[Type the company name] [Pick the date] [Edition 1, Volume 1] HOLY CROSS CHURCH, & ST CUTHBERT’S CHURCH, GREENHEAD

OUR CHURCH PROFILE 2019

OUR SHARED MISSION STATEMENT IS THAT

Our Church is a place of love and learning, of holiness and hospitality, of friendliness and fellowship, of mission and outreach and a place of generosity and goodness.

TOGETHER WE CAN AND WITH GOD’S HELP WE WILL

CONTENTS

Our profile has been written in two Sections. Section 1 relates to Holy Cross Church at Haltwhistle and Section 2 relates to St Cuthbert’s Church at Greenhead. The Welcome letter is from the teams at both churches.

SECTION 1 – HOLY CROSS CHURCH

 Location of Holy Cross within the Benefice.  Welcome letter  Our beginnings and our Christian journey  The church building, the graveyard and the Vicarage  The Parish of Haltwhistle – Location, facilities and people  The Church Community  Our new Vicar  Where we are at the present time  Next steps– our mission statement, our core values and our vision for the future. APPENDIX  End of year accounts - financial year ending 31 December 2018.

TOGETHER WE CAN AND WITH GOD’S HELP WE WILL

OUR BENEFICE

Holy Cross, Haltwhistle & St Cuthbert’s Greenhead

HALTWHISTLE: Post Town is HALTWHISTLE POSTCODE DISTRICT is NE49 DIALLING CODE is 01434

 Haltwhistle, which has existed since Roman Times is a small town and civil parish in , 36 miles west of Newcastle and 21 miles east of , near Hadrian’s Wall.  The 2011 Census shows a population of 3811. Haltwhistle maintains an active Town Council which has succeeded in making a number of local improvements.  The town is in the parliamentary constituency of .  Haltwhistle railway station is on the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway known as the .  Haltwhistle parish comprises the townships of Bellister, Coanwood (East), Featherstone, Haltwhistle, Melkridge and .

TOGETHER WE CAN AND WITH GOD’S HELP WE WILL

Welcome to the parish profile

Of Holy Cross and St Cuthbert’s Churches

Thank you for your interest in Holy Cross Church, Haltwhistle and St Cuthbert’s Church Greenhead. The first section of this Profile will focus on Holy Cross and the latter on St Cuthbert’s. Whilst the Churches are quite different in many ways, they are very supportive of each other and produce a joint monthly Magazine and have two joint PCC meetings each year. They are currently working together on a new website.

The Benefice is seeking an incumbent who is a good communicator who is able to relate to people of all ages. They should be an active presence in the Parish, ready to accept the challenges of a rural community and able to lead change where required. It is essential for the appointee to be a collaborative team player who is able to nurture and affirm the talents and contributions of others. We are keen and expect to see further growth in numbers as well as depth of personal discipleship and we are frustrated that we have not been able to achieve more. In essence we are looking for a vicar who will help us to build on what we have already achieved, help us to meet new challenges and move to the next phase of our journey.

As you take the time to read and digest this document, we hope you will gain some small insight into the challenges and huge possibilities that both our churches have to offer a new incumbent. We also hope you will be inspired to find out more!

