St Mary’s Church from the Glebe Photograph by Becky Feather
Future
There has been a church on this site in Bitton for well over a thousand years. Even today some parts of the present day walls date from the time of the Anglo-Saxons. The buildings, its treasures and objects left behind by many generations, form part of the rich story of church and village life over the past two millennia.
But what of its future?
The cost of upkeep of this important grade 1 listed building is expensive. It has been well looked after in recent years, but its future is not certain. At present it relies on the generosity of the few, but its future funding is unclear.
St Mary’s church has a future if we act now and make teh changes that will help to attract greater use by teh community and expand its congregation, providing a use and an income stream for its future.
Our ambition is to make St Mary’s a place that everyone will feel comfortable to use. A welcoming place; a place for reflection, worship and even pilgrimage; a place to attend meetings, plays and shows; a place you can hire for an event with the assurance that it can provide an acceptable level of hospitality and comfort.
A place that we all want to visit and use. A place of heritage, where the stories of people who have lived in our village can be told.
Our Development Plan
The plans for St Mary’s future have been coming together for some years. We would all like things to move more quickly, but with such an ancient and important building we need to take care to make the right changes and ensure that consultation and permissions have been granted – and to raise the necessary funds.
Physical Changes
- We have already undertaken work on our pews so that they can be moved around creating more flexibility in church use.
- The walls of the nave have been cleaned, as have the windows. Years of grime, soot and harmful pollution have been removed creating a cleaner fresher interior.
- We have permission to install infra-red heaters in the chapel, reducing our carbon footprint.
- We are carefully looking at options for the use of solar panels to help us move towards net zero.
- As soon as we can raise the funds we will seek to install a new floor providing greater accessibility and making room for new heating arrangements; and, as we do so-
- Update our utilities, including sound, vision and lighting.
Heritage & Community
In addition to the physical improvements we are:
- Increasing our presence online and on social media through this website and through Facebook
- Facilitating more events and usage of both the church and church hall that enable the community to make better use of the spaces:
- Through concerts and musical events;
- A monthly Village Coffee Morning;
- Science events for children
- Building on and celebrating the rich history and heritage of the church and its place in the local community:
- With Bitton History Group all burial records and information on gravestones have been placed online.
- We have run two major events: the Ellacombe Chimes Celebration in 2021 and the Ellacombe 200 Event in 2022, celebrating the life of our famous gardening vicar Canon Ellacombe;
- Provided a History of St Mary’s through 20 Objects with audio descriptions and stories about each – accessible through a smartphone;
- Joined the Small Pilgrimage Places Network to encourage more visitors.
Worship
We have a growing new expression in Family Café Church which takes place on the fourth Sunday of the month aimed at families with younger age children.
Future
In the much longer term we are looking to build new facilities on the south side of the church to include new lavatories, a kitchen and storage.
Pew changes
The church pews have been made mobile by the fitting of retractable wheels. The individually carved ends of the pews, made in Bitton, have been retained and the seats made more comfortable.
Wall Cleaning
The walls of the nave were cleaned using a latex system similar to that used to clean the walls of Notre Dame de Paris. The result is a much brighter look.
Family Café Church
Hard hats are not compulsory at Family Café Church, but having an enjoyable time is. There is a free breakfast, a story and activities.
Ellacombe 200 Exhibition 2022 – Opened by Stephanie Cole OBE
In 2022, we celebrated the bicentenary of the birth our former vicar and famous horticulturalist, Cannon Henry Nicholson Ellacombe. The exhibition, which ran for the whole of the summer, was intended both as a celebration of our rich heritage and as a fundraiser for our development plans.
Can you help?
There are many ways in which you can help but the most valuable is also the cheapest.
Most of the money for these changes will come from large donors – trust funds, special charities etc and we have already had some success in raising funds. As an ancient building, with grade 1 listed status and a clear plan for the future, we have a good chance of success — but it is competitive. Organisations receive many requests for grants, and most are turned down.
One of the things that funders look for is community support. That’s where you can really help by showing your support and signing up as a supporter. It costs you nothing but is worth a lot.
Please scroll down to the box below and sign up today – if you can encourage other people, particularly this in your household to sign up, that is a real bonus.
Of course, if you would like to make a donation, please do. Every penny counts and is most gratefully received.
Become a Supporter
Please show your interest in the church’s future. It is the most valuable gift you can make.
Our Development Appeal
What we have raised and how more funds can be raised.
More Detail
More information about our development plans and progress.