The Cranmer GroupAslockton, Hawksworth, Orston, Scarrington, Thoroton, Whatton

‘He maketh me to lie down in green pastures’

Hawksworth

Pastures NewThe Group is served by an enthusiastic teamof three Readers covering a range of giftsand ministries, as well as a hard-workingand committed part-time administrator.There are two successful primary schools,Aslockton C of E (of which the Incumbentis an ex-officio governor) and Orston. Thereare also good relationships with the Methodistchapels at Scarrington and Orston.

All the church buildings are in a good stateof repair and financially healthy.

In the following pages we hope that you willlearn something about the sort of communitywe are, and some of our hopes and aspirationsfor the future.

Welcome to the Cranmer Group…

Formed in 1967 (originally 4 parishes, 2more joining later) it embraces the villagesof Aslockton, Hawksworth, Orston, Scarrington,Thoroton and Whatton. We are proud of ourconnection to Archbishop Cranmer, whowas born in Aslockton.

Essentially a rural community, farming isno longer the main industry, with severallocal businesses, and many people commutingor working from home.

Welcome to the Cranmer Group…

Formed in 1967 (originally 4 parishes, 2more joining later) it embraces the villagesof Aslockton, Hawksworth, Orston,Scarrington, Thoroton and Whatton. We areproud of our connection to ArchbishopCranmer, who was born in Aslockton.Essentially a rural community, farming isno longer the main industry, with severallocal businesses, and many people commutingor working from home.

Around the villages

Group Activities● ‘special’ services include Healing (recently

re-introduced and popular), 5th Sunday special Group service with a wide range of guest speakers, Remembrance Sunday and ATC (Air Training Corps) parade services.

● our Seder supper and Group socials are attractive to non-churchgoing friends

Most households subscribe to the Groupmagazine Contact, giving details aboutforthcoming events throughout the 6 villages,and lots of useful information for residents.

The Group Council meets 4 times a year todiscuss policy and strategy.

Each village has its own character, and we celebrate this diversity and view the varietyacross the Group as important. Whilstcelebrating the integrity of each worshippingcommunity, we also strive to develop as aGroup.

Currently● regular Groups have been meeting on a

weekly or monthly basis to discuss and reflect on a range of Christian books during the year

● each year we select a Lent course of studywhich is supported across the Group

● a contemplative prayer group meets every 3 weeks in the home of a member of the church

Aslockton Church and the Thomas Cranmer Centre

AslocktonPrevious village activities continue in thenew award winning venue with the additionof new uses – everything from Rainbows,Brownies and Guides to professional touringtheatre and concerts, Parish Council meetings,social events and parties for all ages, karate,yoga, table tennis, art club and local historyand a successful fair-trade shop.

St. Thomas’ church, built in 1891, is listedgrade II. It has a warm red brick interior,giving it a welcoming feel with some verymodern stained glass windows, one depictsour connection to Thursday Island, NorthQueensland.

Aslockton is the largest village in the Group(population 1200). As well as a good numberof families, there is, almost inevitably, anincreasing retired population. Aslockton hasmany community organisations. The villagehas a shop incorporating a Post Office, apub, hair-dresser and several small businessesplus a C of E School.

The 2003 Parish Plan identified a need forimproved facilities to help engender a bettercommunity spirit. In December 2009 theThomas Cranmer Centre opened. Attachedto the church, the centre is a moderncommunity hall which replaced a 90 yearold church hall that was desperately out ofdate and unsuitable for improvement.

St Thomas’ have a service every Sundaymorning. On a monthly cycle, using CommonWorship the first Sunday is the least formal,the second week being Holy Communionand the others Morning Prayer. Members ofthe congregation take part in reading thelessons and all services are followed byrefreshments and fellowship time.

During December 2013 local families, interestgroups and local businesses were invited toplace an illuminated Christmas tree in thechurch, with the theme of “light up yourchurch for Christmas”. This resulted in 32trees – demonstrating a wide range of styleand innovation, and the open church wasvisited by many people, some had neverbeen in our church before, to admire thedisplay. We are sure this event will be repeatedand grow in the future.

