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St Cyrs News

News about St Cyrs Church Stinchcombe

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Church Wardens Report from St Cyr’s

Church Warden’s Report from St Cyr’s – December 2024/January 2025

As usual in November two services of Remembrance were held at St Cyr’s church with the All-Souls service at 6pm on the Sunday 3rd November to honour and give thanks for those who have departed this life and the Remembrance Day services on Sunday 10th November to remember those who gave their lives to our country during the World Wars. Once again, we gathered by the War memorial for a short service to honour those who died with a two-minute silence marked by the bugler and the immortal words “We will remember them.” The names of the fallen were read out by Howard Cordle and the poppy wreath was laid by Albert Wyatt whose uncle lost his life in the First World War. Maintaining such poignant family links in Stinchcombe is important and it was good to see so many members of the village present. A special Holy Communion service then followed in the church.
Meanwhile it’s hard to believe that once again Christmas is fast approaching, and it will soon be that wonderful time of the year when we celebrate the birth of Jesus! In preparation, we look forward to Advent and to the services that tell the story of the arrival of the son of God.
With our smart new Notice Board at St Cyr’s firmly in place, we hope that you will have no difficulty in knowing what is taking place over the next couple of months!

Please note in anticipation of Christmas there are several dates at St Cyr’s church to mark in your diary as follows:

Sunday 1st December 6pm – Advent Evensong at St Cyr’s church

Sunday 15th December 5pm – Candlelight Carol Service followed by mince pies and mulled wine. Prior to the Carol service, the Scratch Choir will meet for several practice sessions, please contact Jayne Kirkham if you are interested in joining.

Saturday 21st December 10.30 a.m – 12 noon – Christmas Coffee Morning.
All are welcome to enjoy the festive decorations, Christmas cookies and coffee in aid of St Cyr’s church plus a special Book sale and Raffle. Also there will be a highlight on the new leaflet that focuses on “St Cyr’s Stinchcombe: Your Church” and ways you can offer support.

Saturday 24th December – 2pm – Christmas Eve – Once again on Christmas Eve there will be a special Live Nativity Service for all to take part in starting at 2.00pm, meeting first in the yard are at Church Farm opposite St Cyr’s church, to follow the Star and tell the story of the birth of Jesus in a manger with the animals watching round.

Sat 24th December 9.00 pm – First Holy Communion of Christmas First Holy Communion service to celebrate Christmas in St Cyr’s church will be a held at 9pm on Christmas Eve. All are welcome to celebrate this joyful time of year.

Christmas Day – 25th December – This year there will be no church service on Christmas day at St Cyr’s. The church will be open however throughout Christmas day for private prayer.

Sunday 29th December at 11.10am – Benefice Eucharist – the last Holy Communion prior to the New Year 2025.

As we look forward and prepare for Christmas, do please share details of the forthcoming dates and events with your friends and neighbours. All are welcome here at St Cyr’s church especially as we continue to enjoy the improved access facilities following the “Open to All project” that has extended the opportunities offered.

Looking ahead to January 2025, the sequence of services will continue to be as follows:

First and third Sunday of the month- Evensong
Second and fourth Sunday of the month – Holy Communion


With all good wishes for a very Happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year 2025
Pippa Leggate

Photo taken by Caroline Marshall

The Famous Four

Ride and Stride 2024 – The Report

This year, despite striving for others to come, it was the only Four of us who set off on a cold but sunny Saturday morning. I was well layered up with a total a total of four, but happily had striped down to a single layer by lunchtime as the sun warmed me up and we had a perfect Autumn day.

The journey was mostly on back roads, and some were VERY back roads! When the potholes have grass growing in them, you know it’s a back road.

The great fun of the “ride and and stride” is visiting all the open churches and stopping and talking to all the people. We met people just out walking from church to church…well, it IS Ride and STRIDE!

The Quarry Chapel

The first Church was of course one that every one in Stinchcombe should know and in the morning light looked glorious!

Then it was off downtown to collect St Georges and a few others then out across the A38 to Slimbridge.

