THE PARISHES OF

TWEEDMOUTH

SPITTAL

SCREMERSTON

Parish Profile 2019

1 Parishes of , Spittal & , , 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 as it approaches the , have worked closely together now for several years. Scremerston is based on its -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 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 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 , opened in 1850 by Queen Victoria to connect and 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, , 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 .

There is a general practice surgery and two dental practices in Tweedmouth. Berwick Infirmary across the river is open 24 hours for minor injuries and offers many ancillary services. The nearest large hospital with ground-breaking A&E provision is in Cramlington. General and excellent specialist care is in Wansbeck and Newcastle. Plans are in progress for a replacement building for the ageing Berwick Infirmary.

Residential Care Homes for older people are found at Tweedmouth House, Turret Villa and Hillside Lodge, including specialist dementia provision.

6 Parishes of Tweedmouth, Spittal & Scremerston, Diocese of Newcastle, Parish Profile Retail: Tweedmouth boasts a small retail park, an Asda and a Tesco, and the usual range of fast food outlets, pubs etc. The Garden Centre at East Ord provides another popular meeting and café venue. The Co-operative Funeral Care operates from premises in Main Street.

Leisure: The Swan Centre provides swimming and other facilities. Our main claim to fame sports- wise is Berwick Rangers, whose football ground is at and is the only English club (until very recently) to play in the Scottish Football League. Shielfield also hosts the Berwick Bandits Speedway Club. Tweedmouth has its own Bowling Club but we cross the Tweed for theatre and film at the Maltings. For its size Berwick has a remarkable number of other leisure opportunities.

Tweedmouth – the Church

Tweedmouth Church, Church Hall, and Vicarage

There has probably been a centre for Christian worship on this site since the 8th century.

The present church was built in 1783, within a churchyard which was closed in 1864. Originally dedicated to St Boisil, tutor to Cuthbert and Prior of Melrose, this dedication was lost and the church was known as St Bartholomew’s for many centuries, after St Bartholomew’s Leper Hospital in Spittal (which was then part of Tweedmouth Parish). In 1995 an opportunity came to reinstate St Boisil, so the church is now dedicated to St Bartholomew and St Boisil There is only one other church in the country dedicated to Boisil.

The building is in generally good order with an historic Georgian gallery and a chancel added in Victorian times.

Recently the organ was removed from the transept, which has opened up a large space with great potential for development. There are well-worked-through plans and feasibility studies designed to maximise the potential of this space, perhaps by adding a new entrance with disabled access, and even including an extra floor. A disabled toilet has recently been installed in the tower vestibule whereas previously it was necessary to cross to the church hall.

The church hall is opposite the church, across a public road, built on the site of an old tithe barn. It features disabled access and modern facilities, a large meeting area, an upper room for smaller meetings, and a modern fitted kitchen. It is used on weekdays by the Rascals private nursery, bringing in a useful regular income to the church.

7 Parishes of Tweedmouth, Spittal & Scremerston, Diocese of Newcastle, Parish Profile Tweedmouth Vicarage is a large Victorian 4-bedroomed detached house less than two minutes’ walk from the church, with sufficient reception rooms to provide a study and a large secure garden.

Unusually the Parish of Tweedmouth, for historic reasons, elects four churchwardens - two for Tweedmouth and two to represent Ord (which has never had its own church). Each warden has a specific and manageable area of responsibility.

Tweedmouth’s Congregation

In recent years Tweedmouth Parish Church has become well known for its Bible-based teaching, and this remains an essential part of our services. This attracts visitors and incomers. Historically the ethos of the church is ‘low’ with an emphasis on the Eucharist. Our present congregation is an eclectic mix of local residents and incomers. Some are new to faith, others are life-long Anglicans and yet others come from a variety of other church backgrounds including non- conformist and charismatic. Our varied programme of regular services reflects our diverse church community, and the PCC hopes that a new incumbent would value this rich diversity and encourage everyone in their personal spiritual development and deepen our communal life in Christ. An important element of this would be to develop stronger pastoral care within the congregation.

Services at Tweedmouth

A variety of services are offered to reflect our diverse church community.

Morning Services 10 am - 1st Sunday All Age; 2nd Sunday Holy Communion, 3rd Sunday Morning Praise, 4th Sunday Holy Communion with Testimony

Evening Service 2nd Sunday - 4pm Café Church (once a quarter), or 6pm Modern Evening Service The evening services are increasingly being led by both lay and ordained team members.