Around Aslockton

HawksworthServices are held once a month alternatingbetween Holy Communion and MorningPrayer. The small easy going congregation isforward looking and willing to try new ideas.Festival services are attended by over 50% ofthe village.

Since 1987 the church has been a dualpurpose building as it would have beencenturies ago. The nave was deconsecratedand is now central to the social functionsand the life of the village. It has been used asa theatre, concert hall, for sales of picturesby local artists and a polling station. It is apopular venue for charitable events andparties for adults and children - we can evenfit a bouncy castle inside the church!

Hawksworth is one of the smaller villagesin the Cranmer Group set in beautifulcountryside with 50 households and a currentpopulation of 109. There is a healthy mixof commuters, children and retired villagers.

St Mary and All Saints Church is a Grade 2listed building much loved by the villagers.Recently a comprehensive history of thechurch was completed by the Clerk to theParish Council. During the past two years thetower has been restored at a cost of £90,000.Funding for the church is provided by the PCCand Hawksworth Community Associationwhich is a registered charity.

Hawksworth Church

Challenges for the future include increasingthe participation of younger people in worship,turning the general good-will and support ofour villagers into more focused and activeinvolvement and encouraging more interactionwithin the Cranmer Group.

Around Hawksworth

Orston Church

OrstonSaint Mary's Church is grade 1 listed andhas a prominent position in the centre ofthe village. It is now in good condition aftersubstantial repair work during 2013. It hasa recently installed tea point, WC and vestry.

Regular services are evening prayer on the firstSunday of the month (average attendance 22),holy communion services on second andfourth Sundays (16) and morning prayer onthird Sundays (14).

There is a unique Christmas eve pageantwhich attracts 400/500 people. The loyal bellringers call the residents to prayer, andannounce to all that the church is open forbusiness!

Orston is important historically with apopulation approaching 500, surrounded byfarming land but now largely an attractivecommuter village. It contains a riding schoolwith livery stable, some small businesses, apub and a deli shop with cafe.

One of the oldest villages in the Vale of Belvoirwith an entry in the Domesday Book, it is ina rural conservation area with several listedbuildings. There is a thriving village hallwhich organises regular activities, a verysuccessful primary school and the ParishCouncil works hard for the benefit of thevillage. A typical country village, quiet onthe surface but active underneath.

50 families contribute to our pledged givingfunding. There is a strong PCC whoseaspiration is to work with the Vicar andReaders for a growth in the congregation,particularly of younger members.

Around Orston

ScarringtonFestival, Carol and Christmas Day services;the Carol service is especially popular withgenerally more than 70 in the congregationand a friendly social event afterwards.

The Church is in good condition and benefitsfrom a new organ, and sound system,providing facilities for music when an organistis not available. It has a steeple tower with threeoriginal bells dated 1450. In 2002, after afund raising campaign, the medieval bellframe was replaced and a new 1650 bell wasadded, then a smaller treble bell, and finallya specifically cast bell generously gifted by theSouthwell Diocesan Guild of Bell Ringers.

Scarrington, with a population of less than200, has a fairly even mix of retired, workingand young people. There are sixty five houses,three working farms and two livery yards.

Although Scarrington does not have a pub,shop or village school, the local WI hallprovides an important focus for lively villageevents, local clubs, and meetings. The villagealso boasts a unique heritage landmark, apile of horse shoes that stands over 17 feet high!

St. John of Beverley is a 13th century, gradeone listed, Church in a conservation areathat holds a single service on the 3rd Sundayof each month at 9:00am. There are also well attended Easter, Harvest

Scarrington Village

Scarrington is a wonderful, rural, villagewith a welcoming community who wouldundoubtedly respond to enthusiastic newleadership.

More information is available at:www.scarringtonchurch.org.uk

Around Scarrington

Thoroton Church

ThorotonWe have also donated money to local andoverseas charities, an activity we see as animportant part of our church responsibility.

