www.stmarysbostonspa.org.uk

Parish of Lower Wharfe

@stmarysbostonspa

Benefice of Bramham

Parish Profile

comprising

Parish of Lower Wharfe

& Parish of

Thorp Arch

Parish of Lower Wharfe:

St Mary’s, Boston Spa St Peter’s, Walton

All Saints’, Bramham

&

Parish of Thorp Arch:

All Saints’, Thorp Arch

November 2017

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Introduction

TITLE

Introduction

The Diocese

The Deanery of New Ainsty

Our Vision For The Future

St Mary’s Church, Boston Spa

All Saints’ Church, Bramham

St Peter’s Church, Walton

All Saints’ Church, Thorp Arch

Our Schools

Children and Young People

Our Worship

Our Resources

Our Administrator

The Vicarage

Where We Are

About The Area

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Welcome to the Benefice of Bramham. This profile has been prepared by a group of parishioners to introduce you to our four churches, our friendly village communities and the surrounding area. Whilst each church has its own unique character, all are committed to working together to further God’s vision and embrace the process of change which will enable our churches to grow in faith and in numbers. We entered our vacancy period in July 2017. Our curate and assistant curate cover the majority of our formal services at present, with help where required from our regular supply clergy. As a Benefice our occasional offices keep us busy too. In 2016 we held fourteen weddings, forty-eight baptisms and thirty-five funerals. We are fortunate to be located in a beautiful area of Yorkshire, close to many amenities, but, more important than this, we are a friendly community which is eager to welcome a new incumbent.

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The Diocese

From the Bishop of Selby Thank-you for your interest in the post of Priest-in-Charge of the Benefice of Bramham. If you are looking for a challenging adventure with God in an exciting and stretching benefice and at a strategic time in the life of this Diocese, then this may be the role for you. It combines the opportunities and challenges of urban and rural mission in a benefice with a diverse social mix and age profile. If you apply and are appointed we will support you as you explore these and join with us in God’s mission to this Diocese. The Diocese is going through a time of change as we discern the next stage in this mission faithful to the vision of becoming generous churches, making and nurturing disciples who are growing in Christlikeness, commitment, partnership, influence and numbers. In particular this will involve focussing our energies on reaching those we don’t yet reach particularly the 20s to 40s and people in poverty, on numerical growth and on establishing sustainable finances. A major challenge of this role will be to contextualise these goals within this benefice. This will require a prayerful, compassionate and collaborative ministry which enables each church in the benefice to share in the journey together. In addition the Archbishop is committed to a pattern of weekly worship each Sunday in every church in the Diocese and to united parishes. Developing ministry and simplifying governance are therefore key to realising these aspirations. What makes this an exciting though challenging role are the parishes. Having taken part in the Diocesan Conference Leading your Church into Growth they recognise the need for embracing new challenges under good leadership. This post also represents an opportunity to work with Chapter colleagues and the Deanery Leadership Team to establish the Developing our Deaneries agenda as well as join us in prayerfully executing the emerging Diocesan Strategy focussed on the three goals: Reach, Grow, Sustain. The details of the appointment are in the Profile below. May the Spirit guide you as prayerfully you consider whether to apply for this post.

+John Selby

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The Deanery Of New Ainsty

A re you looking for an exciting challenge? The Deanery of New Ainsty is a network of 29 churches to the South West of York, working to inspire local folk with the Good News. The Deanery is predominantly rural in character but some of the villages are more suburban in nature and the largest centre is Tadcaster home

to three large breweries. The Deanery is also home to a trading estate which includes a prison and the British Library, on the former Royal Ordinance Factory site which closed in 1957. Churches are grouped together some in united parishes and benefices others held in plurality. While the parish clergy are few in numbers we benefit from a good number of Licenced Readers, active retired clergy and lay leaders, many of whom operate across the Deanery. Every church community is unique, and recognising this as we work together enables us to identify and use each other’s gifts to enhance our ministry. The clergy and readers meet together regularly as a Chapter to support each other in ministry, sharing in each other’s joys and challenges and hold an annual 24 hour retreat, to get away from the coal face and relax in each other’s company deepening our understanding of ministry.

