Christmas in Winchester Songs of Praise


Christmas in Winchester

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This week,

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as we prepare for Christmas, I'm in Winchester's Christmas market,

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which nestles in the shadow of the city's magnificent cathedral.

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Also, you'll find out which are our presenters' favourite carols.

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Welcome to Songs Of Praise.

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In today's programme, here in Winchester,

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I discover the ancient origin of the word dole...

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-Hello. Please can I have my dole?

-Certainly can.

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..I meet Debbie Thrower, the former Songs Of Praise presenter who

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introduced a brand-new idea to the series 25 years ago.

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For the very first time, Songs Of Praise put

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the hymn words along the bottom of the screen.

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..and our presenters choose their favourite carols.

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Many of our carols in this programme come from the Church of St Cross.

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It's part of the Hospital of St Cross - almshouses that have

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provided food and shelter here in Winchester for hundreds of years.

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I'll be finding out more later.

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But first, I want to share my favourite carol with you.

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I've chosen Once In Royal David's City because, back in 1986,

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when I was 12, I was head chorister of my school choir and,

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at our carol service in Chelmsford Cathedral,

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it was my job to sing the first verse solo.

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Halfway through, I looked across and I saw my mum,

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and she was crying her eyes out.

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It was emotional, but they were tears of pride and joy.

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That's a memory that will stay with me for ever.

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Sounding like something from a Dickens novel,

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the Hospital of St Cross and Almshouse of Noble Poverty nestles

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at the bottom of St Catherine's Hill on the outskirts of Winchester.

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It's said to be one of England's oldest charitable institutions.

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The hospital was founded in 1132

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as a haven place of refuge for poor men that had nowhere

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to live, so they were given this accommodation.

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Traditionally, they were known as the Brothers -

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a title still in use today.

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A lot of people think that the Brothers are monks and, of course, they're not -

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they're laypeople that live in this community, which is

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rather monastic to look at, and their main obligation

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is that they must attend morning office in the chapel each day.

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And, I suppose, that's why people think that they must be monks.

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Let us heartily rejoice...

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The Brothers keep many of the old traditions of St Cross alive.

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Brother Tony Dyson...

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The Pay Parade is a very ancient custom and, in days of yore,

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of course, they were given money in order to look after themselves.

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But, nowadays, it's simply an old tradition and, each Monday,

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after matins, they're given a leather purse each with

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a pound coin in although, on the first Monday in the month,

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they get £1.50, so they feel very rich then!

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So this place is simply carrying on that Christian tradition

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of looking after those people in need.

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And there's another tradition still in practice here at St Cross

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that's familiar, even in the 21st century - receiving the dole.

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-Hello. Please can I have my dole?

-Certainly can.

-Mm! I can smell it.

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It smells very interesting. It looks quite basic. What is it, Catherine?

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It's actually a small portion of beer and some bread.

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It would be strong beer because, in the medieval times,

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when the tradition started, water was not fit for purpose,

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and white bread because they believed, in them times,

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that white was the best, and pilgrims had to have the best.

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Well, I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth,

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so let me try some. Mm! Gosh, that's got a kick to it, hasn't it?

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The bread looks really basic,

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but I could see how pilgrims who have made that long journey on foot -

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-well, this would warm their hearts, wouldn't it?

-It would.

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Originally, they'd have got a day's supply,

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so it would have been a small loaf of bread and a flagon of beer.

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-Yeah, this isn't a day's supply!

-No, just a token today!

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-It won't last me a minute!

-Yeah.

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-Well, thank you very much for the dole.

-That's all right. Thank you.

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Our next carol is from here at St Cross

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and is chosen by Katherine Jenkins.

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O Little Town Of Bethlehem is a carol that reminds me

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of Christmas and particularly midnight mass

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and being a chorister back in Neath in South Wales

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and being allowed to stay up late enough to sing all the carols

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and, of course, that amazing descant.

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Well, I hope that brings back some fond memories for Katherine.

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Next up, someone who knows a thing or two about carols -

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it's the Reverend Kate Bottley.

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My absolute favourite Christmas carol is

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It Came Upon A Midnight Clear,

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partly because we don't sing it very often,

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but mostly because it's got that wonderful line in it that says,

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"Hush the noise, ye men of strife, and hear the angels sing."

