The march towards the end of the year sees Hope Hall once again buzzing with activity.The lead up to the Harvest Festival sees a stray dog causing a nuisance, and tensions rise between two old schoolmates. The drama only increases as Christmas approaches, and the panto rehearsals featuring the jocular "Can't Sing Singers" get into full swing. But the hustle and bustle of the drama in the community stems from the deeper personal stories. Loneliness, loss, and hurt impact the lives of many of the local residents. But where there is community, there is friendship, companionship, love, and most of all, hope. Christmas at Hope Hall is the final book in a delightful trilogy centred on a Victorian church hall, the like of which can be found at the heart of so many towns across England. This wonderful finale to the series (which includes the sound of wedding bells!) is full of friends and neighbours with stories that will have you giggling one minute, and dabbing your eyes the next.

"As I stand at my kitchen sink and look across at what we optimistically call our herb garden, to one side I see an old wooden sign on which are carved the words 'Arthur's Garden'. Arthur doesn't live here. My wonderful great-uncle died nearly thirty years ago having spent most of his long life in the Victorian terraced house in which his mother had brought up eleven children. The sign had stood in the garden there for decades, a gift to the man who'd always cherished that small patch of Kent, creating a riot of glorious colour which lit up the row of long, narrow strips that tumbled down to a line of back gates from which you could look across the lane to the local coal yard below." In Arthur's Garden, Pam Rhodes collates a heart-warming collection of songs and poems, advice and tit bits about the glorious, very ordinary, English garden - told through the life of her Uncle Arthur. This is a gardening book, with a story.

Pam Rhodes is a passionate advocate for our heritage of splendid hymns. Hymns, she explains, help us respond to God: they are "prayers in our pockets". With her warm personal touch she describes how these hymns came to be written, and considers the perceptions they contain. This book is a treasury of fascinating detail, but it is also a source of devotion: as you consider each hymn and the story behind it you will be drawn into worship. Each reflection concludes with a short prayer.

"Hymns are prayers in our pockets", writes Pam Rhodes, expressing how hymns help us to respond to God. Pam brings together reflections on some of her favourite hymns. Drawing on her experience of presenting Songs of Praise and sharing the stories of hymn writers past and present, she helps us to make use of their words in expressing our joys and sorrows to God, and finding hope and inspiration in them. Whatever our circumstances, these hymns turn us again to the God who created, knows and sustains us with that "love so amazing" described in the immortal words of hymn writer Isaac Watts.

HOPE HALL thrums with activity under the summer sun. Sea Cadets march in the yard and happy chatter issues from English as a Foreign Language classes while the weekly Food Bank reaches out to those in need. Kath is determined to honour the origins of Hope Hall, which was founded in memory of those lost during the two world wars. It's all hands on deck as the centenary celebrations continue, but Kath's efforts set her on a collision course with Celia Ainsworth, a descendant of the family that donated the land. Added to this, a mysterious homeless man proves tricky for Sheelagh to identify, and a handsome stranger looks set to lead Kath a merry dance... SUMMER'S OUT AT HOPE HALL is a fun and deeply moving story that celebrates the power of hope.

When the BBC Songs of Praise team decides to broadcast a Palm Sunday service from a small idyllic Suffolk village, not everyone is happy. The vicar, Clive, is amiably absent-minded, but his practical wife Helen gets on well with the television team - perhaps a little too well, where the charming, enigmatic Michael is concerned. Charles, the Parish Council chairman, is deeply opposed and resents the enthusiasm of other villagers - including his wife Betty. As the outside broadcast vehicles roll in, the emotional temperature rises...

The country church of St. Stephen's, Dunbridge, under the leadership of the formidable Rev. Margaret Prowse, is getting a new curate. The whole congregation is abuzz as the shy but earnest Neil Fisher arrives to take up his very first post.

Though intimidated by Margaret, he is determined to overcome his shyness and immediately sets out to meet the congregation. As often occurs when a man of the cloth is single, his mission becomes somewhat sidetracked when his attention is first drawn to Ros, the spiky single mum who looks after the vicarage garden, and then commandeered by Wendy, leader of the church music group, who is determined to bag herself a vicar for a husband. And if that isn't enough, he also has to contend with his opinionated mother, who strongly disapproves of her son's vocation.