It is an exciting time to be part of a Deanery in the Diocese of York as we go through a period of reimaging Deaneries as being local networks of churches, inspiring, influencing and leading mission and ministry. Together with our congregations we are working to a Deanery plan which seeks to see mutual resourcing across the parishes in all areas. The plan is regularly revised to reflect the Spirit’s leading of the Deanery as a whole. We are always supportive of each parish and lay leaders and as part of the Deanery no-one is left to feel alone, welcoming contributions from all. We share a wide variety of gifts and talents, among both lay and ordained to see God’s kingdom flourish in our small corner of His creation.

We are currently transitioning to having a Deanery Leadership Team made up of the Area Dean, Lay Dean and representatives with different gifts from across the Deanery which we hope will have a strong emphasis on mission and discipleship. Would you like to be part of our deanery? The Benefice of Bramham makes an important contribution to the Deanery of New Ainsty as a whole. We look forward to you joining us as we strive to serve our local communities and lead in mission. The Revd Geoff Mumford, Area Dean of New Ainsty

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Our Vision For The Future

Having participated in the York Diocese LYCIG (Leading Your Church into Growth) programme, as a Benefice we are now working through the LYCIG Local process. Although this consultation is well underway, we are looking for an energetic leader to guide, support and encourage us through the change process, and have already identified these key areas to focus on:

Help us to achieve

spiritual growth and develop our

prayer life

Bring fresh experience and ideas to help us

reach out to everyone

Guide, support and encourage us through our

active LYCIG programme

Continue the pastoral care

work across our four villages

Harness skills, talents and

enthusiasm of our congregations for God’s glory

Ensure a sustainable future for the churches in the

Bramham Benefice

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Mission activities

We consider that our mission activities and achievements are:

Strong Mothers’ Union branch which runs St Mary’s Ark (a group for parents/carers and toddlers) and a Justice and Peace group

Active social committee arranging successful community and fundraising events throughout the year, such as Concerts, BBQ’s, Quiz Nights and the recent Knitted Bible visit

Open Day during the Boston Spa Festival weekend

Two subsidiary funds - Youth Work and Organ Fund – with balances covering up to three years’ expenditure

Our Planned Giving scheme has 116 members

Opportunities for the future

In addition to the Benefice-wide challenges for all our churches, particular challenges for St Mary’s include :

Reversing the decline in Sunday Worship, particularly engaging with those in the 18-40 age range Providing a variety of services to widen our appeal - considering style, music, lay involvement

Improving our visibility in the community

About us

Originally completed in 1814, but gradually extended, St Mary’s stands in a prime position on Boston Spa High Street. The building is flexible but has lost none of its character as a place of worship. All main services are conducted from a nave altar and the large chancel area is used for smaller services. There is a small Lady Chapel and a crèche area, and the church is equipped with a projector and screen; the organ was recently refurbished.

The main location for other activities is St Mary’s Room, which has a modern kitchen, toilet facilities and hosts meetings and social events.

Boston Spa dates from the 18th Century and has gradually expanded in the last forty years. Although there are pockets of hardship, this is a relatively affluent area, well served by small shops, cafes, restaurants and bars. Along with the library these have created a lively and sociable village.

Martin House Children’s Hospice is also located in Boston Spa. There’s a wide range of village organisations, a doctor’s surgery, a busy village hall and community café.

