Our Parish

Our parish was created in December 2008. We are a rural community of seven villages in the very north-west corner of Chelmsford diocese in the deanery of Saffron Walden. The parish sits between Royston and Saffron Walden and has villages in Essex and Cambridgeshire within its boundaries. The gentle rolling hills provide the beautiful countryside surroundings, yet it is well served by excellent road and rail links. The city of Cambridge is less than a half hour’s drive away, giving us a lively cultural scene, academia, Christian antecedents to be proud of, and a large shopping centre.

The new single parish grew out of the increasing unity of the six former parishes that were linked as a benefice in 1989. From a position then where no-one knew any of the members of the other six churches, there is now a great sense of love and fellowship across the village boundaries. All of our Sunday services are united services, and people are increasingly happy to drive to a village other than their own for them. We are as proud of our monthly all-age service, that takes place in the Church of England primary school within our benefice, as we are of the monthly communion service that takes place in one of the smallest churches of the seven – a building dating from the 11th century that has no electricity supply.

We enjoy our church life! It’s not just Sunday services but bible study groups, prayer groups, bring-and-share lunches, churchyard working parties in sun and rain, friendship, care, support and growing together in knowledge and love of God.

Sunday Services: One of the great success stories of church life in the benefice in recent years has been the development of the 10.40 all-age service. This is regularly attended by about 50 people who follow it around the benefice, and this number is frequently exceeded for special services. It is held in different venues each week, and the monthly service held in the school has provided a way in to the church for people who would not be comfortable entering the traditional church buildings. The school building provides an ideal setting for a crêche, childrens’ and teenage work; a pleasant hall for the main congregation; and a kitchen for refreshments after the service. Wherever the service is held there is always warm fellowship at coffee-time afterwards.

The 9 o’clock communion service also moves around the benefice week by week and has a congregation of about 25 people. This quieter and more traditional service caters for those who enjoy the depth and heritage of the Anglican liturgy. It is inspiring to think of the many generations in these villages who have celebrated Jesus’ death and resurrection in this way. These services also often have coffee afterwards.

Youth and Children’s Work: We have been fortunate to enjoy the services of a highly gifted youth worker until recently. Among many other activities she ran two evening bible study groups for teenagers, and produced two feature-length films starring these teenagers, all with great enthusiasm. Fruit of this work was seen at a confirmation service where several of the young people gave moving testimony of their journey to faith. For primary-school-aged children she ran a midweek Bible club at the church school. We intend to appoint a new youth worker after the appointment of the new incumbent, and funds are still being received to support this post.

At the ten-forty service there is bible teaching by a dedicated team of volunteers for two age groups and the teenagers every week, and there is also a crêche rota.

Bible Study Groups: There are a variety of groups which meet mid-week for bible study and fellowship. Parents of children to be baptised have attended Christianity Explored courses in the past and from this a “beginners” bible-study group of new believers called “Firm Foundations” has grown. There are two further groups – “Tuesday Evening Fellowship” and “Coffee@Judi’s” - held in different parts of the parish for those who seek to study God’s word together. A wide variety of systematic bible study courses are used. We are planning to run a Simply Christianity course in the autumn following on from the evangelistic events we are running before then.

Prayer Groups: There is a monthly evening prayer meeting and a short prayer meeting each Monday morning in the office which pray for gospel ministry in the benefice and worldwide. Additionally there are small groups and prayer partners meeting to pray in church buildings and homes all over the parish.

Village Web: This lively and well-produced magazine, published monthly in co-operation with the Methodist and URC congregations, is the essential guide to church happenings and is delivered free to every household in the parish. It contains features on everything from gardening to world missions to individual testimonies.

Regular Events: Each autumn we celebrate with a parish weekend of outreach. The weekends may include a men’s breakfast; a soft play event for parents and toddlers; a visit from a Christian theatre company; a special service with an evangelistic speaker.

