WIVELISCOMBE AND THE HILLS BENEFICE PROFILE 2018 SETTING THE SCENE – THE BENEFICE WHO ARE WE? With strong local allegiances, they need to be Welcome We are the United Benefice of Wiveliscombe and encouraged and nurtured, in order to feel more We are delighted that this profile has caught your the Hills, at the gateway to Exmoor just a few miles part of the wider benefice. This is another attention! We are praying for the right person to east of the Devon/Somerset border. The benefice challenge before us, where we need help. lead us into the next stages of our life as a benefice was established in 1993 when the town parish of and we ask you to consider prayerfully if you might Wiveliscombe was joined with “The Four Towers” be that person. of Chipstable, Raddington, Huish Champflower and Clatworthy. In 2009, Brompton Ralph and Tolland We are privileged to live in one of the most joined to make us the ‘Seven Towers’. beautiful and unspoilt parts of the West Country. There is an exceptional community spirit, both in AREAS OF GROWTH. the hills villages and in the friendly, lively town of St Andrew’s in particular has sought to make its Wiveliscombe. Here there are two good schools, a worship more inclusive, with the regular large number of local businesses. Many people worshippers increasing by about a third and the both live and work in the area. number of children involved more than doubling. Lay input has greatly expanded, with twenty The benefice consists of one quite small but participants in the CPAS ‘Growing Leaders’ course, growing town with six other rural parishes with a run from 2016-17. The church has been extensively total of nine places of worship. In this profile we reordered with the partial removal of box pews will try and explain what we have done so far to and the creation of attractive kitchen, toilet and make this work and what we see as the next steps. meeting areas. Involvement in small groups has grown from one group to seven, which meet at This benefice profile includes all information on least monthly. Charitable giving is also much each of the parishes. It is structured as below:- improved. Setting the Scene 1 – 8 WORK STILL TO DO All about Wivey 9 – 17 Although the congregation and the life of the All about the Hills 18 – 26 church in Wiveliscombe has grown in recent years, We seek 26 it still feels like ‘early days’ and there are the inevitable tensions between those who say ‘more, More information on the benefice can be found on faster’ and those who prefer more traditional our website www.wiveychurches.org.uk and a map ways. We need leadership and guidance here. It is can be found here http://www.my- not so obvious where is the potential for growth in towns.co.uk/wiveliscombe-map.html. the smaller, mainly older congregations in the hills. 1 WIVELISCOMBE AND THE HILLS BENEFICE PROFILE 2018 SETTING THE SCENE – THE BENEFICE For sports lovers there are thriving rugby, cricket Around Wivey and the hills…. and tennis clubs, plus badminton, karate, aerobics classes and a gym. There are Cubs, Scouts and The area enjoys a rich landscape of rolling hills and Guides groups, a selection of music groups for all farmland. It sits on and above the B3227 which ages, a Civic Society, Young Farmers, the ‘Cinema connects us to the county town of Taunton 10 Obscura’, the Wivey Walkers, the Horticultural miles to the east. Society, a Flower Club, Garden Club, Country Dance Club, WI, Rotary, Twining Society, the ‘Transition Town’ group and many others. COMMUNITY SPIRIT SHOPS This is much commented upon by locals and Brompton Ralph has a part time shop and post visitors alike. Where else do you find an outdoor office but otherwise the area’s shops congregate in community swimming pool, run since the 1920s by Wiveliscombe: these include two small volunteers and the ‘Wivey Link’ - a community supermarkets, a Post Office, Delicatessen, transport service run by volunteers. There is also a Pharmacy, butchers, a garage, petrol station, as Community office, run by the ‘Wiveliscombe Area well as charity, hardware, garden, antique and gift Partnership’. Every year the benefice is at the heart shops. of the ‘10 Parishes Festival’, a celebration of all Taunton has good shopping facilities and good rail that is creative and artistic in the wider There are several pubs, an Indian restaurant, connections. The M5 motorway is just 20 minutes community. There is a radio station ’10 radio’ and Chinese takeaway, fish and chip shop and a pizza away from where Cornwall and Devon are a simple local paper ‘The Messenger’. stall. There are two cafes and the newly opened drive away to the south, with Bristol being just an Duende restaurant. The town has an excellent new hour to the north. medical centre, a hairdresser’s, vets and a library. EMPLOYMENT The Hills parishes nestle in the