Village Population

5,000

St Mary’s, Boston Spa

Church Electoral Roll

177

Free Will Giving

£72,500

Weekly Church

Attendance 70-80

Church Capacity

300

Annual Income

£129,000

Our Churches

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Our Churches

All Saints’, Bramham

Mission Activities Establishing a group for parents and young children and making children central to the family service. Inviting the local community to a variety of events in the Church and the Churchyard Providing a confidential listening service in Church every month. Introducing a Celtic Communion Service to provide a different service style Strengthening links with the local primary School

Opportunities for the future Establishing a regular lay led service Establishing stronger links with children and young people There is no doubt that the Church and Churchyard are valued by the people of Bramham as evidenced by their generous support in terms of time and money, but there is recognition amongst the regular congregation that we need to think creatively about ways in which the Church can engage in the spiritual as well as cultural life of the people in the village.

Bramham is an ancient settlement which has become a ‘young’ village in terms of its population and there are great possibilities for Church growth in this community. All Saints’ Church stands in the centre of the village of Bramham, opposite the Village Hall. There has been a church on this site since 915 and parts of the present stone building date from 1150. The Church stands in a rare example of an oval shaped Anglo-Saxon Churchyard

Bramham has grown up around its historic centre and now contains over 780 households, many of which are young families. There is a Medical Centre, a village shop/post office, two pubs, a recreation ground with a sports pavil-ion, a children’s’ playground, a senior citizens centre, a community garden, two sets of allotments, a primary school and a village hall, which is used daily for a variety of sporting, social and cultural activities.

Annual Income £30,500

Church Capacity

250

Weekly Church Attendance

25-40

Church Electoral Roll

45

Village Population

1,650

Free Will Giving

£16,300

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Our Churches

St Peter’s, Walton

Mission Our Mission is to share our faith in God by engaging with and encouraging new and regular worshippers through prayer and action to promote growth.

About Us Walton is small but like so many things which are undersized in many ways it punches above its weight and has a wonderful community spirit which reaches out with a Welcome Pack to all new arrivals in the village. Attendance numbers fluctuate as ever, some are disappointingly low, at other times we fill the pews with nodding heads and smiles of recognition.

At festival times, the old walls quiver in approval; with the swelling volume of voices led

by our excellent organist, and Waltonians still insist there is still nowhere else to be

married or baptized nor do their relatives wish them to be buried anywhere else.

We have a lovely and well used Village Hall. The beautiful Walton Park Cricket Ground behind the church, with its flourishing junior section competing at Under9’s, Under 11’s, Under 15’s and Under 18’s In the Wetherby League, and the superb Fox and Hounds pub.

Why us you might ponder? We want you to see, as we know for certain that Walton, small as it is, has a value within the Diocese and can make a very real contribution to the spirit which it abounds in this region. Despite being the smallest Church, in the smallest village, with the least income we

have struggled and yet succeeded in regular charitable giving to The Church Urban

Fund and the Mampong Diocese Trust Fund in Ghana.

Opportunities for the Future Our particular challenges include reversing the decline in our church goers and income and maintaining the fabric

of our church through planned fund raising. Reaching out into the local community and getting their involvement

and support in our church activities and events.

Annual Income £13,600

Church Capacity

82

Weekly Church Attendance

12

Church Electoral Roll

46

Village Population

225

Free Will Giving £6600

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Our Churches

All Saints’, Thorp Arch

Mission Activities Growing regular Church attendance

Increasing our Free Will Giving annually

Supporting our community - individually and collectively

Leading community-wide projects involving multiple voluntary groups

Opportunities for the Future Engaging better with the expanding new community

in the Woodlands area

Working closer with Lady Elizabeth Hastings School including reinstating its use as a village hall

About Us For many decades the population of Thorp Arch was

around 400, with All Saints’ Church standing slightly east of the village and surrounded by fields. Since 2000 the new

Woodlands housing development half a mile north has doubled the population, many being young families with

children, with further growth expected. Also within the parish is Thorp Arch Trading Estate, formerly a WW2

munitions factory and now with over 100 businesses, and HMP Wealstun

with 800 or so inmates. In the centre of the village is Lady Elizabeth Has-

tings (LEH) Church of England Primary School, a tennis club, Thorp Arch

and Boston Spa Cricket Club and the popular Pax Inn.

