Team Rector in the Blackbourne Team Ministry

An opportunity to further God’s mission in a beautiful location with supportive, committed and caring people

Men's breakfast

The parishes of with , Bardwell, Barnham, Euston, Fakenham, Honington with , Ingham with & Great and , Contents

Pages 1. Who we are, what we offer, what we are looking for, 3 opportunities and challenges 2. Benefice overview 4 - 5 3. The Rectory 6 4. Ixworth Deanery & the Diocese 7 5. Parish profiles St Mary the Virgin, Ixworth 8 - 9 St Peter & St Paul, Bardwell 10 - 11 St Gregory, Barnham 12 - 13 St Genevieve, Euston 14 St Peter, 15 All Saints, Honington with St Andrew, Sapiston 16 - 17 Ingham with Ampton and Great and Little Livermere 18 - 20 St Mary, Troston 21 - 22

Appendix 1 Ministry team & benefice structure 23 Appendix 2 Population & attendance information 24 Appendix 3 Rota of services in a typical month 25 Appendix 4 Finance Summary (2017) 26 - 28

2 Who we are

United in one Team Ministry since 1992, we are a group of eight diverse, rural parishes working collaboratively across 13 villages. These lie in beautiful countryside north-east of the attractive market town of and within easy reach of the major shopping, cultural and leisure centres of Ipswich, Cambridge and Norwich. The villages form a reasonably compact cluster; the furthest points of the benefice are about 20 minutes apart by car. They are mostly rural, the exception being Ixworth, already a dormitory suburb of Bury St Edmunds and scheduled for enlargement, with new estates giving opportunities for evangelism. Each parish has its own tradition of worship and services and its own particular needs but we are accustomed to working together and there is much supporting of one another's activities. There are four Church primary schools with whom we have strong existing links. We are a supportive and prayerful community with many activities being run by the lay people from the congregations – these range from informal all-age services, Open the Book and Messy Church to coffee mornings, soup lunches and community cafes and include study groups and prayer groups.

What we offer

• A well-established team of parishes who are working happily together and growing in understanding of one another • An experienced and mutually supportive ministry team (see appendix one for details of the ministry team) • Active lay people keen to be involved in being a Christian witness in their communities • An effective structure to support and develop mission, ministry and pastoral care in the benefice and to drive the Diocesan Growing in God initiative • Paid-for administrative support of three hours per week • A supportive and prayerful community • A modern, 4 bedroom rectory in Ixworth with its good local amenities and easy access to major road and rail networks • Good strong links to local Church schools

We are looking for a rector

• who will put people at the centre of their ministry, and enjoy interacting with people and taking part in community activities of all kinds • who will build up a strong and visible community presence • who sees the visiting of parishioners and pastoral care as a high priority • who believes in the importance of working with and in schools as a key way of growing in influence. • who will be happy to work with, motivate and develop the existing team – an enabler who will encourage and help all to flourish and use their talents • who is secure and comfortable in their faith and in their own skin, who is approachable and non judgmental; a good and tactful listener and wise counsellor • who will be a good and confident leader, prepared to delegate, to challenge where necessary, and when appropriate to show strong and decisive leadership • who is comfortable with traditional services (BCP and Common Worship) and open to encourage and initiate new and different forms of worship. A preacher and teacher who can help us to grow in faith and increase numbers • who understands the advantages and disadvantages of rural life • who is a confident car driver

Opportunities and Challenges for us to work on together in the coming years

• Initiating outreach to the new estates in Ixworth • Encouraging and building up some of our communities who feel distanced, or even alienated, from the Church • Appropriately supporting those of our Church communities who are very small and struggling to provide the necessary church officers and admin as well as care for their church buildings • Building on and developing further the existing strong links with the four Church primary schools and the embryonic link with the secondary Free school in Ixworth • Developing links with the Honington RAF base 3 A benefice overview

Geography

The villages in the Team, which takes its name from the Blackbourne river, lie mostly between two A-class highways running more or less south to north from Bury St Edmunds. They are served by a wide variety of minor roads. Agriculture remains the predominant industry of the Team area although few residents of any of the parishes are actively employed on the land. The majority of those who are in work travel to other commercial and industrial centres such as Bury St Edmunds and , with some people also commuting to Ipswich, Cambridge, Norwich or even to London. The large RAF base at Honington, with its own housing estates, lies within the parishes of Honington, Troston and Barnham. Bury St Edmunds (population c 41,000) is an historic and beautiful market town, the largest in west . It has an outstanding hospital, a large range of supermarkets, chain stores and individual shops. Markets are held twice weekly and its Christmas Fayre, held over four days at the end of November, has an international reputation. It is linked by major roads to Ipswich, London, Cambridge and the Midlands, with a good train service to Ipswich and London, Cambridge and Peterborough. It is a hub for local and national bus services. Bury has a famous 18th century theatre and two cinemas, and the Apex venue in the heart of the town hosts a wide range of concerts, exhibitions, workshops and other activities. There are many well-supported sporting facilities; Sporting 87 is one of the largest Christian-based football clubs in the country. There are good state and private schools and, for further education, the University of Suffolk at College provides a range of apprenticeships and undergraduate degree courses Bury St Edmunds cathedral dates back to the 16th century and has recently been enhanced by a Millennium tower visible from miles around. Nearby are the ruins of the 12th century Abbey, once the largest monastery in Europe. The town's centre, with its mixture of Georgian and mediaeval buildings, is exceptionally attractive.

