining of the story of Jesus' last days.
The Mimram Singers, conducted by Peter Murphy, gave us a taste of what the town experienced 100 years ago when the Grand Historic Pageant took place in Hertford.