All Saints’ Church has had stable levels of attendance at Sunday Morning

Worship for the last 10 years, providing a solid base for growth. We have

well-supported spring and harvest suppers and an annual BBQ. Arts

events such as visiting choirs, talks, craft festival, concerts – the ‘This Village

Has Great Young Musical Talent’ concert was spectacular - all bring the community together and have helped to

fund the Church’s new toilet and kitchenette, new heating and new sound system.

Until recently, the LEH school doubled as the village hall. Disappointingly, at a time when the parish is expanding fast,

the relationship between school and community has become more distant and use as a village hall withdrawn. In

2004, the five local parishes – Bramham, Clifford, Boston Spa, Thorp Arch, Walton – discussed possible rationalisation.

Thorp Arch decided to remain a separate parish within the Benefice, Clifford decided to remain a separate parish

outside the Benefice, and the other three combined to form the Lower Wharfe Parish.

Weekly Church Attendance

20-25

Village Population

800

Free Will Giving £8,800

Annual Income £21,000

Church Capacity

125

Church Electoral Roll

50

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Children and Young People

Our Children and Youth Work

The Benefice has employed a part-time Children’s and Youth Work Coordinator for over 10 years and in that time we have achieved some great things! The aim of all of our work is to introduce children and young people to the Gospel, and support them on their faith journey, whilst having great fun too. Holiday Club is the highlight of our Children’s and Youth

work every year! Our Holiday Club week is now in its 12th

Year and is always held in late July at St Mary’s . We wel-

come around 100 children for a whole week of faith and

fun during the summer holidays. We have around 40 vol-

unteers who make the whole week possible.

Discoverers is an after school club run twice monthly at St Mary’s School with around 20 children. We learn about stories from the Bible and usually have games, a craft and discussion time too.

X-Odus – meets twice a month for young people aged 11-13 and offers a transition from primary to secondary school. We enjoy quizzes, cooking, games, music and drama and lead the Holiday Club drama.

Holy Mackerel is an active fortnightly group for young people 14-18. We enjoy lots of chill out time, plus some really good discussions about topics in the news. There is always a short reflection time too. Holy Mackerel+ - we run this informal group run to keep in touch with HM members as they leave for college / university. We all meet up when they are back in the parish at holiday times. St Mary’ s Ark is a fun afternoon of play and activities for Babies & Toddlers and their carers followed by a short service. St Mary’s Ark takes place on a fortnight and is regularly attended by 15+ parents and their babies.

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Our Schools

In our Benefice we have four Primary Schools, one Secondary school, and two schools for Children with Special Educational Needs, with over 2,000 pupils between them. We work closely with all of the Primary schools, with Clergy visiting them regularly to lead assemblies. In addition,

we support school services in church, and occasionally support RE lessons. We have held Experience Easter and

Experience Christmas events, where local schools are invited into the church for creative and engaging retelling

of these festivals. At St Mary’s CE School we have run several full day Prayer Spaces supporting the Collective

Worship themes. The children at some of the schools were pleased to have met the Archbishop of York on his

recent visits to the Parishes and West Oaks Special School holds a weekly coffee morning at St Mary’s.

St Mary’s is a CE voluntary controlled School in Boston Spa with 150 pupils The Governors and Staff of St Mary’s CE Primary School are committed to educating the children spiritually, academically, emotionally and physically within a distinctive Christian ethos.

Lady Elizabeth Hastings' is a Church of England voluntary aided primary school set in the village of Thorp Arch with 130 pupils. The school provides an exceptionally positive and welcoming environment with high standards of pastoral care. Our curriculum provides an exciting and stimulating context for learning and high achievement. Christian values inform all aspects of school life.

Bramham is an inclusive Primary School with 110 pupils which has been recognised by OfSTED as being ‘A good school (which) is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs’. The Federation of Bramham and Shadwell is a well-established Federation which is dedicated to providing the very best quality in education and pastoral care for your children. We pride ourselves in our broad and balanced curriculum which is exciting and challenging.