Special Events: We have held Lent courses providing the opportunity for more in-depth teaching on some aspect of our faith (recently: Church history, a book of the Bible, relationships, the Book of Common Prayer). Sharing meals is also an important part of our fellowship and we enjoy the opportunity to hold lunches after the 10.40am family service in the school. Recently many of us enjoyed shepherds pie together on a very cold morning, and no one leaves the bring & share buffet meals hungry! And every year, groups attend the London Men’s Convention, TEAM plenary days, and the Chelmsford Anglican Bible Conference. Trips to Word Alive have deepened friendships and faith alike. We also host choral concerts and other community events in our churches.

Other Churches in the Benefice: There is a URC church in Great Chishill and a Methodist church in Chrishall. We have good relationships with these churches and work well with them. We join together with the Methodists for the monthly service at the school.

Our Buildings

You can take a virtual tour of each of our churches on this website, as well as access links to the websites of our excellent Primary School and linked Pre-School Centre.

Chrishall Holy Trinity and St. Nicholas C.E. (Aided) Primary School serves the benefice. It is also the venue for a monthly 10.40 service. Our Rector plays an active role in the school in a pastoral capacity, serves as a school Governor and contributes to Assemblies and religous instruction.

The school has a formidable reputation and was recently placed eighth in class, nationally, in a Sunday Times survey of academic excellence. It is set in a beautiful rural environment overlooking an extensive meadow with its own playing field, hard playground and wildlife area. There are four teaching classrooms, one of which is a temporary demountable unit, a computer suite and a shared tiled area for art work. There is also a hall which is used for assemblies, P.E., drama and school meals. There is also a small music room and a library in the centre of the school and a conservatory which houses a purpose built space for Foundation children and a room for small groups to work in.

The children come from a variety of backgrounds and cover a wide range of abilities. They are encouraged to feel a sense of belonging to the ‘school family’ and of being cared for, valued and involved in school life. The school slogan is "REACH to be the best you can be", with REACH representing the shared values of Respect, Enjoyment, Achievement, Caring and Healthy. The School Profile can be accessed via the parish website.

Every year, applications for places far exceed the number available, and this popular school has become highly regarded in our region. For the 2008/9 academic year there will be 109 children in school, for a building with a recommended capacity of 105. An project to increase classroom capacity,a pressing issue for governors and the diocese, is currently underway.

There are the equivalent of 4 full time teachers, in addition to the head teacher. There are also 6 learning support assistants, a number of music teachers, an administrator, a cleaner and a cook, plus 2 kitchen staff. In recent years the school has won several awards including a silver Heartbeat award for healthy school meals and A School Achievement Award, and it is also a Cambridge University Partnership School.

Location

The parish occupies a unique position at the ‘three corners’ of Essex, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire, with all seven villages within a few minutes of each other by car. It is situated in beautiful countryside, with rolling hills, an abundance of medieval hedgerows and rich ancient woodland. The landscape is predominantly arable, interspersed with small villages and copses and narrow country lanes. Many of the villages within the parish have picture postcard views of the surrounding countryside and contain many excellent examples of traditional rural architecture. Until comparatively recently most people employed in the villages worked on the land or in farming-related jobs. Nowadays, many commute to work.

The area contains excellent recreational, sporting and social facilities, along with some of the best schools in the region. The parish is located halfway between the quaint market town of Saffron Walden and Royston. Saffron Walden, with its classic old buildings, castle and two mazes, contains many interesting shops, along with the usual supermarkets, chemists, butchers, a superb library, a great leisure centre and a multitude of coffee shops, wine bars and restaurants. Royston also offers a wide range of amenities from local shops to large supermarkets and a smart new leisure centre. Although not in the parish, within 2 miles of the Rectory there is an excellent and very useful village shop and post office at Barley.

The countryside is dotted with a vast number of footpaths and bridleways, there are a number of golf courses within a 10 mile radius, several riding stables in the locality and tennis courts in most villages. Cambridge, some 12 miles to the north, offers all the amenities of a modern city, including a large teaching hospital, good cultural facilities, with museums, art galleries, cinemas and theatres, restaurants and a wide range of shops and is of course famous throughout the world as a centre of academic excellence.

