Latest News
In Latest News you can find details of various aspects of our church life and do keep an eye on the Upcoming Events calendar.
WITHAMSIDE WASTE NOT WANT NOT
Thursday 30th January 2025
Donations from 9.30am to 11.30am
Collections from 1pm to 3.30pm
at St. Michael’s Church Bassingham
A community initiative to help each other through these tough times
(A local, volunteer, not for profit food larder run in partnership
between Greens of Bassingham and the Withamside Parish.)
On the last Thursday of each month Food and Essential Goods can be donated at the Church between 9.30am & 11.30am. This can include fresh products from gardens and allotments etc. as well as store cupboard items and treats! Fresh donations can only be made on the day, but other grocery items and essentials such as nappies, cleaning products, drinks and snacks etc. can be donated at any time, either at church or dropped into Greens Stores. In addition, any monetary donations can be dropped into Greens Stores to enable us to buy fresh bread, milk and other essentials on the day.
Collections are then available from the Church, between 1pm & 3.30pm and are aimed at anyone in our parish who needs that little bit of extra help making ends meet (one box per household) all free! It’s a way of sharing, re-distributing excesses and supporting our own community.
Waste Not Want will continue on the last Thursday of each month.
Please pop the dates on your calendar and support us with donations, volunteering, spreading the word and encouraging people to come along who might need that little bit of extra help.
A warm welcome and sincere thanks awaits all!
ST MICHAEL’S CHURCH, BASSINGHAM
COFFEE MORNINGS
IN AID OF THE WITHAMSIDE PARISH
Come and enjoy a friendly chat and a cuppa with
Coffee/Tea, cakes, and a raffle.
ST MICHAEL’S CHURCH, BASSINGHAM
Looking back at 2024 and looking forward to 2025
2024 was a very busy and successful year for those involved with St. Mary’s Church at Carlton Le Moorland. In May a card reader was installed in the church to facilitate giving as we are now living in an increasingly “cashless society”! A QR code was also added. In the same month a hand rail was attached to the ladder leading from the ringing chamber to the next floor. This was for Health and Safety reasons. In September there was major work undertaken relating to the interior and exterior of the chancel roof. Rain water had been coming in and had damaged the plaster. We were very fortunate to have groups of 14 or more volunteers several times during the year who cleaned the inside of the church and attended to the churchyard. Six new energy saving spotlights were installed in the chancel. These replaced old energy hungry ones! In October a local volunteer, Rob, constructed and fitted a ramp to provide easy access to the chancel. In December we received permission to have the inside of our beautiful and ancient church repainted. This is an expensive task as special conservation paint must be used. We hope to achieve this in the spring or early summer.
It was also possible to organise several events throughout 2024. The Snowdrop Weekend in February was a success, although with an early spring some snowdrops were past their best! This was followed by an enjoyable Folk Evening in March in the church. A new venture, afternoon teas on every Sunday afternoon in July and August, proved to be popular. On a sunny day in August the “Stamford Stompers Jazz Band” performed in the village hall garden area, the bar and BBQ rounded off an enjoyable afternoon. The winter season gave us a rousing evening of blues, rock and country music provided by the local band “Crossing the Tracks”. The year ended with the ever popular “Nettleham Community Choir” with a programme of carols and Christmas songs for the whole family.
And now for 2025! Snowdrop weekend returns but on TWO weekends, 8th/9th and 15th/16th February. Afternoon teas will be served on both SUNDAYS from 2.00 p.m. to 4.00 p.m. in the church. Saturday 29th March brings back “Hey Dude!” in concert. On Saturday May 10th there is a very special V. E. Day Dinner Dance with a guest singer. This is in Carlton Le Moorland Village Hall. Afternoon teas every Sunday in July and August at the church. Saturday 11th October, at St. Mary’s, there will be a special folk evening. We are then back round to the “Nettleham Community Choir” at St. Mary’s on Saturday 13th December.
All details will appear nearer the time concerning each event so look out for them!
Finally, many thanks to those who give up so much of their time for the benefit of our community and to those who support what is undertaken.
BY POPULAR DEMAND- “HEY DUDE!” RETURN TO ST. MARY’S CHURCH.
On Saturday 29th March the local tribute band “HEY DUDE!” WILL BE BACK at St. Mary’s Church Carlton Le Moorland for a concert. When they performed on the last occasion in 2023 it was extremely popular and very well received. The band perform numbers from the 60s,70s and 80s by The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, The Eagles and more.