Primrose Lane Primary is a foundation primary school of about 200 children, with an additional 52 children in the nursery class. The school prides itself on its positive attitude to pupils and their families, the caring relationships and happy atmosphere within school and the high standards we seek to achieve in all areas of the curriculum. We work hard to help all children achieve their potential within a happy, caring environment..

Boston Spa School is a successful 11-18 school in an outstanding location with over 1000 pupils. We take pride in our rapidly improving examination results, excellent facilities and extensive grounds.

St John’s school for the deaf is a day and boarding school for 60 hearing impaired pupils aged 3 to 19. In 2007 we became a specialist school for sensory and physical impairments. St John’s is an oral school where pupils are taught by specialist teachers of hearing impaired children. There is great emphasis on supporting the development of pupils’ spoken language as well as reading and writing.

West Oaks School is a 2-19 aged SEN Specialist School and College with the capacity to currently

educate 240 pupils on our two sites, the Boston Spa site, incorporating a long established

partnership base in the local high school and our Woodhouse Learning site.

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Our Worship

All our Churches are used regularly for baptisms, weddings and funerals. Above, from May this year, is an example of our regular Sunday worship pattern, showing the small variations of format between churches.

St Mary’s, Boston Spa

The monthly All Age Worship service is organised and largely led by a small lay group and supported by a music group. At the Eucharist during this service, laity lead the intercessions and a reading but there is scope for more lay involvement.. The principal Sunday service is Common Worship Eucharist which some consider lacks flexibility. As part of LYCIG, we may need more variety in the types of service and range of music used. The 8am Sunday Communion Service is held at Benefice churches on rotation. Instead of a formal evening service there is a said Night Prayer. The Saturday morning communion service has a rising attendance, currently 20, and there is also a midweek communion service. We have a regular robed choir, claimed to be the largest village choir in the diocese. Most Sunday10am services have an anthem and parts of the liturgy sung.

All Saints’, Bramham

There is currently a service every Sunday except those Sundays when there is a joint service in one of the other three churches in the Benefice. The second Sunday of the month is All Age Worship (with or without Communion) and the third Sunday is a Celtic Communion Service. The other two services are Common Worship Eucharist.

St Peter’s, Walton

A team from the congregation lead the worship several times a year at St Peter’s Walton in order to ensure that there is a worship service in our church most Sundays. We would prefer Matins, keeping the Eucharist as a special event once a month. A prayer tree has been created and we invite people to write their prayer on a green leaf and hang it on the tree; the prayers are then committed to God during Sunday worship.

All Saints’, Thorp Arch Services are held on most Sunday mornings, normally Common Worship Eucharist led by a member of the Benefice clergy. Lay-led services by our clergy-trained team are held intermittently and are well attended. The exceptions are the occasional joint Sunday services with St Peter’s Walton and Benefice-wide services. Our midnight service on Christmas Eve alternates with St Peter’s .

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Our Resources

We are fortunate to be able to fund a Youth Work Co-ordinator and also have a self-supporting Priest. together with active support from many retired local clergy. We have enjoyed the benefit of a Curate, but she is now moving on. As part of the church leadership team based at the Parish Office, St. Mary’s Church, we also employ a part time administrator who makes an invaluable contribution to the day to day running of the Benefice covering a wide range of administrative tasks including office skills, dealing with the public on behalf of the Benefice and the future incumbent. There is a robed choir with a musical director at St Mary’s and a resident Organist at All Saints’ Bramham. Several volunteer organists also play in our churches.

We have a volunteer safeguarding officer who works with many groups across the Benefice. The Baptism Preparation Team visits all families prior to a baptism, supports them during the Baptism service and keeps in contact with them afterwards. Volunteers and Clergy help to deliver the Deanery Marriage Preparation Course, which was devised by the previous incumbent of Bramham Benefice There is an active branch of the Mothers’ Union at St Mary’s which organizes a wide range of activities including a babies and toddlers’ group in Church every fortnight..

