Author: MarkSanderson

Join us on Saturday, 1st November for a service sung by St Mary’s occasional choir, Round Byrd. Music by 20th century composers and including William Harris’s masterpiece, Faire is the Heaven.

The service starts at 5pm and will last about 45 minutes.

There are many services on offer for you over the course of the Remembrance season in The Ross Parishes. They are:

What will happen on Remembrance Sunday in Ross?

The parade steps off from Old Maid’s Walk Police Station – all Serving Personnel and Veterans are invited to form up at the Police Station by 10.00. To be followed by Act of Commemoration and Wreath Laying at the War Memorial on The Prospect at 10.50 am and ecumenical Remembrance Day Service at St Mary’s at 11.15 am. Refreshments will be served following the Service. 

We look forward to seeing you.

Booking (free) is now available for this.

Please book in to help us with arrangements.

Nathaniel Morgan was an important figure in Ross in the first half of the 19th Century. 2025 marks the 250th anniversary of his birth. To mark that, Ross Civic Society and Virginia Morgan (no relation) have created a small exhibition that you’ll find at the back of Ross Church until 6th November.

You can learn even more by downloading Virginia’s Pink Publication (number 7) from the Ross Civic Society website. https://rosscivic.org.uk/publications

Tomorrow (Wednesday 1st October) we welcome back Ruth Cartledge for our next First Wednesday @ 1 free recital. The concert will last about 45 minutes.

We look forward to seeing you.

Do you know a child who likes to sing, who perhaps enjoys a bit of drama? Then please encourage them to come along on Saturday 27th September at 2pm, to St Mary’s Church in Ross-on-Wye, where we’re running a Taster Day for children aged 7 or older who might like to join our vibrant Youth Choir.

More information at https://rossparishes.uk/youth-choir

Do you know a child who likes to sing, who perhaps enjoys a bit of drama? Then please encourage them to come along on Saturday 27th September at 2pm, to St Mary’s Church in Ross-on-Wye, where we’re running a Taster Day for children aged 7 or older who might like to join our vibrant Youth Choir.

More information at https://rossparishes.uk/youth-choir

This weekend is your last chance to come and enjoy the wonderful experience that is h.Art @ St Mary’s. 16 artists all under one glorious roof with great food available all weekend. A great space to unwind. Come along and see us.

While you’re in town don’t miss the other venues in Ross. Full details at https://h-art.org.uk

There are a few more workshops this weekend –

• Mary Deaville – Resin dip flowers – Saturday 13th at 2pm
• Vanessa Rhead – making water colour card – Sunday 14th at 2pm

Full details of workshops and booking at https://rossparishes.uk/h-art

We’re open 10am – 5pm on Saturday and 11am-5pm on Sunday.

Nina Oakman is running a glass designing workshop at 2.00pm.

Full details and booking is at https://rossparishes.uk/h-art

The food is attracting many compliments at h.Art @ St Mary’s. The splendid work of our 16 artists makes St Mary’s a great place to be this week. Why not join us for lunch?

Nina Oakman is running a glass designing workshop at 2.00pm.

Full details and booking is at https://rossparishes.uk/h-art

h.Art is in full swing at St Mary’s, in Ross. Delicious homemade refreshments are on sale throughout the week. Why not pop in for coffee, lunch or tea?

Today (Wednesday 10th) at 10.30am you can take part in an Organic Sculpting workshop with Wendy Healey or at 2.30, design water colour cards and bookmarks with Vanessa Rhead.

Full details and booking is at https://rossparishes.uk/h-art

Do you know a child who likes to sing, who perhaps enjoys a bit of drama? Then please encourage them to come along on Saturday 27th September at 2pm, to St Mary’s Church in Ross-on-Wye, where we’re running a Taster Day for children aged 7 or older who might like to join our vibrant Youth Choir.

More information at https://rossparishes.uk/youth-choir

h.Art is in full swing at St Mary’s, in Ross. Delicious homemade refreshments are on sale throughout the week. Why not pop in for coffee, lunch or tea?

Today (Tuesday 9th) at 10.30am you can design a small stained glass panel with glassmaker Nina Oakman. or at 2.30, with Vanessa Rhead you can create beautiful cards and bookmarks.

Full details and booking is at https://rossparishes.uk/h-art

h.Art is in full swing at St Mary’s, in Ross. Delicious homemade refreshments are on sale throughout the week. Why not pop in for lunch?

Today (Monday 8th) at 10.30am and 2.00pm Karen Tacey will be giving a demonstration of pottery throwing (on the potter’s wheel – not around the church!) There’s no need to book for this demonstration, just come along to church and grab a cup of coffee (with free refills if you wish) and a delicious piece of cake.

Join us on Sunday 7th September 6.00pm for a celebratory service for our patronal festival. The choir’s back, special music, cake and fizz! 

h.Art & St Mary’s is well and truly open. After a vibrant preview evening on Friday the annual exhibition and art sale is now open every day from 10am to 5pm Saturday 6th to Sunday 14th September.

Homemade refreshments are ongoing throughout the week. Come and see us.

On Sunday 7th September 6.00pm – Join us for a celebratory service for our patronal festival. The choir’s back, special music, cake and fizz! 

Following a visit from steeplejacks and a structural engineer in August 2025, we know that we have three failed pinnacles. These are the one closest to the Phoenix Theatre and the one on either side of it.

The top five or six stones on each pinnacle are loose, though the rod is holding them in place. We are still at a very early stage in diagnosing the problem, until we know that we can’t provide or cost a solution, or apply for funding to carry it out. This problem has occured before; we need to ensure that it is fixed properly this time, and for the long term. We have a team in place (architect, structural engineer and steeplejacks). They are work hard for us.

The short film below shows the scale of the problem.

There are also structural problems with the very top of the spire, which will also need to be dismantled and rebuilt.

For safety reasons we ask you to avoid this area of the churchyard, and the path by the tower has now been completely closed. We ask everyone to try to get into the habit of using the path around the east end of the church instead.

Please note also that there is now no parking in the churchyard.

We have now have level access into the church via a ramp at the Church Street end of the church. Please come into the churchyard through the gate at Old Maids Walk and follow the path along the wall to the ramp.

We will post more here as we have it.

Thank you for your understanding.

Here’s something new to St Mary’s for the Autumn.

Join us on Saturday 18th October for a fun evening with The Dancing Mister. Step back in time as Tim Walker brings to life the vibrant dances of Medieval Europe.

Tickets are just £10 (£2 for children) in advance (£12 on the night) A bargain!

For our next FREE Conversation over Lunch, on Wednesday 20th August at 1pm, we welcome the acclaimed author Sarah Dunant. Sarah will be in conversation with our very own Rustie Baker. The discussion will centre around her latest book “The Marchesa” – A bold novel history of ‘the first lady of the Renaissance’

Copies of the book will be available to purchase at the talk, signed by Sarah. We look forward to seeing you there. As always, please feel free to bring along your lunch.

‘An utterly fascinating portrayal of a formidable and brilliant woman wielding power in the complex turmoil of the political landscape of Renaissance Italy – a woman who is irrepressible even in death.’
Jennifer Saint, Sunday Times bestselling author of Ariadne and Hera