Transport

Public transport is fairly limited in our area, being mostly subsidised country bus services that cater for the normal working day but tend not to operate in the evenings or at weekends. Transport to schools is by special buses or, of course, private car. There is a transport scheme to get people to the doctors, which is run by volunteers.

Our villages

Our largest village is Ixworth, home to about 40 per cent of our population. It has a number of retail outlets and a multi-disciplinary surgery with pharmacy, two pubs, a police station and fire station, and a well-supported branch library service in the village hall. A main road and bus services connect it to Bury St Edmunds some seven miles away. 4 Amenities vary in the smaller villages, and include village shops, post offices and pubs. Many of our communities have a number of thriving social activities such as Women's Institutes, sports clubs, mother and toddler groups and over 60s clubs; in some these can be held in the village hall, but other villages have no community gathering place. Details of the individual villages are given in the parish profiles.

Housing

For the most part our families own their own homes, the balance being in a mixture of private and local authority/housing association properties. The Euston Estate owns some 90 per cent of the housing in that parish as well as some properties in adjacent parishes; the Ampton Estate owns all the houses in Ampton and Little Livermere and a significant number in .

Schools

Ixworth has a secondary school and one of our four Church of Voluntary Controlled Primary Schools. The Team Rector has been a Foundation Governor at Ixworth and Bardwell schools, and has delegated responsibility at those in Honington and Barnham. All four primary schools have strong links with their parish churches, and regular Open the Book sessions. There are other excellent state and private schools within easy reach.

Communications

The team website is http://www.blackbourneteam.btck.co.uk and the individual churches all feature on A Church Near You. A number of the parishes also have their own Facebook page and Twitter feed (see our parish profiles).

Finance

Over the last three years the Team has managed to overpay its Diocesan share in order to help other benefices in the deanery. We also pay expenses for the ministry team. A 2017 financial overview is given in Appendix 4.

Getting together

There is a great deal of interaction between the Church communities in the benefice. There are regular Team and combined services and the wide variety of Sunday services means that people from one village will often drive over to another which has a form of service that they particularly like. We come together for monthly Men's Breakfasts and slightly less frequent Women's Breakfasts, to sing in the Christmas choirs, and to support one another's coffee mornings, soup lunches, and other fund-raising events.

Music

Ixworth is fortunate to have an exceptional organ, recently restored, and a resident organist who also plays regularly at Bardwell and for services of all kinds across the benefice. He promotes the organ by allowing groups from our local school to see how it works and to play it. The freelance Blackbourne Singers meet at Ixworth every week and sing at major services in the Church calendar and at weddings and funerals. Most of our other church buildings also have organs – some outstanding – and we are fortunate that there are enough organ players in the benefice to cover all of our services. Most parishes use Complete Anglican Hymns Old and New.

5 The Rectory

The Rectory is a modern four-bedroom house on a quiet lane a few minutes’ walk from Ixworth High Street. A footpath leads through the churchyard to the church itself. The Rectory is surrounded by a large garden with well-grown trees and shrubs, a secluded lawn and raised vegetable beds. In front of the house a shingle drive leads to parking for four or five cars and access to the garage. Solar panels help to keep utility bills low and there is oil-fired central heating.

Sunny sitting room with open fireplace and glazed door to garden Study Dining room Kitchen Pantry Utility room Cloakroom 4 bedrooms Family bathroom Shower room Separate WC Airing cupboard

The village of Ixworth, between Bury St Edmunds, Diss and Thetford, has a good selection of village shops and local businesses, a thriving library, police and fire stations, a surgery and pharmacy, and two schools. There are two public houses, a cafe and a restaurant. Buses link the village to the market town of Bury St Edmunds, with its hospital, theatre, arts centre and schools. There is easy access to the A14 which links to London via the A11/M11, to Cambridge and to Ipswich, while trains run to London via Cambridge and via Ipswich.

6 Ixworth Deanery & The Diocese

The Deanery

The deanery is one of the smallest deaneries in the diocese with thirty parishes grouped into four benefices of which the Blackbourne Team is the biggest. The Deanery Standing committee deals with the day to day business of the deanery, and plans deanery synod meetings. These are currently looking at issues from the deanery plan (shortly to be reviewed). In 2019 it will be focussing on the spirituality of place, buildings and what we can do to develop them for mission. The deanery has been reorganised within the last two years and is in the process of getting used to being in larger benefice groupings. Katherine Valentine, the rural dean, and Tony Redman, the assistant rural dean, were appointed in December 2017. There are only five stipendiary posts, including a vicar post in the Blackbourne team currently suspended, and there is one self-supporting priest and two self-supporting deacons. The Chapter meets monthly to catch up with each other, usually over a light lunch, and provides a high level of pastoral support. It seeks to be supportive and inclusive. In the deanery there are ten readers (two with PTO), one pioneer minister, 22 lay elders and a small number of retired clergy with PTO.