Best wishes from the teams at Holy Cross and St Cuthbert’s

TOGETHER WE CAN AND WITH GOD’S HELP WE WILL

OUR HISTORY Our Christian journey …

Our story begins

Huatweutl (the high place between the two waters – the The next 300 Tippalt and Haltwhistle Burn) is situated in the Tyne Gap – years… the link between east and west sides of the North which The Border Country was had been created when the glaciers on the High Pennines formed the overtaken by plagues, South Tyne and flowed north until it hit the hard rock of the Whincill Border Reivers and religious and turned east to flow into the sea. It is also where the pre-Roman conflicts – Bishop Ridley from Willimoteswick was Maidenway (the road that brought lead out of the North Pennines) burnt at the stake by Bloody meets the Ulster to Tyneside Stanegate – the itinerant preachers’ road Mary for his Protestant which runs parallel to Hadrian’s Wall. The road was probably used beliefs and in the 1580’s by St Patrick, St Cuthbert and St Paulinus who would camp and Haltwhistle was razed to the preach at gatherings at Bewcastle and Simonburn and maybe ground by the Armstrongs Haltwhistle. in a feud with the Ridleys. The town featured in a KEY FACT number of border tales the While there is evidence of Christian gatherings on this route most famous being “The during the Roman occupation there is also evidence of pre- Fray of Haltwhistle 1597” th Christian burials in the 7 Century in the valley just north of The Jacobean period Haltwhistle at Wydon Eals. brought some peace and many of the farms and Between the dark ages and And our Story continues …. Bastles up the valley were Medieval times cross border relations were reasonable and farming quite improved. prosperous. Haltwhistle grew into an important centre where the surrounding population could exchange goods and small businesses In the 17th and 18th Centuries developed including woollen products. King John considered it important Haltwhistle isolated itself enough to grant a charter to hold a market and shortly after this the monks from the Cromwellian Civil of Arbroath built the church. This peaceful period was destroyed by War and ‘15 and ‘45 Jacobite Edward (the Hammer of the Scots). He spent about 6 months with his Rebellions. retinue at Lanercost in 1312 (on his way he stopped at Braidley Farm) taking much of the produce of the farms in the Tyne Gap to feed his army). A lot of new farms were developed out of the Enclosure Acts during the prosperous years of the Napoleonic Wars and it is noticeable that a number of farms were named after Napoleonic War Battles.

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MORE RECENT HALTWHISTLE’S MAIN PERIOD OF GROWTH TIMES …

This came with the railways in the 1850’s which enabled the Haltwhistle Until 1960 the main coal and North Pennine lead to be sold to a wider industrially provider of housing was developing world the local council with very little private housing. After 1960 there was an RESTORATION OF THE CHURCH increase in the provision of In 1870 Haltwhistle’s prosperity enabled the whole church to private housing by local builders. be restored including new stained glass windows by William

Morris. NOW … The town is becoming increasingly dependent on Haltwhistle’s central position in the Border’s growing railway network tourism and is a commuter enabled a number of farming and textile suppliers to thrive. town for people working in The Great Depression of the 1920’s closed many of the mines and Carlisle, Hexham and caused 50% unemployment for a time but Alston’s led mines had Newcastle. encouraged paint and varnish manufacture and grey paint for the Navy Information in the county was in great demand during the 30s in the build up to the Second Council development plan World War. Haltwhistle’s remoteness during the war encouraged other says that: wartime industry and since the war, quarrying Hadrian’s Wall’s Whincill, has been forbidden. The town has also benefitted from industries which There has been no need unpolluted air. increase in the population The Second World War brought Kilfrost to the town. A strategic in recent years and we industry, manufacturing antifreeze, brought here from London to avoid have the lowest number of under 15s in the county. the bombing. Post war there has been many changes, new factories have opened and the high street has survived. Small enterprises have There has been a growing started up. number of retired people The town council has 12 members and is the local government body for moving into the town. the civil parish. The partnership was set up to access charitable funding for Haltwhistle and District and has representatives from local councils and organisations.

TOGETHER WE CAN AND WITH GOD’S HELP WE WILL

HOLY CROSS CHURCH BUILDINGS

Background - There is sound documentary evidence to show that Christian worship has taken place in Haltwhistle for the past 800 years but as you will see from reading our Christian journey there are indications that it goes back much further.

When the church was built it would have been a bare shell with rushes on the floor, and possibly benches along the walls for the infirm or elderly. It is a fine example of early 13th century architecture. Indeed Holy Cross is such a fine, beautiful and interesting building that it has Grade 1 listing. Its importance lies in it being of one style built in one period.

Some interesting features of Holy Cross: The nave and aisles make the main body of the church into a square and the chancel is disproportionately long in comparison with the nave. In Jacobean times box pews were installed for the local gentry. In 1870 Haltwhistle’s prosperity enabled the whole church to be restored and Robert Johnson an architect from Newcastle was appointed to carry out a major restoration. The oak pews were replaced by pitch pine; the stone parapet to the nave was removed and the west wall rebuilt and the roof replaced. By this time the rich and influential were much in favour of stained glass as a fitting memorial and hence stained glass windows by the William Morris Company were included in the restoration. These were based on designs by Burne Jones, Madox Brown, Philip Webb and Charles Kempe. Where the vestry is now was once the main entrance to the church rather than the present south door. Visitors are also much intrigued by the font which dates from the 17th century. The carving on it looks quite primitive and not very well executed. The water stoup located by the vestry door is the oldest object in the church. There are various theories as to its origin and it remains a mystery. We now keep holy water in it! There are also many interesting memorials and gravestones dotted around inside the church.