The Pastoral Care Team makes contact with the next of kin of everyone who has a funeral at any of the Churches in the Benefice, immediately after the funeral and again three months later, to offer support. They also respond to requests from other people in the Benefice who feel the need to speak to an experienced confidential listener. We are blessed with many volunteers who help in all areas of Church life: Eucharistic

ministers who assist at services and take Holy Communion to the housebound, youth

leaders, magazine editors, flower arrangers, cleaners, churchyard maintenance helpers,

sacristans, vergers, sidespeople, trained first aiders and many more.

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The Vicarage

The diocese is committed to replacing the existing parsonage house during the next incumbency. The designs for a

new build have been approved and are currently being submitted to the local authority for planning consent. The

new house, which will be to Green Book specifications, forms part of a small development on the site to the rear of

the existing house.

To avoid disruption during the building works the priest-in-charge will be housed in a parsonage house in the parish

of Thorp Arch. The property comprises on the ground floor: Hall, Lounge, Dining Room, Study, Kitchen , Utility Room

and Cloakroom and on the first floor: Landing with 4 bedrooms , Bathroom and WC. Externally there is an attached

double garage. The property is pictured above.

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Where We Are

Distances by road from the Benefice (miles) Wetherby 2 Harrogate 13 York 14 Leeds 14 Hull 56 Manchester 62 Nottingham 77 Newcastle 85 Birmingham 120 London 196 Bristol 203 Edinburgh 206

Travelling time by train (minutes) Leeds to : York to : Manchester 50 Newcastle 60 Birmingham 120 London 115 Bristol 210 Edinburgh 150

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About The Area

The Benefice of Bramham is set in an attractive and convenient semi-rural location at the lower end of the River Wharfe, close to the Yorkshire Dales and North Yorkshire Moors National Parks, an hour by car to the coast and equidistant from the major centres of Leeds, York and Harrogate.

Transport

Motorways – A1M (2mins), M62 (20mins) Buses – regular services to Leeds, Harrogate and York National Coaches – National Express services from Leeds, Harrogate and York National Rail Stations – Leeds, Harrogate, York (East Coast Main Line) Airports – Leeds Bradford (30mins), Robin Hood Doncaster (45mins), Manchester (80mins)

Medical

Surgeries - Spa Surgery, Boston Spa; Bramham Medical Centre Hospitals – Leeds General Infirmary; St James Teaching Hospital, Leeds; Harrogate District Hospital; York Teaching Hospital

Leisure

The local area offers many recreational activities and clubs including football (Leeds United FC’s training ground is in the Benefice), rugby, cricket, cycling (the route of the 2014 Tour de France passed through the Benefice and since then has been the route for the annual Tour de Yorkshire), tennis, bowls, golf, hockey, walking, fishing, horse racing at Wetherby, York and Ripon, yoga, bridge and many craft groups

Performing Arts

In Leeds (home to Opera North) - Grand Theatre; Civic Theatre; West Yorkshire Playhouse In York – Theatre Royal; Barbican; Grand Opera House In Harrogate – Harrogate Theatre; Royal Hall Cinemas – Wetherby; several in Leeds, York and Harrogate Wetherby Bandstand – Brass band concerts every Sunday afternoon from May to September

Historic Houses and Gardens

Bramham Park, Harewood House, Temple Newsam, Roundhay Park, Harlow Carr (RHS), Ripley Castle, Newby Hall, Fountains Abbey, Riveaux Abbey, Bolton Abbey, Castle Howard, Beningbrough Hall

Major Public Events (with approx attendance)

Bramham 3 Day Horse Trials (June, 55,000) Great Yorkshire Show, Harrogate (July, 130,000) Harrogate Flower Shows (April & September, 100,000) Leeds Music Festival, Bramham (August, 75,000)

Benefice of Bramham

Benefice Office St Mary’s Church, High Street, Boston Spa, Wetherby LS23 6DR