The Diocese

The Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich was founded in 1914 and broadly covers the county of Suffolk. It serves about 631,000 people living in an area of more than 1,400 square miles. There are 454 parishes within 125 benefices and 18 deaneries. There are 478 church buildings of which 457 are listed. There are around 90 stipendiary parochial clergy and 65 self-supporting ministers with 180 Lay Licensed Ministers, including 172 Readers, an increasing number of Licensed Lay Pastors and Local Evangelists and 570 commissioned Lay Elders. There are 88 Church of England Controlled and Aided schools in the diocese. The diocese has close ties with the Diocese of Kagera in West Tanzania. The Diocese is currently spearheading alternative ordination pathways with 25 people from this pathway ordained deacon last year, including two from this deanery. The Bishops (Diocesan plus the Suffragan Bishop of Dunwich) encourage everyone to regularly reconsider what the Lord might be calling them to be. They have a hands-on approach to teaching and ministerial development, running regular teaching workshops and creating a weekly blog which is available on the website. They make a point of being approachable to their clergy. The Diocesan vision “Growing in God - flourishing congregations making a difference” covers four areas - Growing in number, Growing in depth, Growing younger and Growing in influence. The Suffolk Fresh Expressions Community is encouraging small groups to worship and witness together all over Suffolk but particularly in rural places. The Diocese has applied for funding from the central Church to develop this work (and funding to develop work in Ipswich). If successful, there will be an Archdeacon for Rural Mission appointed early in 2019 to head this up and Rural Resourcing Churches will be set up.

7 Parish Profiles ST MARY THE VIRGIN, IXWORTH

Ixworth, the largest of the parishes, lies at the southernmost end of the Blackbourne Team area, and has a population of just over 2365 (2011). Over the last 40 years our village has grown into a little town; new estates have been built and more are planned. It might seem to be a 'dormitory' for nearby Bury St Edmunds, but at its heart is a thriving Church community. We hope that increasing numbers of newcomers will join us.

Our Church Community Each month we have a wide range of Sunday services, and everyone is also welcome at Thursday morning prayers, coffee on Friday mornings and at monthly soup lunches. Together we knitted the thousands of poppies with which we decorated our church for Remembrance Sunday, and at that service the congregation was so large that people were standing in the porch to take part. Later in the day the whole village joined in commemorative activities. At Christmas the Christingle service and the Christmas Eve Crib service were very well-attended; our close links with the primary school mean that the children are already familiar with our beautiful, recently redecorated church with its splendid and powerful organ. We hope to rearrange the back of the church to make a more welcoming and flexible gathering space, and together we organize fund raising events towards this and everyday running costs. In 2007 a legacy added two more church bells to the existing six, and their 'merry noise' is much appreciated. The Blackbourne Singers meet regularly in the church and sing at major services in the Christian year. The Church provides services, sacraments and parochial care for all residents, and it has strong links with the local Methodist Chapel congregation. It also supports the little church building in the nearby hamlet of Ixworth Thorpe, with its tiny self-contained population. Services are regularly held in this thatched church, dating back to Norman times, which is loved and well cared for.

Our Parish Our village is served by a good range of shops, together with public houses, restaurants and food outlets in the busy mediaeval High Street. There are two schools, care homes, fire and police stations and a well respected doctors' surgery and pharmacy, together with the branch library in the well-used village hall. Currently there are over twenty different voluntary organizations providing activities as varied as playgroup, Over 60s Club, outdoor bowls and carpet bowls, angling, garden club, Royal British Legion, army cadets, W.I and many more. The monthly Newsletter keeps us all in touch, and the Church is a regular contributor. The parish also has a website and Facebook page.

8 Today Ixworth is a busy, thriving and exciting place with its mixture of old and new, and forms a vibrant and caring community with something for everyone. It has good access to all the major East Anglian towns by road, and nearby bus and rail links to London and the rest of the UK. It is only 60 minutes by road from London Stansted airport.

Ixworth: St Mary the Virgin The fine church at Ixworth reflects the importance of the little town in the Middle Ages. It dates from the 14th century, and was substantially enlarged during the 15th and early 16th centuries. Built of flint, some knapped, it is set slightly back from the High Street. The south porch and doorway both date from the 14th century. Look up to the roof of the five- bayed 15th century nave, where angels with spread wings gaze down from the ends of the braces. Alterations were made in the mid 19th century when the vestry was built and the 14th century chancel much changed. The great west tower was built in the late 15th century, with walls six feet thick. Its buttresses, plinth and parapet are decorated with panels of knapped flint. Ixworth has a peal of eight bells, two of which were added in 2007, and a fine late-Victorian organ. The church is open every day, and visitors are welcomed for coffee on Fridays between 10 and 11.30.