Changes - In 2010 the west end of the church was reordered to provide toilet facilities and a kitchen. It proved to be a challenging project as many wanted the church to remain as it was. However the changes were managed well and the work carried. The facilities and the opportunities they now provide have confirmed that this was a positive change and is widely accepted as such. It is used by the Mothers’ Union for weekly soup lunches for the community and it is also used for light refreshments following services. It is now available for hire for meetings or small gatherings. Hadrian Singers our local choir meet in the church every week and they also hold their Annual Meeting there.

TOGETHER WE CAN AND WITH GOD’S HELP WE WILL

The Graveyard –Surrounding the church is a well-kept graveyard with many ancient stones which the local history society has mapped and listed in a file kept in church. The wooden/stone shed by the main gate is where the hearse was kept many years ago. The local Council maintains the grounds of the church.

The gravestones can be found around the church grounds as can be seen in the photographs.

The Vicarage – Further west along Eden’s Lawn is the Vicarage. It is a semi- detached, 3- storey house, set in its own grounds with a garage and space to park at least 2 cars.

On the ground floor there is a south facing lounge overlooking the garden, a separate dining room and a kitchen. All the rooms have high ceilings. The study has its own entrance and can be quite separate from the main rooms but is still accessible. Below stairs are cellars. The two upper floors house 4 bedrooms, 2 toilets and one bathroom and shower. There is also a toilet attached to the study. The house is in good decorative order. Vehicular access is from a side road off the main street and there are open views across the countryside from the south facing windows and the garden. The photograph of the Vicarage top right shows the south facing side of the house as does the garden photograph to the left of it. The top left photograph shows the side of the house leading past the study area down to the main house and garden.

TOGETHER WE CAN AND WITH GOD’S HELP WE WILL

THE PARISH OF HALTWHISTLE

The Centre of Britain

… Background information THE TOWN AND Holy Cross Church is situated in Haltwhistle, West which has a SURROUNDING population of 4000 approximately and includes around 900 under eighteens. AREA: This population is predominantly white British with a small number of other ethnic groups. It is a small market town, between the major centres of Haltwhistle Railway Carlisle (25 miles west) and Newcastle (36 miles east). Communication and Station commuting are excellent as we have an hourly bus service east and west and a similar train service. We are situated just off the A69.

Haltwhistle Market Place

HALTWHISTLE BURN

Local industries now consist of haulage contractors, a plastics factory, Kilfrost and tourism together a variety of smaller shops. There are a number of small businesses on local industrial estates. Half day closing, Wednesday and Saturday still applies here. There is a strong farming community in the surrounding rural areas of the town. Haltwhistle is known as “The Centre of Britain” and is very definitely ‘The Gateway to Hadrian’s Wall’ with a very popular Walking Festival. There are 2 hotels, a number of guest houses and a Tourist Information Centre. We are within easy reach of Hadrian’s Wall and some magnificent walking country at the west end of the very beautiful Tyne Valley.

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THE PEOPLE OF HALTWHISTLE CHURCH ACTIVITIES WITHIN THE We asked the Haltwhistle community how they would describe COMMUNITY OPEN TO themselves to someone new to the area and this is what they said – EVERYONE … “Haltwhistle is one community. It is a rural, friendly, caring and close community but not an especially church-going one. However it is very WEEKLY: supportive of the church and works hard for good causes. The church -Monday morning prayer congregation work hard to maintain a meaningful Christian Anglican group. -Wednesday soup lunches. presence in the town. Haltwhistle is very welcoming but it can be cautious of new people and take time to get to know them.” MONTHLY: -Messy church

FACILITIES IN HALTWHISTLE -Coffee mornings -100 club draw. -Variety of small shops and two supermarkets. -Distribution of Magazine -Bank and Building Society Outlook supported by local -Library businesses. -Leisure Centre with outdoor swimming pool.