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And it reminds me that, in the middle of the chaos and the craziness of Christmas,

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it's to stop and remember the real message.

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From relatively modest beginnings, the Christmas market here

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in Winchester Cathedral's historic close is now in its 12th year...

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-It's really warming. Thank you.

-Thank you.

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..and attracts 500,000 visitors every Christmas.

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Well, I'm glad I'm here because I've still got one or two gifts to find.

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While I have a look around, here's Josie d'Arby to tell us

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about her favourite carol.

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I've chosen When A Child Is Born.

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This carol is so beautiful,

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I actually play it all year round because the birth of Christ and

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his presence on Earth remains the best news

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and the greatest gift ever.

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# A ray of hope flickers in the sky

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# A tiny star lights up way up high

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# All across the land dawns a brand-new morn

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# This comes to pass when a child is born

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# A silent wish sails the seven seas

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# The wind of change whispers in the tree

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# All the walls of doubt crumble Tossed and torn

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# This comes to pass when a child is born

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# A rosy hue settles all around

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# You've got the feel you're on solid ground

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# And for a spell or two no-one feels forlorn

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# This comes to pass when a child is born

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# It's all a dream, an illusion now

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# It must come true Sometime soon somehow

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# All across the land dawns a brand-new morn

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# This comes to pass when a child is born

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# This comes to pass

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# When a child is born

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# When a child is born. #

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The Reverend Canon Roland Riem is Vice Dean of Winchester Cathedral

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and was involved in creating the markets here.

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Roland, you've brought me to this life-size Nativity scene.

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It's the focus of the market. Why have you got one here?

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This is a cathedral market and it's not just a town market.

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It's in the shadow of our cathedral church, and we have this here

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to remind us of the fact that Jesus is the centre of all our giving.

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So, long before Christmas got commercial,

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reminding us that there was a really important birth?

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Yes, and I think we're all looking for a new beginning,

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and all the celebrations that we have at Christmas are about getting back to something

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that's real and true and peaceful at the heart of our life.

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And, when you think about the Christmas scene,

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you think about that wonderful baby bringing peace

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and joy to the world, and I think that's what it's about.

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Now, it's on the close. You live on the close.

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What's it like, having a market outside your front door?

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Well, it's busy and, sometimes,

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we wish that we were a little less crowded but, actually, we think of

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what good it does for our cathedral, supporting its ministry

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and mission, and all the fun that people have

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because Christmas is about joy as well as anything else.

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-What sort of shops have you got here?

-We've got an unusual blend.

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We've got even a charity shop that changes every few days,

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where we give the charities an opportunity

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to raise funds for their life.

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We've got nuns from Minsk who bring Christmas wares every year.

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The big question for me is, will I find something for my wife?

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You certainly will, and it's a shame she isn't here to direct you!

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For our next carol, it's time

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for one of our longest-serving presenters to choose.

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My carol is one of the world's favourites which,

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for a long time, was thought to have been

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written by the man behind the Reformation, Martin Luther.

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Except that probably wasn't true.

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In actual fact, it was written about 400 years later

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in the 1880s by members of the Lutheran Church in America

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for their children to sing in a Christmas concert.

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What is true is that this is a carol that brings out

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the child in all of us - Away In A Manger.

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Have you heard your favourite carol yet? If not, there are more to come.

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Here's Connie Fisher with her Christmastide favourite,

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and maybe this one will be yours, too.

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For me, Christmas wouldn't be Christmas

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without hearing my favourite carol.

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It reminds me of growing up, singing in the Pembrokeshire Youth Choir.

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In The Bleak Midwinter -

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we used to sing it at every Christmas concert, and I loved it.

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# In the bleak midwinter

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# Frosty wind made moan

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# Earth stood hard as iron

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# Water like a stone

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# Snow had fallen, snow on snow

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# Snow on snow

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# In the bleak midwinter

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# Long ago

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# What can I give him

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# Poor as I am?

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# If I were a shepherd

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# I would bring a lamb

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# If I were a wise man

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# I would do my part

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# Yet what I can I give him

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# Give my heart. #

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We've had an amazing 222 Songs Of Praise presenters

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in our 56 years on air,

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and one of them is now part of the cathedral community here.

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Welcome to Songs Of Praise from Westminster Abbey.