Ixworth Thorpe: All Saints This tiny church stands on the edge of the hamlet of Ixworth Thorpe, a little back from the Ixworth to Thetford road. It has rendered walls and a thatched roof, with a brick and weatherboard bellcote and a surprisingly impressive 15th century brick porch. The church dates back to Norman times; its white-washed interior is simple but remarkable for its glorious 15th century carved bench ends, which include a mermaid, a harvester and various real and mythical animals.

Evensong (according to the Book of Common Prayer) is held here on the fourth Sunday of each month, and those who would like to visit the church should telephone 01359 231568 or 01359 230615 to make arrangements.

9 ST PETER & ST PAUL, BARDWELL

Our Church Community We are a welcoming and inclusive Church community. Common Worship is used. Messy Church is held about every 6 weeks and much enjoyed. We have a ring of 8 bells, which are rung most Sundays and frequently visited by other ringers.

A small group of ladies support our running costs by hosting monthly Coffee Mornings and other fund-raising activities, which often focus around food!

We have two Churchwardens, one of whom is a Lay Elder.

Our Community Around 80% of homes are privately owned with the remaining being council properties. Most people work outside the village travelling either to Bury St Edmunds or further afield. Transport is supported by a limited bus service. There are about 8 small businesses and self- employed services in the village including a popular bakery in the nearly fully restored windmill. A free monthly magazine, Bardwell Village News, is distributed to every home and is also available on line.

Bardwell has a Church of England Primary School, currently with just under 60 children. The school is part of a growing Multi Academy Trust, ‘Tilian’. Strong links between the school and Church community are supported by the Foundation Governor who is a member of the PCC. The church is used at least termly for their services. This autumn the children took part in Remembrance activities at our Commonwealth war graves. A small Open the Book team visits the school about twice a term. We have a Baby and Toddler group, which meets in the school every Friday morning.

10 Community Activities Bardwell is a busy and active community. The Tithe Barn is our attractive village hall /community centre which is much used for social events. We have two village pubs. There are good opportunities for a range of sports with a Sports and Social Club and children’s play equipment. We have a newly developed Community Field as well as a long-established Playing Field.

There are a range of major annual village events which include a Fair, Cars on the Green (vintage cars), Open Gardens, a summer fete and a summer music festival, ‘Bardfest’.

We have a parish Facebook page @stpeterandstpaulbardwell.

Our Church Buildings We have two church buildings. The Church is a fine flint and stone mediaeval building with features of national and international significance (hammer-beam roof, mediaeval stained-glass including the portrayal of Sir William de Berdewell).

We are currently fund raising for a major repair and reordering project, the work for which will take place in 2019. The maintenance of the church building is strongly supported by Friends of Bardwell Church which runs a number of fund-raising events each year.

Our second building is the Tithe Barn, which is leased to a Village Hall Management Committee.

11 ST GREGORY, BARNHAM

Our Village - Barnham Our village comprises mostly private housing, with some former MOD houses and around 15% of the houses are owned by the local Euston Estate. The residents are mostly employed working in the local area, especially the towns of Bury St Edmunds and Thetford.

Our Church – St Gregory There are regular communion services each month and families are welcomed and encouraged with a monthly All Age Worship service in which children play an active part. Every member ministry is promoted and the laity are heavily involved in the running of services and pastoral work. The Church congregation is very ecumenical and one of our Church Wardens is a Methodist, and the Treasurer was a Roman Catholic. Every year during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity we hold a week- day service attended by people from all denominations. One Self Supporting Minister (SSM) and two Lay Elders live in the parish. Our church organ was recently refurbished and we have a regular organist. At Christmas a large choir is assembled to perform at the Carol Service. We have a parish Facebook page @st-gregorys-barnham

Our Community We feel that the life of our Church reflects and is part of the community in which we live and we are constantly aware that mission relates to all who live in the village and beyond. The church community are an important and integral part of the life of the excellent Church of England primary school, visiting the school twice a month for the Open the Book assembly, which is greatly appreciated by the children and staff alike. Regular school services are held in the church. Several governors are church members and take a very active part in the life of the school.

Our parish is close to RAF Honington and a weekend to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Royal Air Force was held in April this year. The centenary of the end of the Great War was marked this year with a week of Remembrance of the 19 men who had died, with 6,000 poppies knitted by villagers of all ages being used to decorate the church and the environs. The houses of those who gave their lives in France were each marked with a 3’ cross and there was a Walk of Remembrance past all the houses on Remembrance Sunday, which was attended by over 150 people. A Church newsletter, The Link, is sent free of charge to all households in the Parish. There are numerous other community events linked to the church, including our annual village fete which is held in aid of the Church, the School and the Village Hall; the Women’s Institute and church members hold a monthly coffee morning in the church for those who are lonely and there is a regular Ladies’ Breakfast with around 30 attendees, from across the Team.

12 All this has been part of the mission of the Church to our neighbours and all those in the community. We are a small parish but a very good community working together well.

