Providing a welcome for church visitors

Over the coming months, into next year and beyond, the people of St Mary’s are looking at ways they can keep the church open to all for longer periods of time.

“These are exciting times,” said Arnold Ellis, verger of St Mary’s.

“The church is growing and more people come along for coffee, chat and comfort.

“We are also hosting some fantastic festivals like, the Christmas Tree Festival and the Arts and Music Festival, which are really putting the church on the map.

“We have a wonderful group of volunteers who already generously give their time to welcome people who visit, but if we want to open longer we need more volunteers to come forward and help us achieve this ambition.”

This Saturday, October 22, the church is hosting a Welcome All event from 10am to 4pm.

Run by the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, the fun course is a perfect introduction to people who are interested in getting involved in the local community and promoting their town to others.

“St. Mary’s is a beautiful building and we would like to encourage more people in the town who are proud of it, to show it off to visitors and to share its warmth and friendship,”added Mr Ellis.

“If you are interested in learning more about how you can become involved please come along on the 22nd, listen to our speaker, share our lunch, join in the activities and chat with our established stewards.”

Call the church office on 01507 525600 for more details.