Tickets will go on sale on MONDAY 24th FEBRUARY at Greens of Bassingham, The White Hart, Carlton Le Moorland and from Andrew and Ingrid Alsop- 01522 788748. Tickets will be limited; all our past concerts have been sold out!
Put the date in your diary and don’t delay when ordering your tickets.
Tickets are £10 each and will include a complimentary glass of wine or soft drink and snacks during the interval.
TICKETS WILL NEED TO BE PURCHASED IN ADVANCE AND ARE NOT AVAILABLE AT THE DOOR ON THE NIGHT.
TWO WEEKENDS FOR THE SNOWDROP WEEKEND!
St. Mary’s Church, Carlton Le Moorland.
It has been decided that we will be holding two SNOWDROP weekends instead of the normal one this year.
The decision was made because we cannot be sure when the snowdrops will be at their best. Earlier flowering over recent years has thrown us into confusion.
You will now be able to wander around the churchyard on the 8th and 9th and the 15th and 16th of February to see the snowdrops and other spring flowers. You will be able to pause awhile and read poems about snowdrops and other information about them. You will be able to follow pre-cut paths and sit on the benches to rest and relax.
Afternoon teas will be served on BOTH SUNDAY afternoons between 2.00 p.m. and 4.00 p.m. You will be made very welcome in our beautiful and ancient church. Do come along and visit!
MIDNIGHT IN BETHLEHEM
ST. MARY’S CHURCH
This annual Christmas Eve service was held at 9.00 p.m. in St. Mary’s Church. The time is deliberately chosen as it would be midnight in Bethlehem.
The service, with traditional Christmas carols and readings, was held by candlelight. Hannah Kirsopp, a chorister at Lincoln Cathedral, sang the first two verses of “Once in Royal David’s City” and, later in the service, a Folk Carol.
It was very pleasing to have the church full of people who joined together to celebrate Christmas.
Mr. and Mrs. Backwell, local Withamside residents, donated a complete set of large, traditional nativity figures that were displayed in the church over Christmas.
ST. MARY’S CHURCH ENTERTAINMENT AND OTHER ACTIVITIES 2025.
A VARIETY OF ACTIVITIES AT THE CHURCH AND IN CARLTON LE MOORLAND VILLAGE HALL.
WEDNESDAY 22nd JANUARY 10.30 A.M. SAFEGUARDING TRAINING IN THE CHURCH.
FRIDAY 7th, SATURDAY 8th AND SUNDAY 9th FEBRUARY SNOWDROP WEEKEND. TEAS IN THE CHURCH ON THE
SUNDAY AFTERNOON. 2.00 P.M. TO 4.00 P.M.
FRIDAY 14TH, SATURDAY 15th AND SUNDAY 16th FEBRUARY SNOWDROP WEEKEND. TEAS IN THE CHURCH ON THE SUNDAY AFTERNOON. 2.00 P.M. TO 4.00 P.M.
SATURDAY 29th MARCH MUSIC CONCERT IN CHURCH 7.30 P.M. “HEY DUDE!”
SATURDAY 10th MAY 7.00 P.M. V.E. DAY DINNER DANCE IN THE VILLAGE HALL.
SUNDAYS IN JULY AND AUGUST AFTERNOON TEAS IN THE CHURCH OR OUTSIDE, IF FINE.
SATURDAY 11th OCTOBER 7.30 P.M. FOLK CONCERT FROM “THE TEMPEST” IN THE CHURCH.
SATURDAY 13th DECEMBER 7.00 P.M. NETTLEHAM COMMUNITY CHOIR IN THE CHURCH.
WEDNESDAY 24th DECEMBER 9.00 P.M. “MIDNIGHT IN BETHLEHEM” IN THE CHURCH._
‘To Love and Serve the Lord’
‘To Love and Serve the Lord’ ‘To Love and Serve the Lord’ is the sort of course you can do just because you’re interested, simply because you want to explore your faith or to be more confident in what you believe. Just for the fun of it! You can also use it as the foundation course for further training as an Authorised Lay Minister. ALMs are authorised to be pastoral visitors, to lead public worship, to be involved with children’s and youth work and in evangelism. It’s very much in line with the ‘Time to Change Together’ initiative. This isn’t the sort of course where you have to write essays, but there will be some ‘homework’: something to read, something to think about, something to discover . ..