Our Church Building The church of St Gregory is a modest and appealing building, well cared-for, much loved and in regular use. The basic structure dates from the 13th century, with the tower a 14th century addition. The churchyard is surrounded by mature lime trees and is still in use for burials. As reported in Suffolk Churches this year: In the north transept there is a replica of the village war memorial with nineteen names on it, a reminder of quite how many people worked on these estates in the days before technological modernisation. But to the west, on the north wall of the aisle, is something quite different and really rather wonderful. It is a collage which builds up, house by house, a map of Barnham as it was at the 1911 census. The houses are named, the people named, and those soon to head off to the horror of France and beyond are shown too, proud in their new uniforms. It is a remarkable work, and deserves to be better known. We installed an eco-friendly composting toilet in 2013, which is twinned with a toilet in Tanzania. The church is open daily throughout the year.

13 ST GENEVIEVE, EUSTON

Euston is a village with none of the usual amenities. First mentioned in Doomsday book, it did not achieve prominence until purchased and developed by Henry Bennet, Earl of Arlington in 1666. Today there is a playing field which is used by various sporting clubs, otherwise no shop, no school, no public house, therefore, on the face of it, not much happening. It provides a pastoral retreat for its residents which number around 120 on the electoral register, and of these some six to eight could be described as regular Church members, although many more attend on high days and special services. In other words, a typical rural village.

Our Community We are a close-knit community, with good spirit and a general commitment to helping one another and, crucially, providing manpower and expertise in the various charitable events in support of the Church, St Nicholas Hospice and other worthy causes. This effort has the support of Their Graces The Duke and Duchess of Grafton who live at Euston Hall, which is central to the village. The Hall is surrounded by the Euston Estate, which is principally agricultural and residential and provides local employment. It has shoots, equestrian events, music festivals plus the long established Rural Pastimes event held in Euston Park on the second Sunday of June. The Countess of Euston has a great interest in rare breeds and has award-winning examples of the Suffolk Trinity with pedigree Red Poll cattle and Suffolk Punch heavy horses. As can be seen this is a community which has a deeply rooted rural tradition with many of those in the village enjoying this country way of life.

Our Church Euston is blessed with a beautiful parish church, set amid the open parkland adjacent to Euston Hall. The church was rebuilt by Lord Arlington in 1676 and has a wonderful mid 17th century interior. The services in the church are from The Book of Common Prayer using the King James version of the Bible and Hymns Ancient and Modern. Communion is celebrated at least once every month. Euston church is open with guides on duty when Euston Hall, with its wonderful collection of Old Masters and furniture, is open to the public on advertised days between May and September. Visitors also have the chance to view the wonderful Hall grounds, which feature landscaping by John Evelyn, William Kent and Lancelot Capability Brown and can visit the water mill, bygones exhibition and excellent tearooms. All profits from these open days are donated to charity. The present Duke and Duchess have carried out a massive restoration of both the house and grounds over the last four years.

The church key is available by calling 01842 766366. With advanced booking, a guide can be available to conduct a tour around the building.

14 ST PETER, FAKENHAM MAGNA

Our Parish Fakenham Magna is a small village located on the A1088 road midway between Honington and Euston. The village is within a Conservation Area, and therefore very little development is permitted.

Our Church St. Peter’s church is a grade 1 listed building and has parts which date from the 9th century. The nave is late 10th century, the chancel and tower 13-14th century. There are three 15-16th century bells. The present structure reflects a Victorian restoration, including a superb stained glass east window.

A Lychgate was added to mark the Millenium. The churchyard and car park are maintained with the generous support of the Parish Council.

Our Church Community Songs of Praise and Holy Communion are held each month for the small but loyal congregation. Active fundraising within the village contributes significantly to ongoing maintenance issues. The Church runs produce stalls and weekly ‘Knit and Natter’ sessions and also the Tea Rooms at Euston Hall, all for Church funds. Perhaps because of the lack of village facilities, there is a mutually supportive culture which embraces the care of the church

15 ALL SAINTS, HONINGTON WITH ST ANDREW, SAPISTON

Historically, the two Suffolk estate villages of Honington and Sapiston, separated by the river Blackbourne, retained their separate identities well into the 20th century, each with its own simple mediaeval church, school, pub, post office, shop and bakery. In Honington the excellent school and pub remain. Not so many years ago the prosperity of the villages was integral with the Euston Estate but now, although strong links remain, very few parishioners are in estate employment. Within our community we have professionals, artisans, agricultural workers and civil employees of the adjacent RAF Station.

