About Us

St Mary's is a place of prayer, worship, peace, comfort and community. We welcome everyone, of all ages, to come and worship here or simply to enjoy the church in silence and solitude.

We have services and activities to suit all tastes, from traditional Holy Communion services to outdoor church and children's activities. You are very welcome to join us, whether you’re a regular churchgoer or have never been to church before. For details of all this and more, see our website, and if our service times don’t work for you, have a look at the other churches in the area - see our benefice page. The church is open 24/7 for private prayer

If you'd like someone to pray for you, you can send a prayer request to [email protected], marking it confidential if you'd prefer it to remain anonymous. 

There's a voucher-free food bank at the back of the church where anyone struggling to make ends meet can take what they need with no need to register anywhere.St Mary's is a 13th century church which belonged to the Knights Templar until 1312. Look out for the unusual stone rood screen, the sanctuary seat, Norman font, the medieval preaching cross and the grave of St John Kemble, a Roman Catholic martyr put to death in 1679.

Safeguarding: 

We take safeguarding seriously at St Mary's and want to create a safe environment for everyone. We believe that the care and protection of children, young people and vulnerable adults involved in church activities are the responsibility of us all; everyone who participates in the life of St Mary's has a role to play in promoting a safer church for all.

Our Parish Safeguarding Officer is Wendy Price; you can call her (01989 770450) if you have any safeguarding concerns. If you want to speak to someone outside the parish, you can contact the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisor who advises our PSO - this is Carl Steventon (07593 817717).

If a child or adult is in immediate danger of significant or serious harm, please call 999. You can find further information about safeguarding and useful contact details on the Diocesan safeguarding page.