12 Days of Christmas Thank Yous – 7th Day

Posted on by MarkSanderson

#12BigThankYous – 7th Day – To all fundraisers and the finance team

We owe a huge debt of gratitude to Roy Milnes, or amazing treasurer, also to Paul Cummings our Benefice treasurer.

Cameron Hill has taken over from Paul Eward RIP and now diligently and quietly reclaims Gift Aid on as many donations as possible so that our giving brings in 25% more than it otherwise would. We acknowledge Paul’s many years of service and thank Cameron for taking over this job.

Our Fun, Food and Funds group organises all the main fundraising events. Sincere thanks to Rachel Lewis who chairs that group and to Paul, Jane, Janet, Roy, Pat, Fiona, Jean and Sarah. Their work has brought in over £13,000 this year but this has only happened because many have supported their events.

And then there is the whole army of people who make and serve refreshments throughout at special events, monthly for Coffee @ St Mary’s, which has raised about £3000 this year, and Sunday by Sunday after services. We thank them all.

12 Days of Christmas Thank Yous – 5th Day

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8th Day – All who look after and beautify St Mary’s Church

A 740 year old building requires constant attention to keep it in a good state of repair and looking good. This work is ultimately the responsibility of the churchwardens and we say a big thank you to Bryan Jones and Mark Sanderson who have been especially busy during this year with no Rector.

Week by week our voluntary cleaning team meets: Ian, Janet C, Janet N, Jean, Paul, Len, Julian, Sue, John, Avril and Toni.

 Special thanks to Sue and Bryan who are regularly to be found in church at the crack of dawn with a mop. To all who clean brasses and silver.

Thanks too, to all who donate and arrange flowers through the year, coordinated by Sue Jones. Lynn, Lindsay, Margaret, Marilyn, Pam, Viv, Freda, Penny, and Margaret.

Finally to the contractors who have worked in the building this year, especially the team from EG Carter who have constructed the new nave platform, to the amazing Andrew and Jim from APi Communications who have been back again this year working on our AV systems. Dave Blackham has given very freely of his time and resources to help here too. And thanks too to Gary Owens, our organ tuner.

12 Days of Christmas Thank Yous – 12th Day

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#12BigThankYous – 12th Day – To our Ministry Team

We are so lucky to have such a strong and capable ministry team to carry us through the vacancy. Many parishes in such situations have no one; we have a team of six. Thank you to Caroline, Colin, David, Derek, Freda and John.

We thank also our Lay Ministry team: Melanie, Paul, Paul, Janet, Anne, Sue, Helen and Ann. They help to lead worship in church and to visit those who can’t get to church.

During the vacancy our churches are being managed by our Vacancy Management Group (VMG). That is Gay, Murray, Matthew, Bryan and Mark. With the support and help of our Rural Dean, Sheila and Archdeacon, Derek. Thank you.

Thanks to our last Rector, Sean Semple – yes, he was here for the first quarter of the year!  We continue to wish him well in his new role as Bishop of Cyprus and the Gulf.

We greatly look forward to welcoming our new Rector, Kelvin, with his family, at the very end of April. Then an exciting new chapter begins.

Here’s to 2025!

12 Days of Christmas Thank Yous – 5th Day

Posted on by MarkSanderson

5th Day – To all who help us look after our churchyard and the environment.

A big shout out to our wonderful team of Churchyard Angels, who meet on the first Saturday of every month (April – October) to help us keep the church yard tidy.

Thanks also to the Community Payback team who are here every month throughout the year. Also to the army of people who tend graves of loved ones. And thanks to EnviroAbility for their help with wildlife projects and signage. Special thanks to John Setchfield, who manages it spends a good deal of time in the open churchyard, often unnoticed.

We are well supported by our local firms to funeral directors and monumental masons who also take great care of our churchyard. Thanks especially to Abbotsfield, Bevans and to Nigel Cave who is currently repairing, free of charge, a war memorial damage by a falling tree in the recent gales.

Ross  Town Council do a wonderful job of managing the care of the open churchyard and this year used a considerable budget to resurface the very wide path from the Prospect Gates to St Mary’s Hall. Next year they will refurbish the Plague Cross.

Rosie Winyard is our Eco Church and environmental champion. Look out for an extended focus on the Environment in March. We are also grateful to Greg Collier-Jones of Seven Wye Energy Agency who spent some time with us this year looking at ways in which we might work more towards achieving net-zero status, all sponsored by the Church of England.

12 Days of Christmas Thank Yous- 4th Day

Posted on by MarkSanderson

#12BigThankYous – 4th Day – In the Christian calendar, today is Holy Innocents’ Day and we say thank you to all who look after our children and young people.

