After a lull of some time, a new range of cathedral merchandise is available for sale after services, and from the cathedral office during normal working hours. With Christmas in mind, and friends and family members who will be visiting Bahrain in the coming weeks, the following are ideas for gifts, stocking fillers and souvenirs.

Christmas Cards
Featuring an abstract from the Barbara Marks water-colour of the cathedral. Oblong (3½” x 4½” / 88 x 114mm), available with a choice of border colours: red (smooth card) or white (textured). Message inside: Christmas greetings. Packs of 5 cards + 5 envelopes BD1; packs of 10 cards + 10 envelopes BD2. 

Note: one card and one un-sealed envelope (no enclosure) costs the minimum postage available from Bahrain - for the zone relevant to the card’s destination. 

All Purpose Cards
Also featuring the same branded image of the cathedral. Square cards (5½” x 5½”  / 144 x 144 mm), available on white textured card only. Envelopes to match. No message inside. Packs of 3 cards + 3 envelopes BD1.

Polo Shirts
Following the popularity of polo-shirts manufactured for the Cathedral’s Golden Jubillee in 2003, a new range is being produced which is not date-specific.

The Diocesan crest is machine-embroidered, surrounded by the words: St. Christopher’s Cathedral, Bahrain. Fabric 100% cotton, 8 colours. BD6 per shirt.

A selection of the most popular colours and sizes will be available at the end of November, in addition to those already ordered.

Recipe Book – Food for the Journey
No secrecy on this one! A good number of years ago – let’s leave it at that – three dozen parishioners contributed recipes for a book to be sold at a cathedral fête. After that, the remaining stock was put in a cupboard and forgotten.

Lo and behold! Recently, Alan had a clear-out and found them. Only five contributors are still living in Bahrain, meaning that many people who support the cathedral today have never even seen the book! And, given Alan’s MAD (make a difference) project, it seemed bad form to ditch the books just because the covers looked old-fashioned. The recipes themselves are still worth trying, as Pam and Alan have tested already.

Enough of the preamble. A newly-designed colourful easy-to-clean cover, and a new title, make each book look very appealing, offering excellent value at BD2 each.

A5 format, 108 pages, 250 gms. Sorry, no colour photographs. Available after the first week of November from the cathedral office, or on request after services.    

Angela Murray