Featuring a charming mix of colorful characters, Fisher of Men transports readers to the quaint village of Dunbridge where the quiet miracle of life is revealed.

Songs of Praise presenter is back with another thrilling read and an unputdownable series centered on a Victorian church hall and Kath, its brash and inexperienced administrator. There's never a dull moment at Hope Hall. Its rooms are filled throughout the day with gossipy grandmas, body-popping teenagers, and a nursery group where it's the grown-ups who are near to tears! But it's all in a day's work for administrator, Kath, whose job it is to make sure Hope Hall offers something for everyone! As the team works to pull off their ambitious Hope Hall Centenary Easter Monday Fayre, Kath realizes reinforcements are needed. Brash, loud and inexperienced though she may be, Kath has a feeling that Shirley might be just the ticket! The Fayre is a triumph but when Kath's old flame comes back on the scene, she's faced with some tough choices. Will Kath make the right decision?

The words of a favourite hymn can be a lifeline in difficult times, providing an outlet for feelings that may threaten to overwhelm us. Hymns also help us celebrate life - to see joy in the ordinary stuff of the everyday, as well as in those moments when we feel particularly touched by God's love. Pam Rhodes' reflections in this absorbing volume - on subjects such as weariness and comfort, faith and forgiveness, prayer and guidance, community and creation - are given added resonance by the inclusion of background information on the writers of the 160 or so hymns featured. Often poignant, their stories arouse a deeper appreciation of words that have inspired people down the centuries, as well as of the work of new writers, who are expressing the great, eternal truths afresh for us today.

Three groups of people come together for a more-or-less godly cruise around the British Isles: to Lindisfarne, the Loch Ness Monster Museum, Iona and Mull, Dublin and the Scilly Isles. There are familiar faces from St Stephens, Dunbridge; some new folk from Neil's new parish in Derbyshire; and the slightly long-suffering crew, not least her skipper. A cruise is a great place to make new friends, with leisure for decent conversations. It can also be an awkward, confined space with those you would really rather avoid. Some of the party are facing tough decisions - not least of which, whether to say 'yes' - and some tensions just cannot be left on land. This book is a delight: full of compassion, humour, and Pam's acute observations.

In the parish of Dunbridge the news is out: Claire and Neil are engaged! And yet, before the celebrations have really begun, Ben, the father of Claire's son, appears back on the scene. It quickly becomes clear that young Sam is not the only person Ben wants to win back. As Neil reels in the face of Claire's confusion at spending time with her first love, Wendy always seems to be there to provide support and comfort. Little does he know of Wendy's involvement with Ben's reappearance: However, Neil has little chance to ponder his love life as the whole weight of running the church and parish descends upon his inexperienced shoulders. Neil's time as a curate in Dunbridge is coming swiftly to an end. Where should he go next, and who will go with him?

Neil returns from his ordination inspired by his vocation, and determined not to let his love life get in the way. Some might think a man lucky to have two women declaring their love for him, but it's not that straightforward when you're a priest! Neil's second year as curate of St Stephen's, in the small town of Dunbridge, promises to be no quieter than the first.There are joys to be shared, such as the birth of Ellen, a long prayed for baby, and bereavements that shake the community to its core. Neil must continue to step up and shoulder his share of caring for his parish. And of course, there are the women who would take care of him - from his domineering mother, who appears to have moved in, and Wendy, who is sure she should be a vicar's wife, to Claire, who doesn't believe in God, but does believe in Neil. There is much going on below the surface in this seemingly sleepy town.

Pam Rhodes draws together humorous, profound and thought-provoking quotes on the theme of love in all its guises, creating a witty, life-affirming collection.

Pam Rhodes is best known as the familiar face of the BBC's Songs of Praise, and here she brings together her personal selection of carols, poems, Bible readings and other inspirational passages from a wide range of sources. As well as the usual old favourites - from Hark the Herald Angels Sing to the stories of the shepherds and the wise men visiting the baby Jesus - there are plenty of lighter moments, with excerpts from Gervase Phinn's memoirs and funny poems by modern writers. Alongside the items themselves Pam shares some of her own Christmas reminiscences and explores the resonance of the Christmas story for all our lives in her trademark inviting and heartwarming style. There is something here for everyone, from those wanting to enjoy dipping in for a taste of Christmas to those needing a sourcebook to inspire selections for Christmas services. Enjoy!