Wednesdays 10 am Holy Communion gives opportunity to those who work at weekends. It is greatly appreciated by a small faithful congregation and often led by local retired priests.

All the above are supplemented by special seasonal services as appropriate.

Over the last three years there have been 24 baptisms, 6 weddings, and 101 funerals.

Prayer at Tweedmouth

A robust prayer life undergirds all we do and are at Tweedmouth. As well as private and personal prayer we have Monday early morning prayers in church and a monthly meeting in a private home. There is a confidential prayer chain which communicates requests of a personal nature, specifically involving health and family issues.

In addition to the intercessions offered during public worship, we are committed to the quarterly POTSS prayer events at St John’s Spittal and this was particularly evident in the numbers volunteering to pray throughout the 24/7 “Thy Kingdom Come” Prayer Initiative.

8 Parishes of Tweedmouth, Spittal & Scremerston, Diocese of Newcastle, Parish Profile Children and young people’s work In Tweedmouth Parish we have Sunday School on the middle Sundays of each month, while on other Sundays there is an All Age Service and Creative Church (at Spittal).

Schools attend church for seasonal services and the clergy regularly lead assemblies in schools. Members of the congregation run ‘Birds of Pray’, an after-school club at Prior Park School

In late 2018 a small team began to present Open the Book in two First Schools, with the possibility of other schools in the area becoming involved. The initial response has been very enthusiastic from both pupils and staff. We hope to expand this work soon in partnership with other local churches.

Fellowship and Hospitality

A variety of events are arranged with the aim of maintaining and developing relationships within the church family, our sister churches, and the surrounding communities. The major events in the Tweedmouth calendar are

 the Maundy Thursday Holy Communion and Supper for the three parishes  the Salmon Feast in July, the date of which was historically set by the Vicar of Tweedmouth – now the third Sunday. We welcome civic dignitaries and the Salmon Queen to the service with lunch following.  the Creative Church BBQ at which Tweedmouth folk cater to allow Spittal people to provide the activities  the Harvest Supper which is held in Spittal in October

Other events include soup lunches, quiz evenings with fish and chip supper, and bring and share meals after services. In 2019 we are starting a quarterly Womens’ Prayer Breakfast.

Mission beyond the parish

A craft group meets weekly on church premises, creating articles for distribution to mission charities in Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa.

We provide prayer and financial support to a German family working in Ethiopia with SIL International, a worldwide Christian non-profit organisation whose main purpose is to study and document less well-known languages and translate the Bible into them.

The PCC hopes to encourage increased missional awareness in the congregation, whether at a diocesan, national or international level.

Mission locally

The dedication of our church reminds us that God has been powerfully at work in this region for hundreds of years.

Our hope is to build on the powerful mission legacy of Irish Christianity – with its vision of healing and wholeness for individuals and communities. Already, some congregation members are

9 Parishes of Tweedmouth, Spittal & Scremerston, Diocese of Newcastle, Parish Profile actively involved in community affairs as a way of taking Christ’s presence beyond the church walls.

Some have been challenged to support economically deprived folk through channels such as Food Bank and other voluntary organisations. Other see their places of work as their ‘mission front line.’

Whilst wanting to encourage all these people we acknowledge that as a congregation we face the challenges of reaching out and connecting with our local community as currently relatively few are drawn from the major housing estates of the town. When we take realistic soundings, we find that many families have lived in this area for several generations. They fiercely regard Tweedmouth Church as their “church” but usually only attend for baptisms, weddings and funerals. Many remember well the more colourful Vicars from the past with affection but gave up church-going when they grew too old for Sunday School or passed through confirmation. Local employment patterns often involve 4-day working cycles or regular Sunday working.

We are increasingly conscious that we cannot rely on the ‘come to us and we will help you find God’ approach. We need to be prepared to take risks and venture with confidence and love into the world around us. We don’t lack the desire to reach out to others, but we are looking to become more skilful and focussed in the task of mission, and for this we need leadership of a very special kind.

Summary

Tweedmouth Church is a welcoming Bible-based fellowship looking to grow in faith, worship, and mission.

Building on our present foundations, we look to become a vibrant and worshipping community involved in the life of the whole parish, enabling people to explore faith and grow as followers of Jesus and to find within our fellowship acceptance, love, and care.