Sunday Kids: Anne, Helen, Ruth & Katherine.

St Mary’s Youth Choir: Mark, Sammy and Adrian.

Messy Church: Caroline, Anne, Ann, Viv, Ruth, David, Sue, Teresa, Rachel, Jane & Katherine.

GROW Youth Group: Caroline, Fiona, David, Jane & Hannah

Toast & Toddle: Helen, Anne, Gill, Geoff, Melanie, Susan, Helen and Angie.

Open the Book teams: Martin, Fiona, Melvin, Judith, Dorothy, Karen, Alison, Pauline, Helen, Lynne, Leah, Charlotte, Sharn, Paul, Margaret, Janet, Sandra, Ann, Elizabeth & Wendy.

And to Wendy and Murray for hosting Paddle & Praise at their home in Walford.

12 Days of Christmas Thank Yous – 3rd Day

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3rd Day – Our Financial Backers

We owe a debt of gratitude to a number of charities and other organisations that have awarded us grants in the past 12 months.

This year we enlarged and improved the platform at the top of the nave; it’s been of real value over the last few weeks. Thanks to all who helped us to pay for that. The William Allen Young Charitable Trust (£5,000), Herefordshire Historic Churches Trust (£5,000), Edward Cadbury Charitable Trust (£3,000), and Ross-on-Wye Town Council (£1,000). The Friends of St Mary’s (£3,000).

Our LifeLink Chaplain project is being partly funded for three years by The Benefact Trust with a total grant of £27,000 – £9,000 each year.

Ross Town Council has also given us a grants to help with the installation of cameras at the top of the tower so that residents and visitors can view our resident Peregrine Falcons. Also to help make some of our community events work, in particular JK300.

Borders Marches Early Music Forum, the Freemasons of Vitruvian Lodge and Rehau’s in the Community Committee have all generously sponsored our free lunchtime concert series, First Wednesdays @ 1 this year.

12 Days of Christmas Thank Yous – 2nd Day

Posted on by MarkSanderson

We’re using the 12 Days of Christmas to say thank you to some very important people in our church and wider community #12BigThankYous

2nd Day – To all who give us financial support, locally.

Many thanks to all those folk who quietly support us month by month through the Parish Giving Scheme – a tax efficient and easy way to give to St Mary’s and The Friends of St Mary’s. Also to those who are a part of St Mary’s 100 Club.

For the work of The Friends of St. Mary’s Church, Ross on Wye. We’re looking forward to Open Gardens 2025.

Our Fundraising, Fun and Food group (FFF) work hard through the year on all three of those things. Thank you to Rachel, Jean, Paul, Roy, Pat, Janet, Freda and Fiona.

Brampton Abbotts Carol Service

Posted on by MarkSanderson

Brampton Abbotts Church is used just six times a year for services. Monday evening was one of them when the carol service took place.

The local choir, Bramptones, sang Gaudete and that went down a storm. They also sang a few carols at The Green, and a young boy heard ‘Away in a manger’ with 3 part harmony, possibly for the first time sung live. He pronounced it “Awesome!” And asked for an encore.

The service was observed by four wooden angels, behind the altar, which were removed several years ago for building work to be done; they reappeared miraculously on Sunday – no one quite knows how. Perhaps it’s a Christmas miracle. Any ideas?

Could you open your garden in 2025?

Posted on by MarkSanderson

The Friends of St Mary’s are appealing for more gardeners to open their garden on Saturday 31st May and Sunday 1st June as part of Ross Open Gardens. Could this be you, or do you have a neighbour who might help us?

Gardens don’t have to look like Wisley, indeed most visitors prefer small ones with ideas they can take away. Gardens don’t have to be immaculate, in fact this time round we’re teaming up with the Herefordshire Wildlife Trust to feature wildlife gardens also.

Gardeners on the north side of town have been poorly represented over the last few events … St Mary’s Garden Village must have some nicely established gardens by now …

This is one of the big events for the town, and one which raised £9,000 for St Mary’s in 2023. Please think about how you might help it to continue. Please contact us if you can help.

Advent Carol Service

Posted on by MarkSanderson

A magical experience awaits; as the Ross Christmas Fayre ends in town, the tension builds in St Mary’s, at 5.00pm.

The Advent Carol Service is one of the loveliest services of the year: full of growing expectation, wonderful hymns and music, making the most of light and dark from different corners of the building. The service will last about an hour.

You can download the order of service here and bring it on your phone. The service is by candlelight and you’ll find it easier to see.

Advent Carol Service 2024Download

A new Rector for the Ross Parishes

Posted on by MarkSanderson

The Bishop of Hereford is delighted to announce that the Revd Prebendary Kelvin Price has been appointed as Rector of Ross with Walford and Brampton Abbotts.