Brendons, on the There is a surprisingly diverse range of high ground that circles Wiveliscombe from employment opportunities in the area and it could Tolland to the north around to Raddington in the be that as many people travel in from outside to west. The parishes are individual, largely self- work as do the reverse. There is of course farming sufficient, resilient and, whilst regular and rural sports, and also a number of small congregations may be smaller, there is strong local engineering firms, breweries, builders merchants, a commitment to the village churches. Most enjoy a reservoir, two schools, an old people’s home and a more traditional form of regular worship but the care home, the medical centre, Nursery and pre- PCC’s work hard to reach out to and are supported school, artists, and the shops and eating places. by their local communities, particularly with special services and fund-raising events. 2 WIVELISCOMBE AND THE HILLS BENEFICE PROFILE 2018 SETTING THE SCENE – THE BENEFICE SCHOOLS AND EDUCATION Pupils and adults treat each other with care and Wivey offers good local education from pre to respect and this encourages a positive learning Tone Deanery secondary school with outstanding higher and environment”. Kingsmead has a major new school further education being further afield in Taunton. building project in place to update and expand the Tone Deanery comprises five Benefices with the facilities. largest population centre being the town of The Paddocks Nursery and Pre School Wellington. Clergy Chapter meets regularly for The Paddocks Nursery and Pre School is on the site prayer and fellowship and to share ideas and other of the Children’s Centre built and opened in 2008. topics of mutual concern. It offers provision from 0 to 5 operating under the management of the primary school. The new incumbent is assured of a warm welcome from a supportive group of colleagues. Bath and Wiveliscombe Primary School Wells Diocese is currently giving greater emphasis to Wiveliscombe Primary School is housed in an the strategic role of deaneries in terms of mission attractive modernised Victorian building. It and deanery mission planning. currently has approximately 230 pupils and was described by a full Ofsted Inspection in June 2017 Tone Deanery has recently completed its deanery as GOOD. mission action plan which focuses on the following key areas: GROWTH Tight planning restrictions prevent much new • To invest in developing deanery networks to building in the villages. Wiveliscombe however as strengthen and support the mission and the third largest town in Taunton Deane has over ministry of the churches in the deanery 200 additional dwellings allocated for the next plan • To develop training resources, to nurture period up to 2028. spiritual and theologically informed lay leaders and to develop the understanding of every member ministry by identifying, developing and using the gifts of all our people. • To establish a pioneering culture across the Kingsmead Academy deanery to help us to reimagine ministry Kingsmead Academy has over 800 pupils. A full “placing mission and evangelism at the heart of Ofsted Inspection in 2017, which described the everything we do” school as GOOD, commented that “All members of the school are encouraged to aspire to achieve high targets...It was clear to inspectors that relationships throughout the school are strong. 3 WIVELISCOMBE AND THE HILLS BENEFICE PROFILE 2018 SETTING THE SCENE – THE BENEFICE We are supported by a number of local retired We also have three readers who serve the The Team ministers benefice: The benefice could not function without a much Rev Hugh Allen Martin Valuks larger team of church warden, retired clergy, lay Hugh works more "behind the Martin was baptised, confirmed scenes" mentoring, offering and married at St Andrews. He readers and active lay members. We also employ a spiritual direction, and has been licensed as a lay reader secretary to support the rector and the team. occasionally taking a service. He since 2001 and takes various has also taken groups on trips to services across the benefice. Israel and retreats . Rev Sue Green Vigdis Adams Sue was a member of the Vigdis was licensed in 2009, and congregation before being works across the benefice. Her ordained. She moved to the church background is very Blackdown Benefice to be Rector different, coming from but returned to Wivey and helps Norwegian Lutheran / lead services there. Pentecostal /Baptist origins. And also ……. Adam Green Rev David Hopley lives in Clatworthy and Adam has been a reader since helps take services there. 1979. He returned to Wivey and Revs. Margaret and Adrian Armstrong live in the Hills in 2015 and helps lead Some of our benefice church wardens: Front row: Brompton Ralph and regularly help take services in the Hills.