Spreading the message of love and joy at Christmas carols

The sound of joy echoed through St. Mary’s Church earlier this week as The Portsmouth Academy held its first community Christmas Carols, which were a huge success.

Students across year groups at the school led the service alongside the church’s clergy, including a reflection from Canon Bob White and Assistant Curate Rajiv Sidhu.

A team from the Academy and the Church, on St. Marys Road in Fratton, greeted more than 100 students and their families with refreshments and food to conclude, showcasing true community spirit.

Mr. R. Lock, Assistant Principal at The Portsmouth Academy, hailed the event as a huge success and a positive opportunity to bring the community together.

On the night, he said: “Thank you to our community for coming together for these wonderful carols, which I’m sure will now become an annual event.

“We are very lucky as teachers to have the opportunity to work with many incredible students, and to see them deliver some readings tonight was brilliant.”

A short reflection was delivered by Father Bob, who spoke about Christmas being a time for love, joy and peace.

He said: “I believe the way to a perfect Christmas is to look at the story of Christmas, the birth of Jesus. He brings precious gifts of love, joy and peace. You can’t wrap them up, but you can share them to make a perfect Christmas for us all.

“Do what you can to share those gifts. Nothing grand, nothing dramatic, nothing bold, but just recognise those in our community who we can share love, joy and peace with.

“If each of us can find a way to share these things in a small way, then the community will begin to change, the world will begin to change, The Portsmouth Academy will begin to change.”