Our Parish The combined parish of Honington and Sapiston was established in 1972, when St Andrew’s, Sapiston was declared redundant, and its care transferred to the Redundant Churches Trust, now called the Churches Conservation Trust. Although no longer the parish church, St Andrew’s continues to have its place in the community, with permission from the Trust for a few services during the year, mainly for Easter, Harvest and Christmas festivals. Our Church Community We hold three different services a month in Honington church and join others at Ixworth church on the second Sunday. During the year we have the World Day of Prayer service in March (previously named Women’s World Day of Prayer), Harvest, Christingle and Carol services, as well as the Christian festivals of course. We are fortunate in having an organist who lives in the village. An Open the Book group is at present being set up in the village school by the Head Teacher, with one of our Team Lay Elders, the RAF Station chaplain and his wife, and a PCC member, which we are all excited about. After a great deal of time and effort by the village hall committee, a lovely new village hall was built in 2014, which serves the many community organisations and their events: Church soup lunches in winter, coffee mornings, the W.I., art and camera groups, the Parish Council, indoor bowls, Over 60s monthly games club, and the recently formed village show and drama groups. The recently re-opened pub The Fox also contributes to the varied amenities we have in our parish. Our monthly village newsletter informs everyone of the various activities. Villagers support Church events such as soup lunches, coffee mornings, harvest lunch, the cycle ride (Bike and Stride), shared services etc. and although some are seldom to be counted at services, they willingly contribute to the life of the Church through its events. Particularly noteworthy among this involvement is the success of our annual country fair at Euston Park - the Rural Pastimes Event - which was first held in 1991. Started as a fund raiser for some repairs to All Saints this event, run entirely by volunteers, attracts much support and help from 16 the adjacent villages of Barnham, Euston, Fakenham Magna and Troston and has become a well-known feature of the summer calendar. To date over £500,000 has been raised and shared between our local St Nicholas Hospice and the five Churches involved in the event. Over the years the contributions All Saints has received have helped us re-tile the nave and chancel roofs in 2016. It is an example of a Church-involved activity which would be impossible without strong local community participation. We take some pride in its success.

Our Church Buildings Our lovely church, All Saints, is set next to the village school, just off the A1088, and in the centre of the village. Of varying architectural styles, it is mostly mediaeval, with a Norman doorway and 15th century porch on the south side. Until 1863 it was thatched with reeds, then tiled. The nave and chancel roofs were re-tiled in 2016. At the time of the millennium the bells were re-hung and can be chimed but not rung. A stained glass window was also installed at that time marking the Queen’s Golden Jubilee and the beginning of the third millennium There is a brass plaque in memory of Robert Bloomfield the poet, who wrote 'The Farmer’s Boy', who was born in Honington. All Saints has been loved and cared for by generations of Honington people, and it is open during the day.

St Andrew's, Sapiston was declared "Redundant" in 1972 and its care transferred to the Redundant Churches (now Churches Conservation) Trust.

17 INGHAM WITH AMPTON AND GREAT AND LITTLE LIVERMERE

Our Parish We are a united parish covering four villages with three parish churches, two of which are in regular use. Ingham is the largest village with a population of approx. 400. The A134 Bury St Edmunds to Thetford road divides the village, with the pub, shop and church on one side and the majority of the (mostly post war) housing on the other. There has been a recent new development adding 25 houses, mostly rental properties. In a recent survey we discovered that there are 42 businesses registered in the village, these include a large farm and haulage business, a small business park and a number of self-employed people working from home. Great Livermere has about 190 people in a mixture of estate, council and private housing, with a large farm and a game shooting business in the village. It also has a recently refurbished village hall which is well used and is a focus for village social activities. Ampton has a population of about 70 and is an estate village with the owners living at Ampton Hall. Little Livermere is also part of the Ampton Estate and is a very disparate village with about 30 people in estate and council houses. Many of the estate houses in Ampton and the Livermeres tend to be let for social housing, which can result in a high turnover of tenants and many of the residents of these villages are retired or unwaged. In the whole parish, those who are employed mostly work outside the villages in Bury St Edmunds, Thetford or further afield.

Our Church Community On three Sundays in each month, services alternate between Ingham and Great Livermere with about half the congregation moving between the churches. Ampton is only used occasionally for Sunday services. Common Worship Morning Prayer is said on a Friday morning in each of the churches by rotation and the one in Ampton is particularly well attended. There is a monthly Sm@11 (Sunday morning at 11) service at Ingham, an all age service which has a gifted and inventive lay led planning team and which attracts people who do not come to other services. Attendance is usually over 30. Messy Church is held four times a year in Ingham Church, attracting about 10 children and 16 adults. With no schools in the parish we find it a challenge to build relationships with children and families. Special occasions such as Remembrance Sunday, Mothering Sunday and Harvest are used as opportunities to attract people who do not come regularly and we continue to grow the fringe of Church life in various ways – through pastoral contact, due to funerals or baptisms, through personal friendships and social gatherings, using every opportunity we can to provide opportunities for relationships to develop in a relaxed environment. The Ingham coffee mornings, held in the church, are very successful and much appreciated. We have a Shrove Tuesday pancake party in Great Livermere where large quantities of pancakes are cooked and consumed. Last year over 50 people attended this event. Church shared lunches are held during the summer months in homes (or mostly gardens) of members of the congregation. A Harvest lunch and Christmas lunch are held in Ingham church with over 40 people bringing food to share and sitting down to a “proper” hot Christmas lunch. The provision of food and drink after various services is an important aspect of our fellowship and we ensure this extends to appropriately festive refreshment after all the Christmas Carol Services so that people stay and chat. Church members also host and cater for the monthly Men’s Breakfast which is a Team event and attracts an average of about 25 men from across the Team. There are two lively, ecumenical study groups which include people from outside the parish.