Make it a date – Autumn 2024
We’re offering the course again this autumn: Tuesday evenings, starting on Tuesday October 1st. Each session will begin promptly at 7.00pm and end by 9.00pm. There will be 10 sessions before Christmas, then we’ll break and continue with the last 6 sessions in January. The course is open to anyone in the Lafford and Graffoe deaneries. We’re keen to offer the course in all three of our Local Mission Partnerships, so this time we’re in the North West LMP. Provisionally we’ll be based in Bassingham, but the location will depend partly on where the participants live. The main course leaders will be Mr Richard Vickers, who is a Reader based at Ruskington and Lay Co-Lead of the North Kesteven Deanery Partnership, and Rev’d Lorna Brabin-Smith, Rector of Branston with Nocton and Potterhanworth, and Partnership Dean for the NKDP.
Christian Aid Newsletter
OUR BEAUTIFUL CHURCHYARD
St. Mary’s Church is part of Withamside Parochial Church Council (PCC for short). In Carlton Le Moorland the PCC has the responsibility for the care of the churchyard. It is only if the churchyard is closed for further burials or interments that it may become the responsibility of the local Parish or District Council.
All Anglican churches are part of a wider community called a Diocese, which is usually centred on a Cathedral. St. Mary’s is part of the Diocese of Lincoln. It is the Diocese that sets regulations for the churchyards in its area. The fact that the church and churchyard if freely used by the whole community is a great joy. The church is open every day of the year from 9.00 a.m. until early evening. Everybody is welcome to come in and spend time this ancient church. The churchyard is a peaceful and beautiful space to wander around.
We would ask you, please :-
- Keep graves and cremation plaques tidy. If tributes are left but not later removed or are broken or past their best, the volunteer churchyard team will remove them. Please use fresh flowers and avoid plastic or other materials. Having to remove and replace tributes makes keeping the areas tidy outside the grave or memorial area more difficult.
- Please take care when using the churchyard. We check it regularly but the ground is uneven and, in areas, the grass is left for wild areas. The headstones are checked but they can shift and become hazardous.
- If you have any concerns please contact one of the church wardens.
Much of looking after the churchyard is done by volunteers. We are always looking for extra helpers. Contact us if you would like to help us.
St. Mary’s has just been awarded the ROCHA Bronze Award for good environmental practice.
HISTORIC TABLE GIFTED TO ST. MARY’S CHURCH
A table, made using timber from the old Carlton Le Moorland wind powered mill, has been donated to St. Mary’s Church by a local resident, Mrs. Joyce Close. The table has been placed in the entrance area and will be used to display church notices, the visitors’ book, church guides and other information.
The mill was an open trestle post mill. It was built in 1822 and collapsed in 1923. It was demolished in 1951.
We are very grateful for this gift, especially as it has connections with a local resident and the history of our village. Thank you, Joyce.
The Bassingham story
The Bassingham Story is a fascinating insight into the history of Bassingham Village and the surrounding villages.
The booklet, containing 116 pages, was a collaborative project between Bill and Connie Wilson and the late Helen Ash.
Re-printed copies are now available to purchase at a cost of £10.
All proceeds will go to the Withamside Parish.
Copies are available from:
Green’s Store
or
John Rowland Tel: 01522 788652
THE CLOCK IS NO LONGER STUCK
On the 1st November St. Mary’s church clock started again and chimed out the hour!
Thanks to local residents making generous donations, fund raising activities in the village, contributions from The Witham Staple, Carlton Le Moorland Parish Council and Withamside Parochial Church Council it was possible to commission The Cumbria Clock Company to install an automatic winding system. It was an example of the local community coming together to ensure the success of such a project in a relatively short space of time.
It means that a volunteer no longer needs to climb the ladder to the clock and wind it once a week. It will only need changing when the clocks move back or forward one hour, Daylight Saving Time and Greenwich Mean Time.
It was particularly pleasing to complete the task in 2023. The clock was originally installed by public subscription in commemoration of the Coronation of King Edward VII in 1902. 121 years later, in 2023, King Charles III was crowned.
Pastoral Support Contact Team
For the Withamside United Parish
Neighbourly Care within our Communities.
