I am writing to say Thank You to you and to everyone who supports the work of our five churches across the benefice. Without your help and support it would simply not be possible for the work of our churches to continue and flourish in the way that it does - impacting for good upon the lives of so many people, both those who attend our churches regularly and those who attend occasionally - all who see their parish church as their spiritual home.
Churches are dependent upon the goodwill and energy of volunteers to help keep things running smoothly. This is particularly so when it comes to major festivals and fundraising events. We are blessed with several organists who give many hours of their time in providing inspiring music for our worship. A big Thank You to Beverley Harlow and the Choir at St Mary’s, Walkern who rightly have a renowned reputation for keeping the tradition of liturgical music, including the chanting of psalms, very much alive. Not many country churches can claim to have such s solid music foundation, with robed choir, as we have at St Mary’s. Beverley facilitates the Benefice Choir for our fifth Sunday services too, an added bonus. Another big Thank You to Aimee Lauezzari. Aimee manages always to get the best out of a sometimes-temperamental organ at St Lawrence’s, Ardeley and is much loved by our young peoples’ music group. This group brings a definite sparkle to our monthly Family Services. Thank you too to Barbara Foster at St Peter’s, Benington, to Julius Drake who helps, when possible, at Holy Trinity, Throcking and to Ron Hollings, Richard Reece and Mike Stevens who plug gaps when needed.
Dressing a church with flowers to make it look its best for a major festival is another task that requires much forethought and creativity. Here too across our churches we are blessed with teams of volunteers who never fail to give of their best. A growing trend now includes Remembrance Sunday in which knitted poppies are an increasingly popular symbol, both inside and outside the church, by way of commemoration. Thank You to Rachel Hurst at St Lawrence’s, Mandy Greengrass at St Peter’s, Melanie Shaw at St John the Baptist, Caroline Hollings at St Mary’s – all very gifted and talented flower arrangers. A special Thank You to Sue Jones who delights everyone with knitted soldiers, sailors and airmen on Remembrance Sunday at St Lawrence’s.
Flowers lead the way at St Peter’s when it comes to fundraising. The annual Flower Festival, ably led by Dorothy Tulloch with a magnificent team of dedicated helpers, is a highlight of the calendar year. Fundraising across all our churches remains a vital part of keeping our churches’ doors open and pastoral ministry intact. A Big Thank You to everyone who gives so much time and energy to these events; they raise not only much needed funds but are equally important in bringing our communities together - to play together and to celebrate together – such community cohesion and the vital part played by our churches in facilitating this should not be taken for granted. Important too that the ‘fun’ in fundraising should not be forgotten!
Each year the Diocese asks each of our churches to contribute a certain amount towards the budget that enables the Diocese to function. Most years the amount requested increases but not so for 2026. All churches across the Diocese are in fact being asked to contribute less, a consequence of good returns on investments and more support being offered from the Church Commissioners. In 2026 requested contributions are as follows (figures for 2025 are shown in brackets): Ardeley - £17266 (£17 706), Benington - £17 981 (£18 632), Cottered - £11 374 (£11 760) and Walkern - £26 996 (£27 427). Throcking is unable to contribute and is supported by the other churches in the benefice. These amounts will still be a challenge to raise, and not all of our churches will reach their target, nevertheless a reduction in the requests is welcome. Again, a Big Thank You to everyone who donates money to help keep us on the road. A new feature in our churches this year is the introduction of static card readers, giving opportunities for those who don’t carry cash to be able to donate.
A Big Thank You to Jim Davies who steps down as treasurer at St Peter’s after several years of diligence and sound advice in helping to manage the PCC’s funds. And welcome to Hetta Chase who steps in to take up the reins and continue the good work moving forwards.
An often unseen piece of work undertaken by the local church is dealing with numerous queries by those researching family trees and wanting to locate graves of past relatives. This can be a time-consuming business and often means dealing with requests from overseas. A Big Thank You to Eleanor Waldock at St Mary’s and to Len Little at St Lawrence’s for taking on this responsibility. If you have a request in this regard do please get in touch and we will do our best to help.
2026 will see St Mary’s Church being left open at weekends. This follows on from Holy Trinity at Throcking being open at weekends in the summer months. The logistics for this at Walkern are still being worked out but it will be a new opportunity for local people, walkers and other pilgrims to be able to pop into the church and discover this ecclesiastical gem. St Lawrence’s, Ardeley is open at weekends too, as is St John the Baptist in Cottered. Enjoy the tour!
If you think the Church can be of any help to you,
don’t hesitate to be in touch.
God Bless, Mark