Parish of St Tyssil’s, Llandyssil.

The church and community is in a picturesque valley 3 miles to the west of Montgomery.

The church dedicated to St. Tyssil was built between 1863-65, replacing a much older church overlooking the village. Little of this church remains except for the surrounding graveyard.

The present building is in a good state of repair having had a new roof and heating system in 2003 and being well cared for by the church wardens.

The church, the Community Hall (former school) and the bakery are adjacent to each other and provide the nucleus to the village. In addition there is a public house about 100 yard further along the road which faces onto a very small village green.

The Community Hall is the major project undertaken in the village in recent years. The property of the Church in Wales having been a former church school, it is leased to the Hall Committee with the income coming to St. Tyssil’s church. Use of the building has steadily increased over the 5 years since it was opened with activities taking place there including Line Dancing, Wildlife and Garden Club, Ladies Group and a monthly coffee morning.

The Team The Rector, Rev. Toni Bennett, has 2 other parishes and lives in Montgomery. The Worship Leader is very capable and committed but long working hours (as a ward sister at Shrewsbury hospital), make it difficult for her to be available midweek. Both wardens are also licensed Worship Leaders. The church officers have been very active, efficient and effective in caring for the church building, administration and finances. They continue to carry out this work but with health and family issues the level of commitment is becoming increasingly difficult.

Statistics The population of the parish is circa 500. Average Sunday attendance 5, highest excluding major festivals 8. Electoral Roll 15

Parish of St. Garmon’s, Castle Caereinion

The village of Castle Caereinion is situated about four miles west of Welshpool. It is a rural community with a population of less than 500. For much of the past century the area has suffered from de-population but in more recent years this has stabilised due to new housing development in the village.

The village still has good community facilities – as well as the church there is also a Church in Wales primary school, a shop, a pub and a Community Hall.

St. Garmon’s church is ideally situated in the heart of the village. The actual church building is not very old but the history of the church stretches back 800 years. It is thought that St. Garmon was a local saint of the late 7th century, probably connected with St. Tysilio, whose centre was at Meifod, home of the early Princes of Powis.

The church is erected within the bailey of a castle built in 1156 - the remains of the defensive position still exist in the north west of the church yard. It is first mentioned in a document of 1254 but the current building dates from 1865. The church is in good repair and is financially viable as a result of rental income from our property - a small cottage and two flats in the old school building adjacent to the church yard. The average Sunday attendance is 11 and the Electoral Roll is 21. Support for the church in the community is underlined by high attendance at major festivals (60-80).

The Church in Wales school has a roll of approx 40 and the children who attend are mainly from the village itself and neighbouring Cyfronydd. The school has two classes (Foundation Phase & Key Stage 2) and has high expectations of its pupils in academic achievement and behaviour. Our most recent Estyn Inspection report noted excellent pupil behaviour, good standards and good value for money. An active Friends of the School group works hard to raise funds and has a key role in the community; these links were classed as outstanding in the Estyn Inspection.

The Rector has an active role within the school, leading Collective Worship & a ‘Messy Church’ after-school club as well as serving on the school’s Governing Body.

The challenge facing the church in Castle Caereinion is to engage younger families in the worshipping life of the church. Links with the school & the community have traditionally been strong but are less well developed amongst the newer members of the community. The recently established ‘Messy Church’ is a first step in this process and has already proved popular with the children. The PCC is keen to further develop the life of the church .

For more information on the village of Castle Caereinion please see: www.castlecaereinion.org.uk The Emerging Mission Area

We are currently in a process of transition as the existing Pool Deanery evolves from 5 Parish Groupings into a single Mission Area. The Deanery lies adjacent to the Welsh/ English border, straddling either side of the A483 from 5 miles north of Newtown to 6 miles south of Oswestry. The market town of Welshpool is at the centre of the Deanery and is the largest settlement within it. The nearest large town is Shrewsbury, 20 miles away.

The 16 churches of the Deanery/Mission Area are served by 4 stipendiary clergy, 1 NSM priest, 1 House-for-Duty priest, 4 lay readers and a good number of Worship Leaders and Pastoral Assistants. We are also fortunate to have a number of retired clergy who actively help out with Sunday worship across the Deanery.

The clergy chapter meets on a monthly basis but we also meet weekly for prayer & fellowship.

As part of the process of change we are focussing on the mission of the church and seeking to actively engage church members in the church’s ministry to the community.