10 Parishes of Tweedmouth, Spittal & Scremerston, Diocese of Newcastle, Parish Profile

St. John’s Parish Profile

St John’s Church and Spittal: A Brief History

The village of Spittal takes its name from a medieval leper hospital, which was known as St Bartholomew’s and administered by an Augustinian foundation, situated near the estuary of the River Tweed. It was originally part of Tweedmouth parish where villagers attended worship.

By the mid-nineteenth century, Spittal consisted of two main streets: one narrow, and one wide enough to allow for a railway line running down its middle to the pier. Surrounding the village was waste land, a gas company, an iron foundry, boat building and fishermen’s yards, and herring-curing shiels. Prime attractions for summer visitors were Spittal’s spa waters and beach. It was also a reputed smugglers’ haunt!

In the 1800’s the resident population of 1,850 experienced a strong sense of religious revival. Anglican ‘Spittlers’ had begun holding services in a local stable loft, hoping to have their own church building. A start was made in 1846 to achieve this, and in 1867 the parish church of St John The Evangelist was licensed for worship, although it remained part of the parish of St Bartholomew, Tweedmouth until 1873. Its distinctive tower was eventually added in 1894.

The wall spaces on the north side of the nave displayed four large tablets with inscriptions in : “I have loved the habitation of thine house, and the place where thine honour dwelleth.” “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise.” “Mine house shall be called the house of prayer.” “Blessed are they that hear the word of God and keep it.”

In 2000 a substantial programme of re-structuring was undertaken, creating a new kitchen, toilet and vestry, as well as a new community room - “The Mercers’ Room”- named after the church’s main patrons, The Mercers Company. Following the retirement of a full-time stipendiary priest in 2002, the vicarage has been occupied by non- stipendiary house-for-duty assistant priests to the benefice.

Mercers’ Room Window

11 Parishes of Tweedmouth, Spittal & Scremerston, Diocese of Newcastle, Parish Profile

Spittal: Today

Spittal is a sizeable seaside development consisting of the old village, which presents a ribbon development along Main Street, and is overlooked by two late 1960’s housing estates: Highcliffe and Eastcliffe. Its current adult population is 2,840. The LNER Main Line Railway separates the estates from Lower Spittal village. Housing is a good mix of private and social housing, with a proportion of holiday homes and a caravan site in Lower Spittal. New homes are currently being constructed, and a future development planned at Spittal Point.

Spittal Point: View from Highcliffe Estate

The schools include: Spittal First Community School, with its own attached nursery; Spittal Day Nursery (private); Tweedmouth Middle School, which serves both Spittal and Tweedmouth, and Berwick Academy. Spittal has one Residential Home, three pubs, one shop in the village and one on the estates which also have a large community hall. The whole area is serviced by regular bus routes into Berwick and the supermarkets. Although the salmon and herring fishing industry has declined, a variety of local businesses have replaced it, some of which are long established such as Fortes family ice-cream and Martins the printers. Spittal also has a newly opened bakery and there are several B& B’s and holiday outlets. Main Street outside St John’s

12 Parishes of Tweedmouth, Spittal & Scremerston, Diocese of Newcastle, Parish Profile

A Developing Community

The RNLI is central to Spittal’s identity. However, this is a community which continues to expand its links with the sea. Thus, there is the popular Spittal Sailing Club; and the opening of the old Salmon Shiel as a summer visitors’ centre. Whether you are a local or a visitor you are sure to be greeted warmly as you stroll along the prom, or along the beautiful beach where many local children play, watching out for dolphins and seals. For cyclists and walkers, the cliff path out of Spittal leads on down the Northumberland coastal route to Holy Island.

Locals enjoy the Bowling Club and youngsters enjoy the Berwick Rangers Junior League on the school pitch in Main Street. Spittal Improvement Trust is very committed to promoting local activities, including their annual summer “Tea in the Park” festivity with music, and the two- day August Seaside Festival. Along with their funding of local interest items: calendar, cookery book etc, the Trust maintains a high standard of care for the flower beds and gardens of Lower Spittal, winning a prestigious gold medal from Northumberland in Bloom in 2018. Trust members also liaise with the District Wildlife Group and Northumberland Coastal Conservation, to maintain the local maritime environment.

St John’s Church: Today

St John’s, which is joined in a plurality with St. Peter’s Scremerston, has a small, but very faithful congregation. Members enjoy a central churchmanship. The Sunday morning pattern of worship alternates Holy Communion and Morning Prayer accompanied by the organist or, if unavailable, by CD.

