St Peter and St Paul Parish Church

The parish church of St Peter and St Paul has occupied its prominent position in the village of Scarning since the 12th century and there have been Rectors of Scarning since 1299. The whole building, which is mainly in the perpendicular style, was extensively restored in 1869, when the gable of the chancel roof was raised to its original pitch for £1000. In 1894 the tower was restored, the nave buttresses were entirely rebuilt and new churchyard gates were fitted - all at the expense of Dr Jessopp.
The single gate was replaced in the 1950s by the Scarning Mothers' Union and was refurbished in 2007 in memory of Fred and Lilian Hoskins. The churchyard was levelled and re-seeded in 1970 and Scarning Parish Council contributes to its upkeep.The church and vestry were re-roofed in 1979.The double gates were replaced by the PCC in the 1980s. You will find a lot more information about the church and its history here.

As is customary the Flower Festival is held in the Church every second year. Pictures of the exhibits from 2010 can be seen here. The work of caring for the building continues. Recent improvements include a PA system with loop induction and a ramp to help with access. Switchgear and heating was replaced in 2007 with the help of a grant from 'Awards for All'.

In 2006 the Dereham and District Team Ministry was created to serve the parishes Dereham, Scarning, Swanton Morley, Hoe, East Bilney and Beetley. The benefice is serviced by a team of clergy and lay readers led by the Rector and Vicar.

The Parish Office, Church House, Church Street, Dereham NR19 1DN
open 9am-12noon, Tuesday-Friday
telephone 01362 693143
email: parish.office.dereham@googlemail.com

If you would like to know more about the Dereham and District Team Ministry click this link: www.derehambenefice.co.uk or if you would like to know more about the church click this link: history and architecture of the church

Team Rector	Sally Theakston	693680	day off: Thursday
Assistant Clergy:	The Revd Jane Nursey	697058	day off: Wednesday
	The Revd Kenneth Pilgrim	693680
	The Revd Jenny Taylor	692547
Team Vicar	Rev’d Adrian Aubrey-Jones
Team Curate
Churchwardens	Alan Glister	696674
	Ron Steward	694820
PCC Secretary	Sue Rockley	694886
Parish Office		693143

Parochial Church Council

Alan Glister and Ron Steward are our Churchwardens – with Alf Webdale and Charles Steward as deputy Churchwardens. Mike Quinnell is the treasurer and Sue Rockley is the secretary to the church council. Other members of the PCC are:Beryl Steward, Corinne Steward, Stephen Archer, Yvonne Long, Charles Pope, Alan Nurse.

CHURCH SERVICES

A warm welcome is assured to everyone who would like to join us for a service at 11.15am each Sunday.

1st Sunday Morning Prayer – Common Worship
2nd Sunday Common Worship
3rd Sunday Parish Communion – sometimes with Baptism
4th Sunday Parish Communion (1662)
5th Sunday Songs of Praise– Lay led

The latest Dereham Benefice newsletter which has details of Church Services is available on the Benefice website and can be downloaded directly by clicking on the following link: http://derehamanddistrictteam.org.uk/weekly-newsletter/ The newsletter for each week is usually uploaded on the preceding Thursday.

March 2015

1st [Lent2] Morning Prayer-Alan Barrett
8th [Lent3] Parish Communion-Adrian Aubrey-Jones
15th[Mothering Sunday] Family Service-Evelyn Speed
22nd [Lent5] Songs of Praise-LayLed

Coffee Mornings

The monthly coffee morning are from 1Oam to 1 pm in Scarning Village Hall. Contributions of cakes etc to sell and to serve with the coffee will be most welcome. Proceeds go to Scarning Church. Since inception we have raised £3,935.19

The idea is for people to come along for a coffee and a chat. They are also invited to bring along any surplus produce, preserves etc that they would like to sell - so that others can enjoy the fruits of their labour!

The Coffee Mornings have been extremely popular and I would like to say a big thank you to all those who have regularly supported me in this venture, from those who look after the stalls, making cakes, providing raffle prizes and helping to wash up. An idea is no good without the willing helpers and it wouldn’t happen without you – thank you again. Coffee Mornings in 2015 will be the second Saturday of the month throughout the year from 10 a.m. and we look forward to welcoming you, whether it be for a “Bacon Buttie” or a coffee and cake and a mardle. Merry Christmas everyone – Tricia Foreman

Would you like to ring those bells?

