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THE PARISHES OF TWEEDMOUTH SPITTAL SCREMERSTON Parish Profile 2019 1 Parishes of Tweedmouth, Spittal & Scremerston, Diocese of Newcastle, Parish Profile Contents The Parishes of Tweedmouth, Spittal & Scremerston 3 Tweedmouth, St Bartholomew & St Boisil 5 Spittal, St John the Evangelist 11 Scremerston, St Peter’s 17 Finance, the three parishes 20 Maps of parishes – see separate pdf 2 Parishes of Tweedmouth, Spittal & Scremerston, Diocese of Newcastle, Parish Profile The Parishes of Tweedmouth, Spittal, and Scremerston ‘POTSS’ These three parishes (in process of becoming a united benefice) on the southern flank of the River Tweed as it approaches the North Sea, have worked closely together now for several years. Scremerston is based on its coal-mining heritage – the ‘Pit’. Spittal has its seaside heritage – the ‘Prom’. For Tweedmouth a maritime heritage – the ‘Port’. These are our foundations. In shape the parishes are very different – a village, a small town, a larger town; but in the churches we share a great deal, especially our human resources. Across the three parishes there are only two other locations for Christian worship. Berwick URC in Spittal has a small congregation and no minister at present. We support them in every way we can and they attended St John’s Christmas Day Service. In East Ord Village Hall there is a monthly service by a church plant charismatic congregation, begun by Vineyard but now independent. Our parishes are active members of Berwick Churches Together. Clergy and Lay Ministry Normally we have a parish priest who oversees the three parishes, living in Tweedmouth Vicarage, supported by a House-for Duty Assistant Priest living in Spittal Vicarage. During the interregnum the Assistant Priest receives regular assistance from a retired priest. We have one licensed Reader and two Readers with ‘permission to officiate’ They take a full part in leading non-Eucharistic worship in all three churches as well as sharing in the funeral ministry. The Benefice of Scremerston, Spittal, and Tweedmouth This new scheme for bringing our parishes together as a United Benefice is very well advanced. The joint patrons will be the Bishop of Newcastle, The Mercer’s Company, and The Dean and Chapter of Durham Cathedral. Rota A rota of services and service leaders for the group is published every quarter. There is also a small team of recently trained lay worship leaders who increasingly share the duties of service leadership. Shared services On 5-week months there is a Joint Holy Communion service at 10.30 am on the 4th Sunday, which rotates between the three parishes. Four times a year (Easter, Sea Sunday, Harvest, Christmas) there is an evening Songs of Praise at Spittal, and other seasonal special services are also shared between the parishes. Baptisms, weddings and funerals are conducted in all three churches. In recent years: 2016 24 baptisms 7 weddings 69 funerals 2017 17 baptisms 6 weddings 56 funerals 2018 19 baptisms 4 weddings 51 funerals 3 Parishes of Tweedmouth, Spittal & Scremerston, Diocese of Newcastle, Parish Profile Activities for families and children St John’s Church at Spittal offers excellent provision for weekday term-time events such as ‘Coffee & Chat’ with a Toddler group. Our equivalent of Messy Church – ‘Creative Church’ – is held at Spittal on the last Sunday of every month. Folk from the churches both staff and support these events. St Peter’s at Scremerston is available for weekday social events. Local First, Middle, and High Schools hold their seasonal services in the churches. We also offer church tours for First School classes. Youth Work As we wait for a full-time youth worker to be appointed, two very experienced part- time youth workers cover the three churches. One of these has agreed to work part time for us until June 2020. At the moment, a youth group meets regularly at Spittal Vicarage and activity days have started on one of the Spittal estates. Hospitality Members across the churches support each other in providing hospitality for a wide variety of events throughout the year. Groups We run Alpha and confirmation courses in the summer, and there are home groups catering for different needs spread across the parishes. There is potential here for growth and development. Finances A funding team supports all three congregations and their treasurers by providing a co-ordinated approach to fund-raising. A funding strategy document has been written. The focus in 2017 was on funding for building projects as well as continued funding for youth work. Recently grants have been obtained from the Mercers’ Company (patrons for both Scremerston and Spittal) for the employment of a youth worker for a 3-year period. A pack has been produced on why and how to give, including introducing giving by direct debit. This has been given to all members of the congregations and is also offered to new members. A legacy