-Pubs, hotels and guest houses. THROUGHOUT THE YEAR: -Cafes -Summer and Christmas -Garage Fayres. -Medical Centre -Concerts -Newly built community hospital. -Afternoon Tea. -Nursery and primary school.

-Hourly bus service to Carlisle and Newcastle. COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES IN - with regular services to Carlisle and Newcastle HALTWHISTLE:

-Monthly over 60s luncheon A little more detail: The newly built hospital retains the name of the original War club. Memorial Hospital which was part of the town’s memorial to those who died in the First World War. -Weekly community drop in.

-Youth club strongly Primary education is provided at both Haltwhistle First and Middle supported by the Town school who joined the Wise (We inspire success and excellence) Council and the Academy group in September 2018. Currently West Partnership. Northumberland (including Haltwhistle) is still in the 3 tier system but will convert back to 2-tier from September 2019. At that time -Weekly Saturday morning students will move to secondary education from Year 7. Secondary coffee mornings (one per schools are High, Queen Elizabeth High School, month is Holy Cross). Hexham or William Howard School in Brampton. These are very well supported by the Community and rare to raise less than £500.

-Cubs and Brownies based at the local school.

-Monthly memory café for those with Dementia or memory problems& their family and friends.

TOGETHER WE CAN AND WITH GOD’S HELP WE WILL

HOLY CROSS CHURCH COMMUNITY

Background Saints Days and

We have approximately 80 members on our electoral roll which is due Holy Days    to be updated this year. The average attendance at worship on Sundays is 30 but this is higher on feast days. The average -All Souls. communicant on Sundays is 24. We are predominately over 60 and -All Saints. retired. Most members of the congregation live in the town of -Ash Wednesday (with Haltwhistle, with a few coming from the surrounding rural area. We Ashing) have a mix of social groups -Daily services in Holy Week may include Stations of the

Cross, Compline and Holy -BAPTISMS - average 7 per year, majority early afternoon Communion. and these are well attended. -WEDDINGS - average 2 per year. -Maundy Thursday (washing -FUNERALS - average 17 per year. of feet), stripping of Altar,

-MONTHLY HOME COMMUNICANTS - presently 4 Watch of the Passion.

-Good Friday Procession of OUR CHURCH TRADITION Witness through the town, Final hour at St Cuthbert’s. This is modern catholic using Common Worship and other forms of authorised liturgy. We observe the Church’s calendar of Festivals and We also have Feast Days. Worship is predominantly Eucharistic centred. We have a -Occasional ecumenical full set of liturgy vestments. We are gradually re-developing a team of services and people to assist at services. -Prayers Together each Monday at 10.30 am. PATTERNS OF WORSHIP

SUNDAY: -8 am. Holy Communion except last Sunday of month is BCP. -9.30 am. Sung Eucharist, Common Worship

WEEKDAYS: Thursday 10 am. Holy Communion.

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OUR CHURCH ACTIVITIES COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT .. Recently we haven’t had the opportunity for quiet days or retreats but there would be some wishing to participate. We have representatives on the Partnership, and We have study groups in Advent and Lent which are Priest led and we Chamber of Trade. also join with our Roman Catholic and Methodist friends for bible reading etc. One member of our congregation works in In relation to Education and Youth work the priest visits schools in the our local primary school. area and the schools have been invited to use the church for worship Our previous priest and and as a teaching centre. The uniform organisations come less now two members of our but we are delighted to welcome them on Remembrance Sunday congregation were trustees of Haltwhistle As a congregation we are active in Messy Church – a churches Partnership. together initiative which takes place once a month in the Methodist Hall and once a year in Holy Cross, We also have two parish council members. We support Christian Aid, ACS, British Legion, the West Northumberland Food Bank and the people’s kitchen. One of our RELATIONSHIPS WITH members is a volunteer at the Food Bank. A number of local families NEIGHBOURING PARISHES use the Haltwhistle Branch of the Food Bank on a regular basis.

Two members represent us on the Deanery MOTHERS’ UNION Synod.

We have an active Mothers’ Union which organises outings, teas One of our Wardens is and speakers. The members work hard to help church finances Hexham Deanery and organise soup lunches each week for the town community. Secretary at the moment.