Having that one we took off down the flat CycleHighway that runs along the backroads to Halmore and Purton and through Berkeley. By the time we left St Mary the Virgin in Berkeley we were already half an hour behind schedule. I just couldn’t stop the others from talking! Mind you in Berkeley we met a lady cycling from John O’Groats to Lands End and taking in the churches…now THATS a lot of churches.!

St Mary the Virgin

Pressing on to Ham and Hill we turned right to be down by the river and to visit another St Mary the Virgin. Except this one was a tin shed in the field..

Whisper it, but I prefer THIS St Mary the Virgin… a much more honest type of church and WELL worth a visit

Then onto Thornbury and yet another St Mary’s. However for some reason, this St Mary’s doesn’t seem to be a Virgin! She was however having a lot of work done to her. I also notice that her Ride and Stride was a walking tour with lots of stops.

St Pauls Church

Our last stop before Lunch was climbing out the back way from Thornbury on the Avon Cycleway at St Pauls.

No that isn’t St Paul but just someone very happy to see us. They had had a very quiet morning and took one look at the four cyclists and dived into the church to prepare tea and biscuits! It was all that we could do to explain that we were having lunch just over the Hill at Tytherington! It was a beautiful church inside and immaculately kept.

So that ended the morning 50.07km and 390m of climbing at an average of 19.8km/h. Lunchtime at the Swan where Russ and Jill joined us and our partners.

After a sandwich and a glass of energy, three of us set off for the second half of our pilgrimage. Our first stop was another new church to me at Rangeworthy and the Holy Trinity.

Holy Trinity at Rangeworthy

Following that, we cut across to Horton and the steep ascent to St James the Elder which was adjacent to Horton Court, part of the National Trust and just by chance having an Open Day.

Horton Court has been used for many BBC films including “Poldark” and “Wolf Hall”. Having just climbed to the church we were treated to a royal feast by the church of Tea and Scones for Free for Ride and Striders! So we just HAD to stop….

Tea and Scones

Next was a further climb up to Hawkesbury and the lovely church of St Mary the Virgin. This St Mary, stuck in the middle of no-where was in absolutely beautiful condition with a brand new peel of bells and ringing chamber. We were invited in and up to try our hand bell ringing.

Then with time steadily marching, on we set a pace towards home but first called in at The Holy Trinity at Wickwar, St John’s at Charfield then, after a discussion and a vote, which I lost, the climb up to North Nibley to St Martin’s.

Finally down Frog Lane from North Nibley and back to Stinchcombe to St Cyrs.

Only 38km 503m in the afternoon. Phew! Probably the most enjoyable and varied of all our Ride and Strides so far, and a perfect day to do it. Just a pity that no-one else could enjoy it with us. Maybe next year, the second Saturday in September…

Lastly, and certainly not leastly, what it all been for. Our Sponsors (YOU) have raised a massive £1,220 SO FAR for the Gloucestershire Historic Churches Trust

It’s still not tooo late to give just follow this link

Thank You to all those who donated, Andy, Roger, Paul and Richard

belong-participate-contribute

Revision of Electoral Roll 24

The Church Electoral Roll in The Parish of St Cyr Stinchcombe

The Church Electoral Roll in The Parish of St Cyr Stinchcombe will be revised by the Parochial Church Council beginning on Tuesday 16th April 2024 ending on Tuesday 30th April 2024.

If your name is not already on the roll, and you wish to have it added, please contact Joan Jelfs ,Electoral Roll Officer, for a form (01453 542884) or a church warden, by 30th April.

Only those whose names are on the Church Electoral Roll may vote at the APCM later in May.

Joan Jelfs

Safari Supper 3

Safari Supper 24 Review

Stinchcombe Safari Supper
Friday 1st March 2024

What an amazing evening we all had at the 3rd Village Safari Supper, such a popular event!

Altogether, 75 people enjoyed canapes and drinks in the church followed by delicious dinner and wine with their hosts around the village followed by puddings, cheese, port, coffee, tea and more wine back at St Cyr’s.

