One of the most historic churches in the country dating back to Anglo Saxon times, St Oswald’s Church, Winwick, will give a warm welcome to its newly appointed priest in charge, the Reverend Martin Cox, at the end of February.Mr Cox will also be welcomed by parishioners as the new rector of both Newchurch parish church, Culcheth and Christ Church, Croft.All three churches have been without a minister for several years - St Oswald’s Winwick, for nearly three years and Croft and Newchurch for five years.Mr Cox’s appointment will be celebrated at a collation service at Newchurch on February 28 by Bishop John, the Bishop of Liverpool. Congregations from the three churches will be in attendance.Mr Cox was born in North Staffordshire and worked for Staffordshire County Council as a social services manager before being ordained. He has been the team rector of three churches at Astley, Tyldesley and Mosley Common for the past eight years. He and his wife Heather, a school administrator, have two daughters, Amy and Natalie and six grandchildren. Mr Cox enjoys cooking and open water swimming and he and Heather are musical theatre and travel enthusiasts.He said: “We are delighted to come to the three parishes and to our new home at the Newchurch rectory in Culcheth. We are very much looking forward to this fresh chapter in our lives. One of my main aims will be to make this a sustainable ministry and to be both approachable and available to all my parishioners. I hope to meet as many people as possible at the collation service in February.”John Watkin, church warden at St Oswald’s Winwick, said: “We whole heartedly welcome Martin and Heather to our parish. We have not had a minister for nearly three years and during that time the Church Council and our congregation have faced many financial and operational challenges. The church building itself had to be closed for a lengthy period due to a huge reroofing project followed by a complete failure of the heating system. In the meanwhile we have been working closely together with Newchurch and Christ Church by having a rota of combined services at each of the parish churches in turn, and offering support to each other. With Rev Cox’s guidance and effort, we can now look forward to progressing from strength to strength.”Warrington Guardian 25/01/2024
by James BalmeHISTORIC St Oswald’s Church at Winwick provided the backdrop for rising stars ‘Gustaffson’ as they recorded their latest video for the upcoming release of their new single.Gustaffson was formed by former Great Sankey High School student, singer & songwriter Andrew Gower, in 2020 with lifelong friend and guitarist James Webster.Along with band members Dave Gleave (bass), Graham Bennett (drums) and Liam Morson (keys) Gustaffson are truly rising stars and there is no doubt in my mind that they are heading right to the top.Lead singer Andrew is best known for his work as an actor in TV, Film and Theatre. Starring in hit shows such as Black Mirror, Outlander, and Carnival Row. His voice as a singer is incredible and his vocal range is simply incredible!!!In August 2023 the band released their latest track ‘CHAMPAGNE SOCIALIST’ recorded live on the Liverpool Empire stage.It’s received rave reviews from BBC Introducing, The Book of Man, Louder Than War, Liverpool Noise, Upcoming Bands and Uncover and pays homage to past performances in the same theatre by acts such as; The Beatles, The Rolling Stones & Chuck Berry.Gustaffson are certainly a band to watch out for as they rise to new heights in 2024 and beyond and I for one am waiting with bated breath for the release of their first album in the coming months !Published by Warrington Worldwide- October 2023
September 2023The Archdeacon of St Helen’s and Warrington recently made this announcement:-"I’m really pleased to commend the Revd Martin Cox to you as the next Rector of Newchurch and Croft and Priest-in-Charge of Winwick. Martin will be joining us from Manchester Diocese where he is currently Team Rector of Astley, Tyldesely and Mossley Common. Martin will bring with him a wealth of experience in ministry and in leading a team of churches and ministers. He will be a real blessing to us here. We look forward to welcoming Martin and his wife Heather to Winwick, Newchurch and Croft. A date for Martin’s arrival has yet to be arranged and will be announced as soon as possible.”Please hold Rev Martin and his wife Heather in your prayers as they plan their move to our parishes.A message from Revd Martin:“Dear friends in Christ, Heather and I send you our warmest greetings as my appointment is announced in the parishes. We are thrilled to be moving the short distance across the diocesan border to join you. We look forward to getting to know you and to serving our Lord with you in the months and years ahead. Revd Martin Cox”
THE early autumn sunshine welcomed hundreds of visitors to the first day of a heritage weekend at St Oswald’s Church in Winwick, today Saturday, September 9 with a repeat showing on Sunday. Opened by the Bishop of Warrington, the Venerable Beverley Mason, the event began with the unveiling of a fabulous artwork painted by the children of Winwick CE Primary St school in celebration of it’s close connection with the ancient church. A fantastic display of Titanic memorabilia marking the church’s links with the Captain of the famous Red Star liner was on show and members of the Titanic Society are on hand all weekend to answers questions and show off their incredible collections.Elsewhere in and around the grounds, children are invited to complete a treasure hunt style quiz searching for the many historical dates and artefacts that have built up over the ages ever since the church was documented in the doomsday book. A wonderful display of artwork by 1st Winwick Brownies (Girlguiding Croft District) is on show and visitors have been given rare access to the Gerard Chapel with its own museum, the Legh Chapel with its many interesting features including unique brass rubbings and the beautiful chancel which was designed by Augustus Pugin, who also designed the interior of the Palace of Westminster. To top everything off there is an exhibit of religious artefacts collected by James Balme, History Columnist for Cheshire Life Magazine.https://www.warrington-worldwide.co.uk/author/gary/
