Angels descend over Hoxton as local church launches new Christmas initiative
Eagle eyed residents may have noticed a few unusual visitors in Hoxton as of late.
More than a thousand angels have been drawn on windows, sprayed on walls, and tucked between railings by two local churches, St Anne’s Hoxton and Grace Church Hackney, a number in rather unusual spots – including one covering a bullet hole in a shop front next to St Anne's, where a shooting occurred earlier in the month.
The initiative emerged when Father Ben Bell, the vicar at St Anne’s, realised that indoor church services would prove a little tricky this year and set about creating the @angelsoverhoxton movement, aiming to inject some hope back onto the streets of London.
“The hope embedded in the Christmas story is found not in the warm glow of fancy places,” he told the Standard, “but in a manger out the back of a premier (we assume) inn.
“To be deprived of the opportunity to belt out a mulled wine infused rendition of Hark the Herald is obviously devastating, but perhaps this year we are afforded the opportunity to heed these words… Hark!… the Herald Angels Sing.”
Bell said he had been enjoying the reaction from local residents: “It’s been wonderful to see families and friends walking around the streets on ‘angel hunts’, spotting small angels tucked in nooks and crannies.”
It seems that a few more angels might soon be joining the ranks, with churches, schools, and families all getting in touch to join the initiative. “We're expecting angels to be popping up in Haggerston, Sloane Square, Earlsfield, and even Jakarta,” added Bell.
To learn more about the initiative, follow @angelsoverhoxton
