The Bourne Uffington Group of Churches A6121 Benefice Profile A15 and Wilsthorpe Statement of Needs Braceborough A6121 Greatford Market Deeping Barholm West Deeping A1 A1175 Uffington Tallington Stamford A606 Introduction Thank you for taking an interest in the Uffington Group of Churches. If you are reading this to see whether you might be interested in becoming our next Rector, we hope you will find it helpful. If you are reading this for any other reason, we hope you will find this profile interesting, and if you are in the area, or might just be passing through, we hope that you might wish to come and see us. We hope that our new Rector will be able to inspire us in three key areas of our discipleship growth plans: drawing more of our villagers, especially from the missing generations, to respond to the message of the gospel (ie making more Christ-like Christians, as Bishop Edward King might have said); enhancing the faith of current members of our congregations (responding to the need for more Christ-like Christians, as Bishop Edward King did say); ensuring that our seven churches are not only kept open and functioning, but are made more attractive focal points for the lives of our parishioners and communities. We believe that such a person is likely to be: someone who will prayerfully seek to preach, teach and share scriptural truth; willing to grasp the nature of rural ministry; able to preserve the identity of each parish while maintaining coherence of the Group; comfortable with a range of worship and broad expression of faith; able to develop and communicate an inspirational vision for building God’s work amongst all ages in the Group and in each parish; able to lead, cultivate and enthuse teams of volunteers involved in the ministry, administration and upkeep of the seven churches; open, approachable and supportive, and willing to be visible at community events in all the villages; keen to guide and support the Christian ethos of the Uffington Church of England Primary School, being a regular visitor to the school and ex-officio governor. We fully recognise that one person may not be able to do everything. Over the years we have come to understand that God’s work in the seven parishes needs a team effort; we now have people with a variety of skills who are keen, supportive and enthusiastic to pull together with the right leader to spread God’s word in our parishes. Contents The Uffington Group Introduction ............................................................................................................ page 2 Who and where we are (including location, transport, essential services, health & schools) ................................ 3 The Ministry of the Group (including current practice, initiatives, ministry team & communication) ....................... 5 The Rectory ..................................................................................................................... 7 The Seven Parishes Uffington ............................................................................................................ 8 Barholm with Stowe ........................................................................................... 9 Braceborough ................................................................................................... 11 Greatford .......................................................................................................... 12 Tallington .......................................................................................................... 13 West Deeping ................................................................................................... 14 Wilsthorpe ........................................................................................................ 16 The Deanery of Stamford & Diocese of Lincoln ................................................................... 17 Some facts and figures ......................................................................................................... 19 Uffington Group of Churches Page 2 The Uffington Group Who and where we are Location The Uffington Group of Churches covers the seven (ecclesiastical) parishes in the triangle between the market towns of Stamford, Market Deeping and Bourne, in the southwest corner of Lincolnshire. As shown in the very schematic map (not to scale!) on the cover, Uffington, Tallington and West Deeping lie more or less on the main road (A1175) from Stamford to Market Deeping; Barholm, Greatford, Braceborough and Wilsthorpe are reached by country lanes. None of the villages is more than six miles by road from its nearest town. The area is becoming very desirable due to its attractive environment, historical background and transport links. Transport The benefice lies between the A1 to the west and the A15 to the east and benefits from good road links. Road access to Lincoln by either route takes just over an hour. East/West roads are the A43 from Stamford to Northampton and beyond and the A1175 leading to Spalding, Boston and the coasts of Lincolnshire and Norfolk. The benefice has excellent rail links. Stamford station provides services to Birmingham to the west and, via Peterborough, Stansted Airport, Cambridge and Norwich to the east. Peterborough provides access to London (50 minutes), many northbound stations up to Edinburgh and also local services to Lincoln and Nottingham. A weekday two-hourly bus service links Oakham, Stamford, Market Deeping, Bourne and Peterborough. Medical facilities There are GP and dental practices in Stamford, Market Deeping and Bourne. Stamford Hospital provides a range of outpatient and day surgery services, and a (very useful) minor injuries unit (9am-5pm on weekdays), but not A&E. Peterborough City Hospital provides virtually all of the services to be found in a major hospital, including A&E (though waiting times can be long, so whenever possible folk try to sustain injuries only on weekdays during normal working hours which can be treated in Stamford!). Schools There is a Church of England Primary School and an independent primary school in Uffington, and primary schools are also found in the adjoining villages of Langtoft, Baston and Thurlby (as well as the three towns). There are nurseries in Barholm, Uffington and Tallington. There are secondary schools in the three market towns and Peterborough, and further afield in Oakham. Shopping etc From the rectory, the easiest access to supermarket shopping is Morrisons, on the Uffington side of Stamford. All of the other major supermarket chains are also represented in Stamford, along with several high street names and a great selection of independent retailers and services. In the villages, a post office facility is provided in Tallington Village Hall for two hours on Tuesday afternoons and Uffington Group of Churches Page 3 Tallington also has a convenience supermarket in the petrol station, and a farm shop. There are post offices and convenience stores in nearby Baston, Langtoft and Ryhall, wider options in the market towns; and Peterborough, less than half an hour away, has all of the shopping facilities one would expect of a major city, including John Lewis. Businesses etc There are farms in and around each of the villages; an agricultural machinery business in Wilsthorpe, a large gravel extraction site in Tallington and a vehicle repairer in Greatford. A number of other small businesses are run by people within the villages (some of which are advertised in the Group’s monthly magazine Towers & Spires). Residents of the seven villages tend to work in the three market towns, Peterborough and beyond in places like Cambridge, Leicester and London. Leisure There are five village halls within our Group of parishes, where a huge variety of activities including Women’s Institute, Brownies, Guides, classes, talks, quizzes and other social events take place. Additionally, our communities meet up in the five public houses in the villages. Uffington has thriving junior & senior cricket teams, with nearby Tallington Lakes offering leisure activities including a dry ski slope, various water sports and fishing. The historic town of Stamford is two miles from the rectory. It was ‘voted the best place to live in 2013’ and ‘second best place to live in 2017’ in polls in the Sunday Times, and is renowned for a variety of restaurants and hotels. A traditional country market is held in the town every Friday. There are two theatres; one of which provides a cinema, a leisure centre and a choice of private membership fitness centres. Tolethorpe, close to Stamford, is the home of the much renowned Open Air Rutland Theatre of the Stamford Shakespeare Company. Burghley House and Park, where many open air concerts and the annual horse trials take place, attracts many visitors. The cathedral city of Peterborough offers a main line railway station, modern multi-screen cinema, four theatres, museum, library and facilities for a variety of sports. Rutland Water provides an enormous treasure trove of activities. It is serviced by a 25-mile circular track for walking, jogging and cycling; cycle hire is available. Getting out on and enjoying the water couldn't be easier at the water sports centre. Rutland Water also offers world-class trout fishing and bird watching. Civil authorities All seven parishes fall within the areas administered by Lincolnshire County Council and South Kesteven District Council. The parishes of Greatford, Tallington, Uffington and West Deeping each have a (civil) parish council