HOLY TRINITY, ROLLESTON with FISKERTON

PARISH STATEMENT

Prepared during the 2014/5  Interregnum




Parish: Holy Trinity, Rolleston with Fiskerton (joint benefice with Upton and Morton)

Patron: The Lord Chancellor

Population: Rolleston approximately 124 households

Electoral Roll Number: 31

Deanery: Newark and Southwell

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF PARISH

The parish is that of Rolleston with Fiskerton, but since the civil parish of the adjoining village is Fiskerton-cum-Morton, most residents of Fiskerton regard Morton as their parish church, and make financial contributions to that church. The responses below therefore apply to the village of Rolleston only.

A. Geography -

a) The parish is 4 miles South West of the Minster Town of Southwell in the Province of York

b) Social Mix

There is very little employment in the village now, and housing ranges from social housing owned by the Council and others owned by the County Council to executive homes. Rates of home ownership in Rolleston are significantly higher than the England average, with only 4% of properties rented from local authorities or other social landlords. Rolleston is mainly middle class with people moving into the village to take advantage of its rural location, low crime rate, and school catchment.

About 50% of the adult population are retired and many of working age are professional or self-employed. It is now a dormitory village but has a strong agricultural past. There are a low number of unemployed in the village.

c) Farms

There are only two working farms in the village, with much arable land rented and other land used for equestrian purposes.

 

d) Commerce/Shop

There are no shops in Rolleston, but it is well served by an excellent village shop in Fiskerton. It has one well used public house with restaurant. A fencing company operates from near the church, and a number of residents run small businesses from home.

e) Schools

There is no school in the parish, and most children travel to school in Southwell

f) Hospitals

There is no hospital or doctor’s surgery in the parish, which is served by a  Medical Centre in Southwell and a small hospital in Newark.

g) Other organisations

A weekly (free) coffee morning and monthly lunch group, lunches being paid for by a nominal contribution usually attended by 20+ people. A weekly tots group mets in the village hall and was is attended by some dozen children and their parents until tall he children started school The church originally set up these events.

There is an indoor bowls group with about 24 members and numerous keep fit classes.

The Women’s Institute is combined with Morton and Fiskerton.

B. Development plans

There has been a small steady increase in new homes, the majority of which are larger and more expensive than the average. It is likely that no more development will be permitted under the Regional Spatial Strategy.

2. COMMUNITY FACILTIES:

There is a very active new Village Hall which was funded by work from villagers who raised the £400,000 mainly from grants.  The hall management committee has a representative from the PCC. The original hall was set up partly with funding from the sale of the village church school buildings, and therefore the church has free use of the hall for 6 events per year. There is a new children’s playground next to the hall.

There are many bridle paths and footpaths in the village.

There are no hospitals, prisons, young offenders institutions, nursing homes, community centres, youth clubs etc in the village.

  1. Schools and Colleges

Primary Schools

All children attend schools in Southwell which have good academic records. Both are C of E schools.

Secondary Schools

Most children travel to the Minster School in Southwell (C of E) with an excellent academic record.

Colleges of Further and Higher Education

None, although the School of Agriculture of Nottingham Trent University is near Southwell


The church has no current links with these facilities.

  1. Chaplaincies to other bodies

The previous but one incumbent was chaplain to Dunham House, the Diocesan Office.


3. LOCAL AUTHORITY

Links with Parish Council, with District Council etc.


There is a Remembrance service, and personal links with the district council and strong links with parish councillors. The Parish Council helps financially with the grass cutting in the graveyard. There are very healthy and friendly relationships.


4. DESCRIPTIONS OF CHURCH AND GRAVEYARD


There is one church building, seating with chairs about 90 (with extra seating available) and no church hall. The Grade 1 listed church building is 900 years old, and is in excellent condition. There is a toilet and are washing up facilities for a coffee/tea serving space.


The last quinquennial survey (2012) showed that there were no major problems to be addressed.


There is a loop/sound system, and a stepless entrance by which the wheelchair bound may easily gain access to the church.


The churchyard is still open and in use. It has a few spaces available, but first steps have been taken to close it by Order of Council and provide an extension on adjoining land. It is hard work keeping it in order, but it is well maintained, and is an asset, and is regularly visited by family members of those buried there.


The installation of tea bar and toilet will facilitate increased use of the church for events for all ages, particularly for other than worship. The freestanding chairs allow flexibility of use of the building. Flower festivals and craft fairs are already held in church, as is the harvest supper.


The church attracts regular visitors, such as participants in the annual historic churches cycle ride, many walkers, bell ringers, historians and archivists. The church is regrettably not usually open because of its relative isolation, but keyholders are easily accessible.