Our previous priest attended Chapter Members of our congregation visit the sick in their homes and one of us meetings. visits Haltwhistle Memorial Hospital each week. A chaplaincy is We have occasional joint attached to the hospital. worship with St Cuthbert’s and 2 joint MINISTRY – Lay involvement in worship. – We have a number of PCC meetings each people who assist in worship – readers, intercessors, administrators of year. the Chalice, Offertory, Procession and Servers. We also have people willing to lead worship on an occasional basis and one person is ECUMENICAL allowed to administer communion by extension and Home Communion. RELATIONSHIPS …

We are keen that our Wardens and Sidespersons welcome visitors and We are committed to friends to our church and help them to feel at home. Churches Together in ADMINISTRATION – Currently we have someone who produces the Haltwhistle. pew sheet Crosstalk, the monthly magazine Outlook, the Service lists and also carries out general clerical duties such as photocopying. Committee meetings are quarterly.

TOGETHER WE CAN AND WITH GOD’S HELPPreviously WE WILL arranged House Eucharists and shared Taize and Iona evenings.

OUR NEW VICAR

We asked the community 4 questions and below is a summary of what the Parish told us is important to them:

-Someone who has traditional worship as their base. WHAT ESSENTIAL -A people person – someone who can relate to people QUALITIES WOULD YOU of all ages; play a full and visible part in the whole LIKE OUR NEW VICAR TO town and be open and welcoming to everyone. HAVE -Someone who is looking for a calling not a career.

-An interest in the Haltwhistle wider community. -Keenness to work with/encourage churches together. WHAT DESIRABLE -Someone who will encourage young families. QUALITIES WOULD -A good speaker. YOU LIKE OUR NEW -Enthusiasm OOMPH! VICAR TO HAVE? -Willing to get involved in everything that is going on and encourage greater participation

WHAT WOULD YOU NOT -Current community activities. WANT TO CHANGE AT -The Church building. HOLY CROSS? -Sunday morning Eucharist service. -Our Catholic tradition.

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE -Introduction of group meetings eg bible studies. TO CHANGE TO MAKE -Reach out to the younger generation. HOLY CROSS EVEN -Bring new ideas to build on what we have already. BETTER? -Transform Holy Cross into a hub of positive activity for the -whole town.

TOGETHER WE CAN AND WITH GOD’S HELP WE WILL

WHERE ARE WE NOW?

Before identifying our future needs and plans we decided we needed to establish where we are at the present time.

Our PCC carried out a SWOT analysis and we believe this gives a picture of where we are now and also identifies our future opportunities and challenges. STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES -Our commitment to Holy Cross Church -Small number of attendees

-Our historic building described by Pevsner -Lack of commitment to weekly/daily as “A quite exceptionally complete and well worship preserved early English parish church. -Communication -Good, committed and supportive team in place. -Few children

-Ecumenical -Too few doing too much – difficult to source more volunteers. -Good relationship between local priests from all denominations. -Community meeting space hardly used. OPPORTUNITIES THREATS -New Priest – new ideas -Ageing community

-More community involvement -Dwindling numbers of healthy active members. -Good community meeting space at the back of church. -Current Website

- A young community gradually being -Lack of young Christian families. introduced to the church.

-New Website

TOGETHER WE CAN AND WITH GOD’S HELP WE WILL

NEXT STEPS

OUR SHARED MISSION STATEMENT (PRESENT)

That our Church is a place of love and learning, of holiness

and hospitality, of friendliness and fellowship, of mission

and outreach and a place of generosity and goodness.

OUR SHARED CORE VALUES (THESE UNDERPIN OUR VISION) WORSHIP

Worshipping God is central to all our gatherings. We believe

Prayer should be at the heart of our life as a church.

COMMUNITY

We believe in and value community. We are committed

to transforming Holy Cross into a hub of positive activity for

the whole community.

GROWTH

We are committed to growth both in numbers and in

Personal Discipleship. As we grow we will strive to accept

and embrace the changes such growth may bring.

OUR SHAREDVISION FOR THE FUTUR E IS - TO BE:

A church for people of all ages,

an open church which welcomes everyone.

A growing church both in numbers and in personal discipleship.

A church which lies at the heart of our community.

