Welcome to the website of the Gayton, Grimston, Great Massingham and District Benefice.
Whether you are a long-standing member of one of our congregations, a visitor to our villages, or simply someone exploring faith for the first time, I am delighted that you have found your way here. Our benefice is a group of rural churches rooted in beautiful West Norfolk villages, each with its own history, character, and story to tell, yet united by a shared desire to follow Christ and serve our communities with generosity and hope.
The Gayton, Grimston, Great Massingham and District Benefice covers Gayton, Gayton Thorpe, Grimston, Great and Little Massingham, East Walton, Ashwicken with Leziate and Bawsey, Congham, Roydon and Harpley all in North West Norfolk. Our churches are places of worship, welcome, and encounter. They are spaces for prayer and reflection, for celebration and for sorrow, for marking life’s great moments and for discovering God’s presence in the everyday. You will find people here who are very different from one another, but who are joined by a commitment to hospitality, kindness, and the good news of Jesus Christ.
This website offers details of services, events, and village life across the benefice, but it can only ever give a glimpse of what really matters: the people. I warmly invite you to come and join us in person—whether for a service, a community event, or simply a quiet moment in one of our churches.
You will be very welcome.
With every blessing, Revd Joshua Whitnall Rector, Gayton, Grimston, Great Massingham and District Benefice
Join Bill Lewis and family in East Walton at a lambing yard open day, with talks from Bill at 12pm and 2pm followed by a blessing of the new year's lambs.
Lambing Yard Open Day
15 Feb 2026, 11 a.m. for 5 hours
Lambing Yard Open Day
15 Feb 2026, 11 a.m. for 5 hours
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Our Benefice is committed to safeguarding children, young people and adults from harm. We follow the House of Bishops guidance and policies and have our own Parish Safeguarding Officer (PSO). Our Diocese’s safeguarding pages contain vital links and information including contacts for the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisor who advises our PSO. If you are concerned that a child or adult has been harmed or may be at risk of harm please contact the PSO or the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisor. If you have immediate concerns about the safety of someone, please contact the police and your local authority’s children or adult social care services.