5. CHURCH HOUSING


The vicarage in Fiskerton was built in the mid 1970s, and has 4 bedrooms, two reception rooms, a study and a kitchen which is in good order. There is a single garage and 1/8 acre of garden which is mostly lawn. The house is very easy to maintain, and economical.  It would be a very good house for a family, and the study is next to one of the front doors, and does not require access through the main part of the house.

6. WORSHIP


a) Churchmanship – Rolleston is traditional Anglican, but flexible to encompass different service styles. We mostly use the set liturgies from Common Worship and a recently published hymnbook “Hymns Old and New.” We have occasionally used the Book of Common Prayer.


b) Sunday Services

Currently Sunday morning services are at 9 am or 10.30am:

Week 1  10.30  All Age Worship F

Week 2  9 am  Morning prayer

Week 3  10.30 Benefice Communion Service, rotating around various churches

Week 4  10.30am  Holy Communion

Week 5  Benefice Joint service


There is no evening service at present, but we have had one at 6pm in recent years and also an 8 am BCP communion.


Coffee is normally served after the 10.30 services.


c) Weekday services:

No regular services, except on festivals, Ash Wednesday, Ascension Day and Holy Week (when evening services are held daily in the Benefice).


d) Congregation (age, range, social mix)

Ages range from babies to 85’s. Chiefly over 50’s. The congregation members are mostly married but some attend alone. Many are retired but the remainder are employed in a range of mainly professional occupations.


e) Attendance at services ranges from 5 to 35 in total, although special services may attract up to 50 people, with about 200 attending on Christmas Eve. The average in 2009 was 9 excluding special services.


f)   Baptisms 2009: 2

Confirmations 2009: 0  (1 planned for 2010)

Weddings 2009: 5       (5 planned for 2010)

Funerals 2009:  1        


g) Policy on re-marriage of divorcees – the clergy have treated each case on its merits, after interview and mutual consultation.


7. DEANERY/DIOCESE/WIDER CHURCH


Most of our links are in the benefice. We have a young organist from the Minster School, two representatives at the Southwell cluster of churches meetings, and active representation in deanery synod

We send money to different charities each year, usually after special collections (£357 in 2009), and collect for Christian Aid.

Stewardship campaign advisors from the diocese were used for the last funding campaign and we have a diocesan approved architect. We also used the diocesan organ advisor over problems with our old organ, which was replaced with a similar organ removed from Nottingham Prison when the chapel was redeveloped.

8. ECUMENICAL RELATIONSHIPS


There are no other churches in the parish or immediate area.

9. OTHER FAITHS


There are no groups in the village.

10. FINANCE

The most recent funding campaign was conducted in 2008 and the promises came to 90% of the target. We have recently struggled to meet all our modest bills, following the unbudgeted replacement of the organ in 2008.

The parish share has been paid in full for the last at least 10 years, with the exception of 2008 following which we needed to be supported by the other churches in the benefice following unplanned expenditure on a new second-hand organ. We pay about 27% of the benefice’s parish share. In 2009 the Parish Share was £7752 paid in monthly instalments.

Support for home and overseas charities is chiefly informal.


The expenses of the incumbent are shared with rest of the benefice, of which our share is about £650 p.a.

11. ASSISTANTS

There are three Readers in the benefice, of which two take services regularly at Holy Trinity. A benefice ministry team meets regularly.

12. ORGANISATIONS

There is a band of bellringers jointly with Upton. There is no Sunday school, Mothers’ Union, or sponsored uniform organisations. There is no regular choir at the moment.

13. STRATEGY

Continuing regular church maintenance – the benefit of which is reduced ongoing annual maintenance.

All links with the community show potential for growth. The development of fairly high profile by the incumbent would be welcomed by the whole parish. We want to grow, and we would like someone who can help us realise this ambition.

Priorities are: Young people and helping people find ways to grow from a tenuous link to active faith.

Ideally we would like a minister who can help build up the work with families – there are many younger people at our hugely popular Christmas Eve carol service who we do not see otherwise. There is thus huge potential for the right candidate.


We have a limited structure for new families, or young people’s work and this needs some attention.

We have a regularly reviewed development plan (appended)


Resources – ‘we do a lot with a little’. We have limited financial resources, although we have raised funds most recently through the active Friends of Holy Trinity, who have provided over £3000 of assistance with the fabric and we have few but willing volunteers. Villagers raised the £40,000 for the new bells and bell frame mainly from grants.

In the light of the current needs and opportunities we would wish to see a new incumbent with qualities and skills to be at ease with younger worshippers and empathetic with older parishioners, and provide leadership in ongoing development of the new pastoral care team.

14. PRIESTS (ORDINATION OF WOMEN) MEASURE

We have had a women incumbent for the past 15 years, and all the readers are female.