TOGETHER WE CAN AND WITH GOD’S HELP WE WILL

Haltwhistle Parochial Church Council The Church of the Holy Cross, Haltwhistle, Northumberland Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31st December 2018

Note Unrestricted fund Designated Sequestrian Total 2018 Total 2017 Flower Fund Restricted Receipts Planned giving (Gift Aided) a) £9,630 £9,630 £10,650 Weekly Envelopes b) £5,000 £5,000 £5,643 Collections at services c) £4,883 £4,883 £6,784 Wall Safe Cash Donations d) £547 £547 £0 All other Donations e) £5,635 £5,635 £6,698 Gift Aid recovered f) £12,502 £12,502 £0 Activities for generating funds £8,837 £8,837 £11,077 Investment income/Dividends £1,166 £1,166 £1,142 Church activities g) £3,946 £3,946 £5,798 Charitable receipts £732 £732 £227 Pricket stand and other receipts h) £2,413 £2,413 £662 Legacy £32,550 £32,550 £0 Flower Fund i) £191 £191 £323 Sequestrian Receipts £591 £591

Total receipts £87,841 £191 £591 £88,623 £49,004

Payments Parish share j) £28,807 £28,807 £28,000 Clergy costs £3,568 £3,568 £4,851 Church running expenses k) £13,971 £13,971 £10,984 Mission giving and donations l) £982 £982 £619 Building maintenance £927 £927 £390 Cost of generating funds £2,385 £2,385 £3,657 Administration costs m) £190 £190 £106 Professional Fees/Transfer of monies n) £33,670 £33,670 £0 Flower Fund £328 £328 £273 Sequestrian Payments £1,095 £1,095 £0

Total payments £84,500 £328 £1,095 £85,923 £48,880

Total receipts £88,623 £49,004 Total payments £85,923 Excess of receipts over payments £2,700

Cash at bank 1 Jan 2018 £501 Cash at bank 31 Dec 2018 £3,799

Cheques not cashed 31 Dec 2017 £599

Balance 3201

TOGETHER WE CAN AND WITH GOD’S HELP WE WILL

The Church of the Holy Cross, Haltwhistle, Northumberland Financial Summary for Holy Cross as at 31st December 2018

Statement of Assets and Liabilities as at 31st December 2018

Flower Building Melkridge Church Hall Fund Designated Restricted Designated Restricted 2018 2017

Community account 2,353 848 3,201 501 Business Reserve account 32,882 32,882 309 Cumberland Term Deposit 9,883 9,883 9,799 Total cash and bank funds 35,235 848 9,883 45,966 10,609

Standard Life Investment 32,046 32,046 30,057 CBF investment 34,640 34,640 32,258 35,235 848 32,046 34,640 9,883 112,652 72,924

Debtors Tax reclaimable for 2018 year only. Gift Aid Financial year 2018 to be claimed in February 2019. GASDS Tax year 2018-2019 to be claimed in May 2019. Creditors None that we are aware of.

Notes a) Monies paid directly into the bank which are gift aided and one off gift aid donations. b) Weekly envelopes which which include some Gift Aid, some GASDS and some which are neither. c) Collections at all services - cash on plate - includes Baptisms, Funerals Weddings - £20 and under GASDS. d) Wall Safe cash donations - £20 and under GASDS e) All other donations not included above ie those above £20, those which are not cash £20 and below and those not GA or eligible for GASDS. f) Includes GA for years Jan-Dec 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 - we lost 2013 as out of time. Also GASDS for tax years 15-16 and 16-17. We lost 14-15 as out of time. g) Includes fees for Baptisms, Weddings and Funerals. h) Pricket stand and money paid back to main account from Magazine temporary loan. i) Flower fund. Balance at 1.1.2018 was £985. See Statement of Assets and Liabilities for balance as at 31.12.2018. j) Parish Share paid in full. k) Insurance, Heating, telephone etc. l) Donations include British Legion with churches together and Father Pyle. m) Includes travel costs, paper and admin payments to magazine. n) Transfer of legacy monies to Business Account and transfer of money to Magazine to pay lease arrears.

END OF ACCOUNTS.