policy has been written and approved by the PCCs and a legacy leaflet produced. OUR NEW PARISH PRIEST The individual profiles outline the characteristics of the kind of parish priest being sought. Together, our hopes for the new incumbent of our United Benefice can be summarised thus: we seek a faithful, pastoral, leader who is: outward looking and resolved to interact with and serve our varied communities as well as the congregations; mission-minded, and interested in exploring pioneering ways of expressing the Christian faith across all ages in the context of new as well as more traditional forms of worship; someone who loves to work with families, children and young people and will encourage us all in their service; able to make the best use of our eagerness to serve as members of the Body of Christ able to encourage us all in our personal lives of prayer and understanding of the Word of God. 4 Parishes of Tweedmouth, Spittal & Scremerston, Diocese of Newcastle, Parish Profile Tweedmouth Parish Profile Tweedmouth - the Area The Parish of Tweedmouth is found in the far north-east of the County of Northumberland on the south bank of the Tweed Estuary, overlooked by the historic Elizabethan and medieval walls of Berwick-upon-Tweed. It is joined to Berwick by three iconic bridges - The Royal Border Bridge, opened in 1850 by Queen Victoria to connect England and Scotland by rail; the Royal Tweed Bridge, which is the main road bridge and ‘Berwick Old Bridge’ commissioned by James the 1st. A fourth bridge, constructed in 1984, carries the A1 and the Berwick bypass from the south towards the Scottish Borders, Edinburgh, and beyond. Tweedmouth’s proximity to the constantly changing panorama of the River Tweed provides a wonderfully scenic backdrop visible from much of the parish. The whole area has a distinct maritime flavour. Located at the eastern edge of the Anglo-Scottish Border, the area has rich historical significance. The Romans forded the river here and later Irish saints and pilgrims passed through on their missionary journeys to and from the Holy Island of Lindisfarne and beyond. In the medieval period salmon fishing was a major industry. Although the industry has declined severely, today Tweedmouth is the only place on the Tweed where traditional commercial salmon netting is permitted. The river bank also provides an excellent vantage point for wildlife watching. Both locals and visitors enjoy seeing otters, seals and a wide variety of shoreline birds, depending on the season, including the country’s second largest colony of mute swans. Over the centuries Tweedmouth has evolved from being a hive of local industry, with adjacent housing and interspersed with town farms. It is now primarily residential with discrete areas devoted to industry and retail. This includes one of Berwick’s two industrial parks where Simpson’s Malt is a major employer. Our Victorian Dock, central to the busy Port of Berwick, is fully operational. There is provision to welcome cruise ship passengers there in the future. 5 Parishes of Tweedmouth, Spittal & Scremerston, Diocese of Newcastle, Parish Profile At the beginning of the 20th century Tweedmouth comprised three distinct villages, Ord, West End and Tweedmouth itself. Much of Ord, the western part of the parish, is still productive farmland. However, like much of the country between the wars there was an explosion of house building, converting both industrial and green field areas to a number of estates, each with its own particular character. Owner-occupation and social housing exist side by side throughout Tweedmouth. Population Tweedmouth’s 6,000 inhabitants occupy 2,650 households. This includes a wide range of socio- economic groups but includes areas of significant social deprivation. About 20% of the population are children; over 50% are over 45. Over 98% are of white ethnicity. 70% self-report as Christian and the remainder are mostly declared as “no religion” or are unstated. Generally, we have a somewhat disempowered economy as many are employed only on a seasonal basis or receive low wages. Education and Public Services This part of Northumberland operates a three-tier system of schooling. In the parish there are three first schools, two state and the Roman Catholic sponsored St Cuthbert’s. The first schools all have nursery provision and there are two private nurseries and a Sure Start project. Most pupils then attend Tweedmouth Middle School followed by Berwick Academy both of which sit at the border between Spittal and Tweedmouth Parishes. The Grove Special School caters for pupils of all ages from a wide area who have additional needs. Longridge Towers (just outside the parish) is a non-selective co-educational independent day and boarding school for children between the ages of three and eighteen at Middle Ord. There is a general practice surgery and two dental practices in Tweedmouth.

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