Safari Supper

The raffle was, as usual, fantastically popular, raising nearly £600 with terrific prizes which were all so generously donated by local people. This year the Friends of St Cyr are specifically raising funds to install “state of the art infra-red heating in the church, a major project which will allow us to be more cost efficient and work towards being carbon neutral. We also need to fund £10,000 worth of roof repairs replacing all the ridge tiles.

The Safari Supper raised nearly £2,500 and we thank all our hosts around the village: The Battys, Browns, Jelfs, Leggates, Leggs, McFarlane/Woolfendens, Pinches and the Thomases.

Safari Supper


Thanks also to everyone who donated raffle prizes and those who made canapes and puddings. A huge thanks to all our guests from the village, from Minchinhampton golf club and everyone who travelled to support the event. A massive special thanks to Roger Batty and Lynn Brown who led and organized the whole evening, we are indebted to them.

Safari Supper

Hopefully for the next Safari Supper we will have created more circulation space at the back of the church and our new heating system will be up and running. Can’t wait!!!

Russ Legg

Ride and Stride 23

Ride and Stride 2023

Gloucestershire Historic Churches Trust “Ride and Stride” Event

On Saturday 9th September 2023 it will be the Gloucestershire Historic Churches Trust “Ride and Stride” event. This coincides with the Tour of Britain wheeling through Stinchcombe at around 2:30pm, but it is not thought that they will stop to admire our beautiful church!

Andy Hamilton and Richard Bartlam, joined again this year by some brave co-venturers (would anyone else like to join us?), will once again be cycling on behalf of St Cyr’s. The route this year is still in the planning stage, but will likely involve visiting churches a bit closer to home (so they can cheer on our faster brethren!) and coming back to St Cyr’s during the afternoon.

They will be visiting as many churches as they can along the way, – so please encourage them with your generous sponsorship!

You can pledge your sponsorship at the “justgiving” website https://www.justgiving.com/page/st-cyr-stinchcombe-rideandstride2023  – QR Code below) or complete the form in the church porch.

Thank you for your support and generosity. This Charity provides valuable funds and expertise to maintain all our amazing Churches in the county, and 50% of all funds raised will be directly returned to St Cyr.

Ride and Stride 2023
Please sponsor at the “Just Giving” website

St Cyrs Logo

Friends of St Cyrs AGM 2023

The 17th Annual General Meeting of the Friends of St Cyr will take place on  Wednesday 22nd March 2023 at 7.30 pm in the Church. All are welcome. This is a chance for you to meet the committee and hear about our progress and plans for the coming year for the maintenance and improvement of our beautiful Church.

Any nominations for the committee should be sent in writing with a proposer, a seconder and the permission of the nominee, to reach the secretary by Wednesday 5th February 2020 If you would like a copy of last year’s minutes please contact me preferably by e-mail.

We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible
Lynn Brown (Secretary)

Safari Supper

Safari Supper 23

The Stinchcombe Safari Supper Returns

Three years ago the Friends of St Cyrs held a Safari Supper on Friday 14th February. It was held to raise funds for the planned Disabled Access, Kitchen and Toilet in the Church.

Now, three years later, all the above has been completed, thanks to a wonderful community effort.

However, the work continues. We now need to make the back of the church more suitable for events and now, thanks to the rain, we need to look to repair the leaking roof.

So, the Safari Returns to St Cyrs to start the next tranche.

What Can I do to help?

  • Buy a ticket. Tickets are now on sale through the web! See the QR code below or just click here . Tickets are £40 per person for a 4 course dinner including drinks.
  • We have people making starters in batches. If you can make a dozen or twenty please contact us.
  • The same with desserts, have you a special pud?

Remember the date

The Stinchcombe Safari Supper – Friday 17th February 2023

How it works

  • We all start at the church from 7.00pm for starter / canapés
  • At 8.00pm we move on to various hosts in the village for the main course.
  • From 10.00pm we all come back to the Church for puds, cheese and coffee

To buy a ticket

Tickets are only sold on-line. Just Scan the QR (Quick Response) code below with your phone or just click here to get to the sales site.

Quick Code for web page to buy a ticket

Questions and Contact

The main contact for all queries and questions and to offer help is Roger Batty: 07765 468 756 or rogerbatty2@aol.com

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