TOGETHER WE CAN AND WITH GOD’S HELP WE WILL

The Parish Profile for St Cuthbert’s Church in Greenhead, Northumberland

TOGETHER WE CAN AND WITH GOD’S HELP WE WILL

The Parish & Local Community

The small village of Greenhead in west Northumberland sits on the edge of the Northumberland National Park, an area of outstanding natural beauty. The course of Hadrian’s Wall (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) runs through the edge of the village and the area is steeped in history, from Romans, to coal mines and railways, via the border Reivers. With the Tipalt Burn meandering through the village, some lovely old buildings (many constructed with stone taken from Hadrian’s Wall), spectacular walks on the doorstep, an abundance of flora and fauna, and a thriving, friendly community, Greenhead is an idyllic place to live. Greenhead has been an ecclesiastical parish since 1892 and the beautiful church of St Cuthbert was originally built as a Chapel of Ease in 1827 to 1828, during the incumbency of the Rev N J Hollingsworth. Greenhead was within the parish of Haltwhistle, but St Cuthbert’s Church served the rapidly increasing local population, who were working in the Blenkinsopp colliery and on the construction of the Newcastle-Carlisle railway. Designed by Newcastle architect , the church was built on land donated by the then Lord of the Manor of Blenkinsopp, Colonel Coulson. The Chapel was extended in 1900 by Colonel Edward Joicey in memory of his father, also Edward. The Nave was restored, the Chancel built and the tall slender spire was added. Greenhead Primary School is a church school and the children have regular services in St Cuthbert’s. The church family are working enthusiastically to maintain strong links with the children and staff, going into school and the adjacent nursery as often as possible, and organising services that involve the children and their families. Greenhead boasts a tea room (popular with locals and visitors alike) and a pub (which also offers B&B as well as running the hostel which is situated in the old Methodist Chapel). The centrally-situated village hall is used by many community groups including the WI, Calico Hinnies (craft group), the church (domino drives, harvest supper and Christmas party), art, keep fit and Pilates classes, the youth club and monthly farmers’ market, as well as for tea dances, private parties, quiz nights and musical events. There is a defibrillator attached to the external wall of the village hall. TOGETHER WE CAN AND WITH GOD’S HELP WE WILL

There is an annual Duck Race on the Tipalt Burn, traditionally organised by the Village Hall Committee but there is a movement to make this more of a whole community event involving all elements of village life (school, church, pub, tea room etc).

Greenhead Village Hall, set up ready for the Harvest Supper

The members of the regular church congregation and PCC are very keen to increase and strengthen the links with the community and in 2018 organised a number of events

The Easter Gardens Exhibition in St Cuthbert’s Church

In the Spring, we had an exhibition of Easter Gardens in the church, with contributions and exhibits from all across the community – schools, youth groups, the WI, the churches in Haltwhistle, as well as many local individuals.

TOGETHER WE CAN AND WITH GOD’S HELP WE WILL

Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the Armistice

We hosted a well-attended Harvest Supper in the Village Hall in October, and in November, joined forces with the WI to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Armistice. Ladies from the WI and the church knitted over a hundred poppies to adorn the village war memorial and decorate the church (some of the ladies also went into the school to teach the children how to knit the poppies and make felt poppy wreaths so that they, too, could contribute to the commemorations). On Remembrance Sunday, the community turned out in force to remember the fallen at the War Memorial and they filled the church for the service that followed, with some of the village children reading out the names of the 21 soldiers who gave their lives during the first world war. We are also in the process of putting together a booklet about the lives and families of these 21 young men, copies of which will be available in church for all to read.

Preparing for the Christingle Service, December 2018 TOGETHER WE CAN AND WITH GOD’S HELP WE WILL

On 16th December, St Cuthbert’s was filled with light as we gathered for our annual Christingle Service, this year celebrating the 50th Anniversary. The service was attended by a large number of local children and their families, and following the service we hosted a Christmas party in the village hall with refreshments, a magician and a visit from Santa Claus. Much fun was had by all, young and old alike! It is our aim to build on these events and have a host of ideas for the coming months. The residents of Greenhead Parish (which covers a large number of outlying farms and Blenkinsopp Castle Home Park) number between 300 and 400, and local employment is provided mainly by livestock farming and tourism. There are good links to Carlisle, Hexham and Newcastle by road (A69) and rail (the nearest station is in Haltwhistle, 3 miles away), which provides good opportunities for employment outside the immediate area. The population is made up of a mix of elderly/retired, young people and families with younger children and is predominantly of white British origin. The Church Community