18 At Easter, we have a prayer labyrinth in Ingham Church, which provides a very memorable experience for all who visit. There are prayer “trees” in all the Churches, for people to leave prayer requests and we produce a monthly leaflet with suggestions for prayer each day. A Team meditative prayer hour, of silent prayer with scripture verses to reflect on, is held in Ingham church each month. As a parish we join in Thy Kingdom Come, the Archbishop’s call to prayer, including praying round the homes in each village, praying for people by name where we know them. We produce a monthly parish magazine, “Living”, which includes both Church and village news and is circulated to about 300 homes in the villages. Fund raising is only done for the fabric; the whole of the parish running expenses, including the Diocesan share, are Men's met from regular giving. The PCC give 5% of the income to breakfast charity each year.

We have a parish Facebook page at @InghamAmptonLivermereChurch and a Messy Church Facebook page at @InghamMessyChurch, as well as a parish Twitter page @IngAmpLiv As a community we seek to be outward looking, focussed more on mission than maintenance, and believe in the importance of prayer to underpin all we do. We believe in being welcoming and friendly, in building relationships and in having fun. We work to ensure our activities are inclusive and accessible to all.

Our Church Buildings All three churches are listed buildings and are all in a good state of repair; repairs have been paid for by grants and by community fund raising.

Ingham, St Bartholomew This grade 2* listed building is used both as place of worship and as a community space, the only one the village has. The tower is older than the rest of the church walling and dates from the middle of the 14th century. The interior of the church was remodelled in 1861. In 1986 the Victorian pews and pulpit were removed and the nave is now used much as it was before the Reformation. A kitchen and toilet were added in 1989 and a catering quality kitchen installed in 2016. The last major project was to install new heating so that the building is now comfortably warm. In addition to some of the Church run activities listed above, it also hosts a successful monthly community café, serving a hot three-course lunch to over 30 people, and a weekly “Cuppa ‘n Chat” to reach out to people feeling isolated. The PCC are keen to see the building used more widely by the community and are working on developing links to enable that. The PCC have agreed to the installation of mobile aerials in the church tower and we await a satisfactory outcome to ongoing negotiations. There is plenty of parking space for visitors in the churchyard to the north of the church. The church is open in daylight hours from April to October. There is a key safe for access at other times by arrangement.

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Ampton, St Peter This small, early 14th century, grade 1 listed church is packed with interest. There is a chantry chapel, hatchments, a fine monument to the Calthorpe Family (1638) by John and Mattias Christmas and one to William Whettell (1628) by Nicholas Stone. Ampton hosted a field hospital in the First World War and those who died there are remembered by memorials in the church and in Ingham churchyard A key may be obtained from the keyholders listed on the notice board at the gate. Ampton has a famous son, Robert Fitzroy, who developed the barometer as a method of forecasting weather, and invited Charles Darwin to accompany him on board Beagle when he sailed round the world before writing On the Origin of Species.

Great Livermere, St Peter St Peter's is a beautiful, 13th century, grade 1 listed, thatched church which is open every day. The roof was rethatched in the 1980’s and the ridge was redone in 2018. Inside the church are wall paintings, a three decker pulpit and one of the finest organs in the area. Great Livermere has two famous sons: William Sakings, Falconer to Charles I, Charles II, and James II, who is commemorated in the village sign and buried in the churchyard and Montague Rhodes James, son of a 19th century incumbent who went on to become the provost of Eton College and later King’s College Cambridge. He was an historian, antiquarian writer and biblical scholar, as well as the originator of the English ghost story and many of his stories were set in the village. There is a commemorative plaque to him inside the church.

20 ST MARY, TROSTON

Troston Village Villages are only a mile apart in our region of Suffolk, yet they are very different. Troston is a very mixed community with all age groups well represented, although there is a shortage of affordable housing for young families. There is a small nucleus of residents brought up in the village but the vast majority have moved in within the last twenty or so years; part of the housing for RAF Honington also lies within our parish. Over the last fifty years many changes have taken place and our three main housing estates were created around the centre of the village approximately forty years ago. A small development is nearing completion, on the site of the old playing field. Play equipment for the younger children has been erected next to the new houses; a play area for the older children will be provided on the adjacent field in the coming months. The current population is approximately 900, including the part of RAF Honington. It is probably fair to say that Troston is now a dormitory village although there are quite a few people working independently from their own homes. There is a motor bike sales and repair shop, and a public house (currently closed and advertised for sale) in the heart of the village. Since the village boundary extends to include RAF Honington, there are also a Chinese take-a-way, village store and hairdresser, along with a garage where almost anything can be bought, just a short distance away. Farming still plays an important part in the village although the Troston Farms manager no longer resides in the village. Newcomers to Troston are encouraged to borrow the Village Book in which local historians have made an excellent record of all aspects of village life over the past centuries. The village hall, originally the old Church school until 1946, was refurbished thanks to a lottery grant and the hard work of many villagers. Various organisations benefit from the facility including a carpet bowls club, Pilates and the WI. On the first and third Tuesday of the month, a Church-run lunch of soup in the winter, or baked potatoes in the summer is open to all. It is a very social event and attracts regular customers, the profits go to the Church and help in the payment of the Diocesan share.