Mid-week, the congregation can join Tweedmouth Parish at their Wednesday morning Holy Communion. We hold invitational Songs of Praise services for the community, four times a year, focusing on traditional well-known hymns and songs for Easter, Sea Sunday, Harvest and Christmas. Berwick Academy Year groups also attend their annual Christmas Carol service at St John’s. The vicar and team are invited into the First School and Day Nursery at Harvest, Remembrance and Christmas.

13 Parishes of Tweedmouth, Spittal & Scremerston, Diocese of Newcastle, Parish Profile

There have been 31 baptisms, 9 weddings and 41 funerals at St John’s in the past three years. At the back of the nave by the font, there are framed lists naming those baptised in the church, and there are also occasional requests for baptism in the sea.

Bishop Steven & Baptism Candidate

We enjoy offering hospitality with refreshments after special services, and meals for Creative (Messy) Church, which we have been running once per month for the past eight years. Numbers of children vary from 15 upwards. This climaxes in the popular “Instant Nativity” on Christmas Eve. At the back of the beautiful and inspiring nave is a dedicated Prayer Space offering a themed approach for prayers throughout the year. We also host prayer vigils here, for all three churches in the Benefice, with prayer stations and sometimes music. These include twenty four-hour prayer at Pentecost for “Thy Kingdom Come”.

Recent developments include a Thursday morning “Coffee and Chat” drop in for Carers, with a supervised Toddler area, which is manned by St John’s and Tweedmouth Parish volunteers. Coffee and Chat hosts a special session at Christmas and Easter, and some of the mums now attend a fledgling “Stepping Stones” group, to explore general and spiritual topics. We are also hoping that the re-booted youth group which meets fortnightly at Spittal Vicarage will continue to thrive, with the assistance of a part-time youth worker (January- July 2019). Meanwhile the Benefice continues to advertise for a full-time worker. A small Spittal Men’s Discussion Group and a Men’s Bible Study Group both meet fortnightly in the Vicarage. Some of the congregation have also begun to enjoy an occasional afternoon social event there.

Hospitality Setting up for Coffee & Chat

14 Parishes of Tweedmouth, Spittal & Scremerston, Diocese of Newcastle, Parish Profile A Developing Vision

Community Hub: We would like to serve the community (both the village and the estates) as a hub. We feel envisioned to offer services where there may be gaps in the existing provisions, and where there are recognizable social needs. This could only be done through developing our existing community ties, especially with Sure Start, the local schools, anti-bullying programme, adult learning etc. Research will be needed among the older members of the community, to assess any felt need for companionship and a warm lunch. We aim to continue building our relations with families attending Creative Church. However, there does appear to be an unacknowledged spiritual need among many non-church goers, because a notable feature of St. John’s is the number of them who are attracted by its beautiful sanctuary and want to get married here. In addition, many locals regard it as “their church” requesting it for baptisms and funerals. We would like to see a collaborative approach to pastoral care developed to follow up such diversity of needs across many aspects of community life.

Wi-Fi: The County Councillor regularly holds her surgery in our Mercers Room with its adjoining kitchen. Installing Wi-Fi in the church would offer improved facilities, hopefully attracting other individuals and groups needing a meeting space in the community.

Gardens: These are extensive and beautiful having been tended for years by church members. A group of volunteers from Tweedmouth and the community now keep them tidy as a three-stage plan is developed. First, to establish a peace garden at the back of the church. Second, to develop a wild garden (for which the local school and nursery have expressed an interest.) Third, to possibly offer a memorial area as there is no such benefit for Spittal locals. Grant Gardens development applications have been submitted for this process.

PCC Hopes

The PCC hopes that St John’s would attract a priest who would actively encourage our existing community ties, and develop them more extensively in the estates, as well as share our vision for developing the church as a community hub. As children and youth work form an integral part of the ministry here, we would want to see that strongly promoted, along with building on foundations already laid in the schools. We believe we need a priest who would work collaboratively with lay people to deliver pastoral care in the church and the community, and who would be resilient yet flexible with the social dynamics of a community in this Borders area. The PCC values maintaining the churchmanship of St John’s, within the diversity of a United

15 Parishes of Tweedmouth, Spittal & Scremerston, Diocese of Newcastle, Parish Profile Benefice, and hopes for a priest who would discern people’s spiritual needs and help them deepen their spiritual lives.