Scarning's bellringers are making excellent progress after deciding to learn the skill and they want more people to join them. Anyone who wants to get involved should telephone Tricia Foreman, tower secretary on 01362 687082.

Scarning Bellringers now have their own website which has all the up to date information about the group and their activities. Click on the image below:

Scarning Church Restoration Appeal

The PCC and Incy Wincy Spider would like to thank everyone for their generous support in 2013.
The good news - We are delighted with the response to the appeal and have raised the £25,000 required in match funding for the initial grant offered by English Heritage. This has been achieved through many fund raising events, donations and offers of grants from other charities
The not so good news - When the works went to tender the lowest bid was a daunting £52,000 more than the original estimate of £109,000 for the building work. Ourarchitectisnowindiscussion with English Heritage to see if they will increasetheirgrant. Incymighthaveto wait longer for his new down pipes!
In the meantime we will continue fund raising to ensure that we can do as much of the urgent work as possible. Events in the pipeline are:

Regular coffee mornings
These are now a fixture in the calendar on every second Saturday from 1000 to 1200 in the Village Hall. Come along for a coffee, cake and a mardle!

Waste paper collection -
Charles Hewson has kindly offered to run a waste paper collection

Frank Foreman's book of songs -

Village resident Frank Foreman suffers from Parkinsons Disease, a progressive neurological condition. Recent research has established that music therapy can help to improve the quality of life for people with this condition. Since moving to Scarning in 2008, Frank has written a number of songs about life in the village, and the lyrics are now available in a book. A separate CD will be produced shortly. The book is on sale for £5 at the Village Hall Coffee Mornings and other functions, at the church on Sundays or direct from Frank. All profits will go to the Church Restoration Fund, with a donation to Parkinsons UK. For more information please contact Frank on 687082, or fforeman4@sky.com

Scarning Church

This picture shows the church as it is today.

This reproduction of an old postcard showing the church as it was prior to the first World War. The building on the extreme right of this picture was the old Post Office on the other side of Chapel lane.

Report to Scarning Annual Parish Meeting – April 2014

This time last year we were embarking on our major fund raising campaign for urgent repairs to the church fabric and the replacement of the rainwater disposal and drainage systems.

English Heritage had offered to fund most of the work and we were originally asked to raise £24,500 towards the costs. We have been delighted by the support from the community and from other grant making bodies - resulting in a total raised in excess of £34,000. We wish to record our thanks to everyone who has helped and supported the many fund raising events over the last year - many of them involving food!

The original estimate from English Heritage for the actual building work was £109,500. We received the very unwelcome news in December that the lowest bid for the works was £161,000 - a daunting £52,000 more than the original figure.

English Heritage have since agreed to increase their contribution by £21,000. Our architect has, in discussion with English Heritage, pared back the project by about £12,000. We have made more applications to grant making bodies and await the outcome. At present we are around £14,000 short of the total needed for the works and professional fees.

Work will begin on the basis of what is affordable and we hope that other elements will be added if we receive good news from other grant making bodies.

In the meantime local fund raising continues. Our flower festival runs from 16th to 18th May with a preview event on Thursday 15th. The theme for the event is Inspiration.

Looking back at other aspects of the church's life over the past year. We are delighted that our congregations are steadily increasing. The team of bell ringers goes from strength to strength. On Wednesday this week there will be a confirmation service in church by the Bishop of Lynn for four members of the congregation.

We said farewell to our curate, Ed Thornley, who has moved to a rather different parish in London. Ed was closely involved with Oak Manor and Scarning School and other members of the Dereham team are hoping to continue this outreach work.

The church is grateful to the Village Hall Committee for funding the restoration of Dr Augustus Jessopp's memorial in the churchyard.

We are also grateful for the support from the parish council in terms of looking after the churchyard and the church clock.

We are planning a special service on the evening of Monday 4th August to commemorate the centenary of the beginning of the First World War. We will be sending invitations to members of the Parish Council in due course and we hope that this will be a fitting way for the village to mark the day and to remember those who are commemorated on our war memorial.

The choir in the time of Rev.Bignold about 80 or 90 years ago.

scarning hall

Scarning Hall which is adjacent to the church was once the rectory but now a private house.

Gravestones

A record is kept in the church and anyone wishing to consult the register should contact Alf Webdale on 01362 687558 or Alan Glister on 01362 696674 who will ensure that the enquirer has access to the register.