Services On the second Sunday of the month, an informal Café Church service is held in the village hall attracting a congregation of approximately twenty. This is a much more informal, all age service attracting worshippers from surrounding villages and has a wonderful atmosphere. Sunday services only take place in the church on special occasions, such as Easter, Christmas and Remembrance Sunday; these services are generally well attended and are followed by refreshments, providing an opportunity to build a sense of community. A said Morning Prayer service takes place in the church at 9am on the fourth Friday of the month. This intimate act of worship takes place in the chancel.

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St Mary Troston - The Building and Churchyard Our fine mediaeval church dates back mainly to the 13th and early 14th centuries. The north wall is covered with magnificent wall paintings and the remains of a Doom painting can be found above the nave; all of these, thanks to a lottery grant and village fundraising, were conserved as part of our ambitious restoration programme. These paintings remind us that the walls were probably extensively covered with paintings before the Reformation. Visitors are also attracted by our mediaeval graffiti. We have a visitors’ book and a prayer box. We have a well maintained churchyard, with a wild flower and meadow grass area. Over fifty species of plants have been revealed following a survey by Suffolk Wildlife Trust. We are grateful to the Parish Council for the financial contribution given annually towards the grass cutting and upkeep of the lime trees that require regular maintenance. We are proud to say that our church is open every day during daylight hours and morning prayer is said there on the last Friday of the month.

22 Appendix 1

Ministry Team The ministry team is made up of • one SSM priest • three priests with PTO • one lay pioneer minister (also a reader) • one lay reader with PTO • one SSM ordinand in training • seven lay elders • the post of Team Vicar has been vacant for the past 4 years due to financial constraints. However it may be possible to explore the filling of this post in the future under different financial or working arrangements e.g. House for Duty For details of the individuals in the ministry team, including photographs, see the team website:- http://www.blackbourneteam.btck.co.uk/People

Benefice Structure • The clergy and lay ministers meet regularly for mutual support and together hold the overview of mission and ministry in the benefice. • A rota planning group made up of all service leaders in the team, which ensures cover for all services. • A pastoral care group made up of all the people who offer pastoral care on behalf of the Church, who meet together for support, encouragement and training. • A benefice strategy group. Appointed by the team rector this group works to develop the vision for a sustainable Christian witness in every community and to drive the Diocesan vision for Growing in God across the benefice. It has been encouraging the formation of companion groupings of parishes within the benefice in order to encourage and support the smaller parishes. • A team council with representatives from each parish

23 Appendix 2

Population & Attendance Information

Population (2011) Households (2011) Deprivation (1-12,500) Ixworth * 2369 890 10428 Bardwell 814 327 8873 Barnham 602 247 4829 Euston 144 69 4829 Fakenham 172 64 4829 Honington 450 ** 190 ** 9164 Ingham, Ampton, Livermeres 777 328 4250 Troston 943 338 9566 * - there has been significant new housing in Ixworth since 2011 ** - these figures are adjusted to exclude the RAF camp

All 2017 Baptism/Wedding/ Church Electoral Average Christmas Carols Funeral Members Roll Attendance Eve/Day Ixworth 2/6/9 49 49 20 45 54 Bardwell 1/0/2 28 41 15 60 115 Barnham 6/2/6 45 34 12 50 150 Euston 0/0/1 10 18 5 15 30 Fakenham 1/0/0 7 7 5 7 16 Honington 2/0/4 20 20 12 28 45 Ingham 1/0/6 44 24 32 77 Ampton 0/0/0 4 39 n/a n/a 28 Livermere 1/0/5 18 14 24 58 Troston 0/1/0 14 15 12 37 18

24 Appendix 3 - Rota of services in a typical month

Date Time Church Service First Sunday 8:00am Ixworth Holy Communion (BCP)

8:00am Barnham Holy Communion (BCP)

9:30am Barnham Family Service

9:30am Honington Holy Communion

9:30am Livermere Holy Communion

11:00am Bardwell Holy Communion 11:00am Ingham SMALL Service for all ages 6:00pm Fakenham Songs of Praise

Second Sunday 9:30am Ixworth Holy Communion

11:00am Ingham Morning Worship

11:00am Troston Café Church

Third Sunday 8:00am Ixworth Holy Communion (BCP) 8:30am Fakenham Holy Communion (BCP)

9:30am Ixworth Morning Worship with children’s Sunday Club

9:30am Barnham Family Holy Communion

9:30am Livermere Holy Communion

9:30am Honington Morning Prayer (BCP)

11:00am Euston Morning Prayer (BCP)

11:00am Bardwell Holy Communion

Fourth Sunday 9:30am Barnham Holy Communion

9:30am Honington Holy Communion (BCP)

9:30am Ixworth Holy Communion

11:00am Ingham Holy Communion

11:00am Bardwell Morning Worship

11:00am Euston Holy Communion (BCP)

6:00pm Ixworth Thorpe Evensong (BCP)

Fifth Sunday TBA Team Service, Holy Communion (usually moves around 10:00am) parishes

25 Appendix 4 - Finance Summary (2017) 2

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