TAVISTOCK Parish Church is inviting all parishioners to join it in marking two important dates next week.

The first date is Tuesday, March 8, Shrove Tuesday — which this year the parish will celebrate at Brentor Village Hall. From 6pm onwards, young and old will join together, and families will have the opportunity to create their own pancakes, and enjoy some board games with friends.

Delicious sweet and savoury pancakes will be served, all for the cost of just £5 per adult, with children attending free of charge.

The second important date is the next day, March 9, Ash Wednesday, which marks the start of the season of Lent.

The priest-in-charge, the Rev Michael Brierley, said: 'You can't finish a journey unless you've started it, so you can't really finish Lent in church on Easter Day unless you've started it in church on Ash Wednesday.'

The parish church is laying on three services of holy communion in order to make it as easy as possible for parishioners to attend, and set their Lenten journey off to the best possible start.

The first service of the day is a schools' communion at 9am, for the children of St Peter's School, St Rumon's School, and Kelly Prep School, when parents are warmly invited to join their children for the service.

Then there are services at 10.30am, and in the evening at 7.30pm.

Both the pancake evening on Shrove Tuesday and the services on Ash Wednesday in St Eustachius' church are open to all and the church guarantees a warm welcome.