Sunrise over Spittal Point from the River Tweed

16 Parishes of Tweedmouth, Spittal & Scremerston, Diocese of Newcastle, Parish Profile Scremerston Parish Profile

The Village

Scremerston is a village situated on the north-east coast of England in the county of Northumberland. It is about 3 miles south of Berwick upon Tweed and adjacent to the busy AI Newcastle to Edinburgh route. Originally this road passed through the village and the church of St Peter stands beside it.

Popular Cocklawburn Beach lies on the eastern edge of the parish, a wonderful place to visit for long, windswept walks, or to admire the big, open sky and beautiful seascapes. On clear days it is possible to see Holy Island and Bamburgh Castle to the south. As well as walkers, and families who come to explore the sand and rockpools exposed at low tide, this beach is enjoyed by wild life enthusiasts and surfers. Consequently, Scremerston attracts numbers of visitors, especially in the summer months.

Nowadays the chief use of the land is agricultural, but in the past there was also a thriving coal- mining industry here. The last pit closed in the 1960s: however, those links are not forgotten, and the church and churchyard are full of reminders of those days.

Scremerston supports a population of around 600 souls, occupying about 245 properties. Some are old pit houses, but most are houses and bungalows erected since the 1930s and arranged in compact estates. There is a retirement housing complex, Armstrong Court, built in 1974 and consisting of 28 dwellings.

In Scremerston rates about 30% of the population are under the age of 30 and 21% over 65. Almost all are of white ethnicity. Two thirds would describe themselves as Christian with the rest either ‘no religion’ or left unstated. There is a strong sense of community. In the village.

Scremerston First School caters for around 75 children, 6.6% of which receive free school meals. At the age of 9 the children move on to Berwick Middle School and follow on to Berwick

17 Parishes of Tweedmouth, Spittal & Scremerston, Diocese of Newcastle, Parish Profile Academy at 13. There is a small community room at the school and a nursery school, Lucky Ducks.

There is a Kingdom Hall of the Jehovah’s Witnesses here.

Scremerston has some self-catering holiday accommodation, and at Borewell Farm there is ‘Pot a Doodle Do’, a centre for camping and ‘glamping’ holidays, with a restaurant and craft activities for children nearby.

Berwick Rugby Club has its pitch and premises in Scremerston.

Scremerston is well supported by its association with Ancoft Parish Council. (Until 10 years ago Scremerston Church was in Ecclesiastical Parish, hence the link.)

The Church of St Peter, Scremerston

The cockerel adorning the spire of St Peter’s can be seen from all over the village. The church is Grade II listed, built in 1842-43 in the Early English Style. In recent years there have been several improvements to its facilities: a number of pews and the decaying organ have been removed, allowing the provision of a generous dais for worship leading, a kitchenette and spacious social areas near the entrance, and a toilet in the vestry. Much of the floor has been carpeted. However, the building is very damp and frequently cold, so is much in need of an effective heating system. Finances are available, and plans are advancing to install a new system during 2019.

There is an extensive churchyard which is nearly full.

The church is much loved and valued by its community. The usual Sunday congregation is steady at about 18 with a slight increase for the monthly Family Service. Folks come in larger numbers to the festivals especially Remembrance Sunday

There is a service every Sunday (two Holy Communions, a Morning Prayer service and a Family Service each month). One of these is an evening Holy Communion which also attracts members from our sister churches in Spittal and Tweedmouth. Over the last three years there have been 5 baptisms, 2 weddings, and 21 funerals at Scremerston. The school brings its pupils three times a year for seasonal services and at the end of each term. There is an after-school church club, Messy Monday, with an average of 16 attendees.

Due to an increase in contributing membership and support from The Mercers’ Company for capital projects we are financially stable.

18 Parishes of Tweedmouth, Spittal & Scremerston, Diocese of Newcastle, Parish Profile The church is open every day and there are coffee mornings and other activities from time to time throughout the year, including our ‘Knit and Knatter ‘group, which has met for some years and doubled in size during 2018. Over 20 church and non-church members are equally represented.

The community is very supportive of the church. It is the only public building of any size in the village: recent discussions have indicated that people are looking forward to being able to use our premises more often once the heating has been improved

Our vision for the future

There is much to encourage our congregation as we look to the future of our parish.

We seek to build on the solid community links already existing. We have put a number of measures in place in recent years, all designed to make our church a comfortable and welcoming space. We are very excited at the prospect of being able to make it reliably warm and involving the community in as many projects and plans as possible. The new heating system is being installed this summer and should become operational during Autumn 2019.

