23rd October – Bat Walk CANCELLED
Jess Dangerfield will lead a Bat Walk at St Augustine’s on Friday 23rd October at 6.30pm.
Meet at the main entrance on Church Place South and learn about the bats living by the church. You should also be able to hear them with the help of bat monitors.
All are welcome but children must be accompanied by an adult. Please make sure you wear appropriate footwear and you may wish to bring a torch.
This is a free event but donations to the Friends would be appreciated.
Unfortunately Jess is unwell so the Bat Walk has been cancelled.
It will be rescheduled for the spring when the bats have come out of hibernation.
27th October – Churchyard Maintenance Group
The churchyard maintenance volunteers meet on a Tuesday afternoon from 2.00 – 4.30pm with a break for refreshments. Volunteers are welcome to join in at any time during the session.
If you would like to join us please let Debbie Court [DJCourt@hotmail.com] know.
We have some tools and have safety equipment but please bring shears, secateurs, trowels etc.
12th November Talk on Notable Penarth Buildings
On Thursday 12th November, at 7.30pm in the Parish Hall, Albert Road, Chris Riley will give a talk on Notable Penarth Buildings.
Come along and find out about buildings you may walk past, and learn about their histories.
Doors open at 7pm.
Entry is £5, £3 for members of the Friends
13th October Quiz Night
There were disappointingly few people at the Quiz Night, but it was enjoyed by the three teams that were there.
Open Church
Unfortunately we have had to suspend Open Church from June 2026. There is currently no-one to arrange the rota and we need more volunteer church sitters.
16th July – Stones for Bones
On16th July at 7pm about 30 people gathered in St Augustine’s Church to hear Tom Blenkinsop give an illustrated talk entitled ‘Stones for Bones in St Augustine’s Churchyard’.
It was very interesting and Tom told us about the geology of the materials used and what they told us about Penarth society.
Tom is a structural geologist and Professor in Earth Science at Cardiff University.
11th June – AGM and The Geology of St Augustine’s
The AGM of The Friends of St Augustine’s was held in the church at 2pm on Thursday 11th June. followed by refreshments. Nine members were present.
At 2.45pm about 20 people heard a talk by Chris Berry entitled ‘Rocks of Ages’ about the Geology of the stones used to build St Augustine’s.
Chris told us how the rocks were formed during the various geological periods and how they all came to be easily available in the local area to build the present church.
It was a very interesting talk and was very much appreciated and enjoyed by the audience.
3rd May – Open Afternoon at St Augustine’s
On Sunday afternoon, 3rd May, about 50 visitors came to the Open Afternoon at the church. As well as a tour round the church looking at the stories behind the stained glass windows there was a guided walk around the churchyard, opportunities to try bell-ringing and a Plant Sale. Refreshments were also provided.
30th April – Top Church’s Notable Victorians
Alan Thorne’s talk on Top Church’s Notable Victorians was very interesting and well-received by his appreciative audience.
We learnt about the great and the good, but Alan told us about the paupers and the ordinary working folk as well. They are all part of the rich history of penarth.
5th March. The windows of St Augustine’s – history and mysteries
On , 5th March in the Parish Hall, Chris Riley gave a very interesting talk on the stained glass windows at St Augustine’s and the stories behind them.
Stained glass windows are not uncommon in churches and often get just a cursory glance. Investigating the the stories behind them tells a lot about the history of the town and the people who lived there, but there are some things that cannot be fully explained.