Within our local communities there already exists a network of people who look out for those who may be vulnerable or are in need of a chat or support. This manifests itself in a variety of ways. Through personal contact and through the many organisations, groups, clubs, and societies that exist within our villages. These are all part of a Neighbourly Caring Community
What does not exist is a contact for people who may want to talk to someone about a particular issue. When a Parish has a Rector then they provide a natural focal point for this kind of support. We do not have a Rector and so the Withamside United Parish has established a small Pastoral Support Contact Team who can be contacted to meet this need. The members of the Team are not counsellors and will not give advice but are all good listeners and where appropriate may be able to offer support in guiding people to appropriate agencies.
If you would like to talk to someone in confidence, then please feel free to contact one of the following people who will do their best to listen to your concerns.
The Pastoral Support Contact Team are ordinary members of our churches who have been DBS checked and have untaken some basic Safeguarding training.
The names and contact details of the Pastoral Support Contact Team are:
| Diane Cook | Tel No 07791 596385 | email: diane@withamsideparish.org.uk |
| John Rowland | Tel No 07868 231688 | email: john@withamsideparish.org.uk |
| Maureen Kendall | Tel No 07887 613361 | email: maureen@withamsideparish.org.uk |
| Jo Brown | Tel No 07803 003159 | email: jo@withamsideparish.org.uk |
| Sarah Hassnip | Tel No 07881 998654 | email: sarah@withamsideparish.org.uk |
The Withamside United Parish Parochial Church Council
HOME COMMUNION TEAM
There are a number of residents in the Withamside Parish who, for one reason or another, are unable to get to church services and are, therefore, unable to take Holy Communion.
The Withamside Parochial Church Council has now established a team of lay people who have the Bishop’s License to deliver Home Communion.
If you are unable attend church services and would like to receive Holy Communion, then please contact one of the following people and they will come to your house and administer Home Communion for you.
The names and contact details of the Home Communion Team are:
A Time to Change Together
Dear friends in Christ,
A Time to Change Together is a huge journey for our diocese and for all of us, and just now we have been making significant steps along the way. Against the backdrop of our challenging world, and praying for peace, justice, sharing and mutual respect, we are putting our affairs into a new order. TTCT is no longer an idea for the future, it is what we are doing now and how we are doing it. Let us pray that our flourishing church may bring its values to the wider community – collaboration, generosity and growth.
We now have more information about the way forward for our parish of Withamside.’
Then ‘Click the button below to read more….
*NEW * Withamside Parish Book Club
You are invited to join the online parish book club that Maureen Kendall is setting up which allows us to join together in reading books but without actually meeting up. Everyone is welcome to post comments on the Facebook page, Withamside Parish Book Club, alternatively email Maureen, address below, and she will post your comments on Facebook. The plan is to have a new book each month, possibly a novel with a faith theme, rather than a religious tome. Maureen hopes the books might lead readers to recognise signs of faith in everyday situations. Suggestions are welcome!
This months book club read is West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge
Please contact Maureen on maureenk803@gmail.com
Please continue to pray for Ukraine
You may like to use this prayer from the Methodist Church
Urgent Help Needed for our Lincoln Food Bank
URGENT NOTICE
Food and fuel poverty are real issues for a significant section of our communities. People are having to choose whether to turn on the heating or to have a meal.
As you know the Parish collects food for the Lincoln Food Larder. Since the Covid pandemic the amount of food we have collected has reduced significantly.
I am trying to re-start our food giving in order to support the many disadvantaged families in Lincoln.
If you are able to donate food for the Lincoln Food Larder could you please bring it and leave it at the back of St Michael’s Church, Bassingham. I will then take it to the Larder. Only tins and dried food products please.
Thank you
Best wishes
John
WITHAMSIDE UNITED PARISH 200 CLUB
We are relaunching the 200 club across the whole parish.
In the past the 200 club has been a successful way of raising funds for the parish and I hope that you will be able to take part.
If you’d like to join in, then it would be helpful if you could print a copy of the attached application form. If not, then these will be available from myself, John Rowlands, or in church.
Once you have returned the completed application form to me and have made your payment, your number(s) will be allocated and will be entered in the next draw. The draw for the 200 club will take place monthly at the coffee morning held in St Michael’s Church, Bassingham on the first Saturday of the month.
Thank you and good luck!
Diane