Naturally we are looking to continue to build on the modest increase in regular attendance of the past year or so. We hope to become more and more confident in sharing both our space, our faith, and our love for God and each other Cocklawburn beach with those amongst whom we live.

We look for a parish priest who will faithfully support us in these our hopes and dreams.

19 Parishes of Tweedmouth, Spittal & Scremerston, Diocese of Newcastle, Parish Profile

Finance Information for the three parishes

FINANCE REPORT FOR TWEEDMOUTH

General (Unrestricted) Fund

INCOME 2018 2017 £ £ Tax Efficient Planned Giving 19,524 19,140 Other Planned Giving 3,545 2,593 Other Giving and Collections at Services 3,959 5,226 Income Tax Recovered 6,075 5,998 Statutory fees. Weddings, Funerals 2,246 2,875 Other Income 1,028 1,220 Legacy 15,000 - 51,377 37,052

EXPENSES 2018 2017 £ £ Mission Giving 850 7,193 Parish Share 17,100 16,658 Clergy and Vicarage Costs 2,544 2,340 Regular Running Costs 7,127 5,693 Utility Bills 3,095 2,523 Major Repairs 4,428 - Audit Fee 300 Other Expenses - 32 35,444 34,468 Net Movement 15,933 2,584

Restricted Funds:

INCOME less EXPENSES 2018 2017 £ £ Church Fabric (8,304) 5,619 Hall 6,772 9,308 Youth Projects 3,153 6,650 Youth Worker 3,180 5,572 Other Restricted Funds (278) 2,986 4,523 30,135

The finances of the church are in quite a healthy position with income being sufficient to cover general expenses. Funds required for general running of the Church mainly come from direct giving by the congregation. Separate restricted funds are maintained for other church activities and more major repairs, and these are funded by a mix of funds both internally from the church and externally from grants. Recently grants have been obtained for the employment of a youth worker for a 3 year period.

20 Parishes of Tweedmouth, Spittal & Scremerston, Diocese of Newcastle, Parish Profile

FINANCE REPORT FOR SPITTAL

General (Unrestricted) Fund

INCOME 2018 2017 £ £ Tax Efficient Planned Giving 3,976 2,814 Other Planned Giving 1,523 1,624 Other Giving and Collections at Services 3,294 2,597 Income Tax Recovered 1,673 2,085 Statutory fees. Weddings, Funerals 1,739 1,515 Other Income 724 144 12,929 10,779

EXPENSES 2018 2017 £ £ Parish Share 8,550 8,329 Major Repairs 1782 554 Regular Running Costs 791 4,243 Utility Bills 1,352 1,715 Other Expenses 127 425 12,602 15,266 Net movement 327 (4,487)

Restricted Funds:

INCOME less EXPENSES 2018 2017 £ £ Restricted Funds 7.255 5,573

The income of the church from the congregation is insufficient to cover general expenses however the church is generously funded by the Mercers, and this income enables the church to broadly break-even. Separate restricted funds are maintained for other church activities and more major repairs, and these are funded by a mix of funds both internally from the church and externally from grants.

21 Parishes of Tweedmouth, Spittal & Scremerston, Diocese of Newcastle, Parish Profile

FINANCE REPORT FOR SCEMERSTON

General (Unrestricted) Fund

Income 2018 2017

Tax Efficient Planned Giving £2,844.00 £1,350.00 Other Planned Giving £1,520.00 £1,146.00 Other Giving at Services £1,992.00 £1,116.00 Income Tax Recovered £1,161.00 £1,156.00 Statutory Fees Weddings, £1,005.00 £1,324.00 Funerals Other Income £0.00 £0.00 Total £8,522.00 £6,092.00

Expenses 2018 2017

Parish Share £5,991.00 £5,836.00 Expenses £874.00 £498.00 Church Running Costs £1,276.00 £481.00 Total £8,141.00 £6,815.00 Net Movement £381.00 -£723.00

Restricted Funds Income Less Expenses £109,202.00 £9,543.00

Unrestricted funds have improved in the past year due to new and increased giving, we are still dependent on the Mercers who give us annual grants to help with insurance and costs for the upkeep of the churchyard and building. They have given us a very generous grant this year to help pay for a new heating system and improvements to the church building which will encourage the villagers to use the church for events such as coffee mornings and other social groups which will help raise income.

22 Parishes of Tweedmouth, Spittal & Scremerston, Diocese of Newcastle, Parish Profile