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Twice a week, the Abbey Choir

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sings for visitors in the nave, and someone who was a chorister...

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Debbie, it's lovely to meet you.

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What have you been doing since you were presenting on Songs Of Praise?

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I've become a lay canon here at Winchester Cathedral,

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a member of Chapter as well, which is

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the sort of executive board which helps run the cathedral.

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What does being a lay canon entail?

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Well, it's a voluntary role, but you are a member of Chapter,

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so about eight people run the cathedral, if you like,

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and several of us are laypeople, so not members of the clergy.

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But it's just wonderful to be involved in everything,

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really, from recruitment to how you run the Christmas market.

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And it's quite a big jump from being a presenter.

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What inspired you to make that move?

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Well, I've always had a strong Christian faith.

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While I was still working full-time in broadcasting,

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I trained as a licensed lay minister, a reader,

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and, since then, I've also become a chaplain to older people.

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And it's really about supporting people, older people,

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people in the second half of life, in the community.

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So we do go into care homes,

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but we also visit people who are struggling to live independently.

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Now, I'm one of the newest Songs Of Praise presenters.

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-It's a real pleasure meeting you and hearing your stories.

-And you, too.

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I've met some inspiring people and been to some incredible places.

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Can you pick out one highlight from your time on Songs Of Praise?

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Oh, I loved my time on Songs Of Praise.

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I think one of the most memorable was the time in Olney

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when we actually, for the very first time, Songs Of Praise

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put the hymn words along the bottom of the screen.

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Tonight, we begin a new chapter in the history of Songs Of Praise.

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Over the past few years, you, our viewers,

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have been writing to us in ever greater numbers,

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asking for the words of the hymns to be put on the screen.

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Well, I'm happy to announce

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that from tonight, the words will be displayed on the screen.

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There was some reluctance, was it going to be a good move or not?

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But, actually, people now think that they've always been there.

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Now, all the Songs Of Praise presenters are picking

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their favourite carols this week.

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As a former Songs Of Praise presenter, I think you can, too.

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Oh, what an honour.

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Well, what I'd like to pick is John Rutter's

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Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day.

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# Tomorrow shall be my dancing day

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# I would my true love did so chance

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# To see the legend of my play

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# To call my true love to my dance

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# Sing, oh! My love Oh! My love, my love, my love

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# This have I done for my true love

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# Tomorrow shall be my dancing day

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# I would my true love did so chance

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# To see the legend of my play

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# To call my true love to my dance

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# Sing, oh! My love Oh! My love, my love, my love

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# This have I done for my true love

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# Then was I born of a virgin pure

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# Of her I took fleshly substance

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# Thus was I knit to man's nature

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# To call my true love to my dance

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# Sing, oh! My love Oh! My love, my love, my love

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# This have I done for my true love

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# In a manger laid and wrapped I was

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# So very poor, this was my chance

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# Between an ox and a silly poor ass

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# To call my true love to my dance

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# Sing, oh! my love Oh! My love, my love, my love

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# This have I done for my true love

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# Tomorrow shall be my dancing day

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# I would my true love did so chance

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# To see the legend of my play

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# To call my true love to my dance

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# Sing, oh! my love Oh! My love, my love, my love

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# This have I done for my true love

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# This have I done for my true love. #

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The Winchester Cathedral choristers in fine voice there.

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Now, singing so many carol services over Christmas,

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it's a busy time for them.

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But right in the heart of the Christmas market, here is

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an ice rink, and who can blame the choristers for having some fun?

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For our next carol, it's over to JB Gill,

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another new presenter on the Songs Of Praise team.

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Let's find out what he has chosen.

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I grew up loving Christmas,

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and one of my favourite parts was always going to the Nativity play.

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I used to enjoy being a part of them,

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and now that I have my own little boy,

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I'm going to love him being involved in his first Nativity play,

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and singing, hopefully,

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While Shepherds Watch as well.

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Next week, it's Christmas Eve,

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and we'll be celebrating with The Big Sing

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from the Royal Albert Hall in London

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so there'll be more of your best-loved carols,

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and special performances from Katherine Jenkins and JB Gill.

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Well, my time here in Winchester is almost up.

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We're back at the Church of St Cross for our final carol,

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one of the nation's favourites, O Come All Ye Faithful.

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Until next week, goodbye.

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