The licensing service will be held at St Mary’s Ross on Wednesday 30th April at 7pm.

Kelvin comes to us from the north of the diocese and has been in the Ludlow Benefice for the last ten years where he has been Rector since 2016.

As we eagerly await his arrival, we hold Kelvin, Ruth and their family in our prayers as he prepares for this next stage of his ministry, and for the people in the Ludlow Benefice.

Kelvin would like to thank all those involved in the discernment, orientation and interviewing groups that made him feel welcome and encouraged during the two interview days in October.

‘My family and I are very much looking forward to joining you all, and becoming new members of the church body within the Ross Benefice. I am sure together we will achieve great things for Christ and His church. 

There is still much for me to complete here in Ludlow. But for now, please do pray for my family as we begin to turn our sights towards moving. Also, I would appreciate prayers for Ludlow as they focus on their future as well.

April will soon be here, very much looking forward to meeting you all in person then!’

Yours faithfully in Christ,

Kelvin.

Safeguarding Sunday

Posted on by MarkSanderson

Today, Sunday 17th November, is Safeguarding Sunday. In the light of the week that has just past for the Church of England, it feels particularly appropriate to highlight the special nature of today and to assure all of the seriousness we attach to safeguarding in the Ross Parishes.

A statement from The Rt Revd Richard Jackson, Bishop of Hereford following the publication of the Makin report and the resignation of the Archbishop of Canterbury: 

In response to the release of the Makin Report last week, I along with many church leaders’ and others read the report in horror.  I am ashamed and deeply saddened that the Church of England failed the victims, despite the bravery of those who tried to speak out about their abhorrent experiences at the hands of the late John Smyth.   

The abuse that took place is quite simply inexcusable. It is a matter of deepest regret that Smyth might have been brought to justice had appropriate, timely action been taken.  I continue to hold in prayer all who have experienced abuse, sexual assault or violence of any kind.  The report rightly asks us some challenging questions.  I hope that we will embrace the report’s recommendations in full and learn the lessons. Safeguarding must be everyone’s responsibility in the Church.   

That is why I continue to pledge that the Diocese of Hereford will always take safeguarding extremely seriously, we will listen to you, believe you, and ensure that you are supported, if you raise a concern with us. My focus as the diocesan bishop remains making our churches safe and welcoming spaces for all.   

The resignation of Archbishop Justin was a matter of conscience. This is the case for anyone in public life or in a leadership role.  I hope that his stepping aside will allow us to refocus our attention on the support of survivors and victims of abuse and our continuing determination to foster a safe church for everyone.    

I continue to pray for all affected by this report and for the wider church.  

Finding Support

If you or anyone you are in contact with are affected by the publication of this report and want to talk to someone independently please call the Safe Spaces helpline on 0300 303 1056 or visit safespacesenglandandwales.org.uk. 

Alternatively, you may wish to contact the diocesan safeguarding team: safeguarding@hereford.anglican.org or telephone Carl Steventon on 07593817717

Judith Wiggins is our Safeguarding officer in The Ross Parishes and be contacted here

More about safeguarding in the Ross Parishes here

The National Safeguarding Team can be contacted at: safeguarding@churchofengland.org. 

Safeguarding in the Ross Parishes

Judith Wiggins is our Safeguarding officer in The Ross Parishes. We are lucky to have her and she does an amazing job. She can be contacted here

More about safeguarding in the Ross Parishes can be found here.

It is important that all who come to our churches, are safe, and feel safe. We take safeguarding very seriously in the Ross Parishes. 

If anything makes you feel uncomfortable or you think could be improved please tell us.

Evensong for John Kyrle

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St Mary’s occasional choir, Round Byrd, sang Evensong at St Mary’s, Ross, to remember John Kyrle who died 300 years ago. Music was by Henry Purcell, a contemporary of Kyrle. At the end of the service Mr Paul Deneen OBE JP DL laid a wreath over the place where Kyrle was buried in the sanctuary of St Mary’s Church. The service marked the end of a three month celebration of the life of John Kyrle, The Man of Ross.

Ross Remembers 2024

Posted on by MarkSanderson

ROSS REMEMBERS – this weekend. Join us, in St Mary’s, for the final JK300 event on Saturday 9th November at 5.00pm when we have a special short service to commemorate The Man of Ross. We’ll be saying special prayers and laying a floral tribute on his tombstone. More at https://rossparishes.uk/round-byrd. Prior to this the Market House will be officially reopened in town.

Then on Sunday it’s Remembrance, with the usual ceremony on the Prospect, from 10.50am followed by a service in St Mary’s.