The locality boasts superb transport links, with train services from Audley End to London Liverpool Street (60 minutes), Royston to London Kings Cross (45 minutes), and Cambridge 15 minutes away. The M11 and A1(M) ensure rapid motor transport north and south and the A14 offers easy access to the East coast (1 ½ hours) and to the West. The proximity to Stansted Airport opens up air travel to the whole of Europe.

Our Villages

All of our villages are ancient and pre-date the Domesday Book. We sit at the very centre of the Icknield Way, this country's oldest track.

Heydon: Heydon is a pretty conservation village of 96 houses, on high ground and overlooking Cambridge some 12 miles away. Heydon does not have a village hall, and so the church is used as its social centre. It is the focal point for the community, and draws together both churchgoers and those who are not. In recent years the church has hosted a variety of events including a fashion show, brass band carol concert, “The Messiah”, Stainer’s “Crucifixion”, choral evensong and many village social events. Heydon church has also been used as a recording studio.

Great Chishill: Great Chishill is 480 feet above sea level. There are approximately 230 dwellings in the village and there is a fairly balanced mix of old and new houses with varied architecture. 2007 saw the completion and occupation of 11 affordable houses for rental. It is a very friendly village with many events attended by a cross-section of the residents. There are carpet bowls, badminton, football and cricket clubs, an active W.I. and toddlers group and a wine circle. A very good public house situated in a central position involves itself in all aspects of village life. There are some good walks from the village into unspoilt countryside and limited links to local towns by public transport.

Little Chishill: The hamlet of Little Chishill lies one mile to the south of Great Chishill. Other than the church there are eight houses in the hamlet. The remainder of the parish, which is largely farmland, extends for three miles up to the A505, and is now for political and practical reasons part of Great Chishill.

Chrishall: This rural village has expanded rapidly since the mid 1960s and now comprises in excess of 250 houses in ribbon development over 2 ½ miles. Focal points are Holy Trinity Church, the C of E primary school (with links to Newport Free Grammar School and Saffron Walden County High), and the Methodist Church Hall (used for Open Door lunches, monthly village lunches, Pilates and Scottish Dancing etc.). The sports pavilion (cricket and football) is surrounded once a month by the village market stalls selling local produce, giving ten per cent of the takings to charities including the church. The Red Cow pub (which serves food) serves as a convivial meeting place for several causes as well as the monthly cricket club quiz nights. There is a "good neighbour" attitude where villagers offer a friendly helping hand to those in difficulties, those who need transport, pet care, delivery to Stansted or Luton airport etc .

Elmdon: The church and village hall are surrounded by clusters of old cottages, many thatched, that are delightful. There is no longer a shop, but the local inn has recently reopened with a restaurant. Elmdon is an active village, there has been a variety of village-wide events to enjoy over the years: fetes, harvest suppers and an occasional ‘licensed’ bus shelter – “the King’s Headless!” - started when the pub was closed down (now re-opened and well supported). There is also a very useful small village hall used for Sunday children’s work, a toddlers’ music group and other occasional events.

Duddenhoe End: A small, pretty rural village of 92 houses scattered over Pond Street, Bridge Green and Woodmans Lane, Duddenhoe End dates back to Celtic times and is a mixed community made up of a combination of professionals commuting daily to Cambridge or London, retired people and a significant number of young couples with children. It is an extremely friendly and welcoming village, although it has no amenities, but the social life of the village is thriving around the church and the village hall, where a very active committee organises a wide variety of social events.

Strethall: Strethall is a combination of the hamlets of Strethall and Catmere End, with a population of no more than 200. There is enthusiasm within the community for the Christian Church, but much of it is latent. The parish is on the eastern edge of the benefice and many people travel to other churches outside the parish, and the benefice, to worship. Saffron Walden, Cambridge, Littlebury and Ickleton are all within easy reach. All offer services which include music, which is not always possible at Strethall. There is also enthusiasm outside the community for the church, as evidenced by the numerous passing visitors and others who attend events organised in the church. Many stop to pray in the church because of its exceptionally peaceful and tranquil environment.