St Cuthbert’s has a small, friendly, loyal congregation and although a number of our congregants are elderly, we are all young at heart and work together well as a team to keep the church running smoothly, and maintain school and village links. Most live within the parish but there are one or two who have moved to nearby parishes and still attend services at St Cuthbert’s on a regular basis. We currently have 15 on the Electoral Roll. Average Sunday Communicants: 10 Average Sunday attendance: 10 Average baptisms per annum: 3 Average Confirmations per annum: Joint with Holy Cross Average weddings per annum: 2 Average funerals per annum: 6 Average house communions for the sick/housebound: 2

Church Buildings and Fabric

There are no ancillary buildings owned by the church. The heating system has recently been overhauled and upgraded. Repairs have been made to the pointing, and the guttering is cleared annually. The churchyard is closed, and maintained by the Local Authority who are responsible for grass cutting and maintenance of the walls and monuments.

TOGETHER WE CAN AND WITH GOD’S HELP WE WILL

Finance

An envelope scheme is in place. Although it can be a struggle, we are committed to paying 100% of our Parish Share. A copy of the 2018 Accounts will be attached as soon as they are available.

Worship

There is a weekly service of Holy Communion taken from Common Worship, commencing at 11.00 am, but we have plans to introduce more variations to the pattern of service to include regular Family Services and occasional Evensong. We have occasional weekday services, mostly in conjunction with the village school who also use the church for termly assemblies. As we are a small congregation, we do not fit into the category of either high or low church. Bible Study is done in conjunction with Holy Cross, mainly during Advent and Lent. Mission support is by Lent Boxes for the Additional Curates’ Society and through Christian Aid envelopes. We also donated to the Children’s Society from the proceeds of our 2018 Christingle Service. Harvest goods are donated to the West Northumberland Food Bank, or the People’s Kitchen in Newcastle. The PCC organises fund-raising Coffee Mornings and Domino Drives, as well as occasional raffles. We also regularly host special exhibitions in the church such as Flower Festivals, Christmas Tree Festivals and Easter Gardens Exhibitions, to name but a few. This year we are planning to hold a traditional Church Fete in conjunction with an exhibition in the church over the August Bank Holiday weekend.

Ministry We have seven regular lesson readers and one administrator of the Chalice. We have recently appointed a Safeguarding Officer who has updated our Safeguarding Policy and several members of the PCC are undergoing training. We are dementia friendly. There is a weekly Crosstalk for Holy Cross and St Cuthbert’s which is handed out at the morning service and we have a joint monthly free of charge parish magazine, TOGETHER WE CAN AND WITH GOD’S HELP WE WILL

Outlook, which is produced in-house. The young and relatively new editor lives in Greenhead and the magazine is financed by advertising. The Greenhead distribution (of approximately 150 copies) is organised and handled by several members of the congregation.

Relationships with Neighbouring Parishes

The Parish and Benefice Church Wardens have a good working relationship with Holy Cross. When the church choir at Holy Cross was active it included several members from St Cuthbert’s. The New Incumbent The PCC conducted a survey of the congregation and community, asking participants to write down three words that would best describe the qualities they would like to see in the new incumbent. This is a list of the most frequently used words:

Communication Humour Speaks Loud and Clear Ambitious (for Greenhead, not personally!) Approachable Social/Outgoing A Listener Compassion/Kindness/Caring Family/empathy with children

In summary: We have an ageing congregation, so we need someone who will make regular home visits, where necessary. We would like someone who interacts and communicates equally well with the elderly as well as with children, with a warm and friendly personality and a good sense of humour! Someone who is willing to be a team player – we play hard as well as working hard together and would ideally like someone who will play with us as well as pray with us! We look forward to welcoming the new incumbent into our thriving little church family.

TOGETHER WE CAN AND WITH GOD’S HELP WE WILL

COPY OF ST CUTHBERT’S CHURCH ACCOUNTS

TOGETHER WE CAN AND WITH GOD’S HELP WE WILL