The annual Garden party in 2013 raised over £1500. The event is extremely popular and is well supported by Aslockton School, towhich most of the village children attend, and by the other villages in the group. There are plenty of games to play, stalls selling a wide range of items, and wonderful cream teas!

Church congregations tend to be between 4 and 10 on most Sundays. The Harvest Festival and Carol services are major eventswith congregations of 40 to 70. Successful fund-raising campaigns have been run in recent years.

Thoroton has a population of 120, with 50houses and 2 working farms, and with agood social mix including a number of young families. Whilst a number of people worklocally, many commute to Newark, Granthamand Nottingham.

St Helena's Church has late Norman andEarly English architecture and underwent extensive restoration in 1868.

There are no shops or pubs in the village andconsequently the church tends to be the focusfor community events. The village has restoredtwo seventeenth century bells that had been outof action for 40 years and augmented them toa peel of six. An overhead halogen heatingsystem has also been recently installed.

A Sunday Service is held once a month. With the local connection to ArchbishopCranmer, the Book of Common Prayer isusually used for Holy Communion andMorning Prayer. The congregation areappreciative and flexible; the tradition tendsto be 'middle of the road' but new ideas arenot unwelcome!

We are a committed and loyal church family, keen to find ways to move forward and reach out to our community, as well askeeping anoutward focus on the needs ofthe wider world.

Around Thoroton

Whattonmaintained with 90% of the quinquennialprojects completed. There is an excellentpeal of eight bells also well maintained andin good condition.

The chapel is dedicated to the memory ofArchbishop Thomas Cranmer, who worshippedhere as a boy.

Our village hall hosts a range of activitiesfor residents of all ages, including the CranmerYouth Club, W.I. indoor bowls, Zumba, QuizNights, Karate, the Cranmer Company ofSingers, regular coffee mornings and aSunday morning Breakfast Club held oncea month. For the more energetic there isWhatton United Football Club which hasseveral youth teams, and a Cricket Club.

Whatton is the southern most village in theGroup, with a population of 900. The villageconsists of three small areas by the A52 andthe original Nottingham to Grantham road,with the old village on one side and a mix ofolder properties and new developments onthe other.

Most people commute to work in theNottingham area with some travelling toLondon and other parts of the country; manyresidents are retired.

St John of Beverley is an 11th century churchlocated at the heart of the old village. It is aGrade II* listed building in excellent condition.The building was extensively redevelopedduring the 14th and 19th Centuries and is well

Whatton Church

In recent years the PCC has organised a mixof events to cater for all age groups – a FashionShow, Concerts, BBQs and Harvest Lunches.

The finances are sound and have been furtherunderpinned by a successful covenantingcampaign in May 2012.

Around Whatton

What we hope to see – our ideal vision for the future

● church becoming recognised as caring for its communities (pastoral care - but with the vicar not necessarily being the only person to deliver it!)

● our vicar helping us find creative ways to engage with villagers who are not church members

● our vicar encouraging and developing lay leaders and working with them to work out how a shared vision for the area can be delivered – encouraging them to help him or her identify what God is calling us to, and to work out how to progress

● our vicar visible and involved in our communitiesand in our churches but not always the first pointof contact for people – people understanding that the vicar now has a different role in the church and that we all share responsibility for bringing Christ to our communities.

We recognise that we live in times of considerablechange and uncertainty, and we need someone to helpus journey into the future with confidence and hope.Someone who will help us adapt where we need towhilst listening sensitively to our needs and concernsas we move forward.

These are things we hope to see in 2 or 3 years time

● our congregations are growing

● more younger people (i.e. people under 50!) are becoming involved in church life

● creative services

● engaging younger adults whilst also supporting and encouraging older and more traditional members

● older people feeling embraced and valued

Flowers in Whatton

Personal Qualities and Giftswe hope to see in our Vicar

● a clear and manifest commitment to the Gospel and a passion to live this out in everything they do

❍ desiring to further God’s mission for and within our villages

● an enabler who will lead us confidently and sensitively towards new ways of being and experiencing church

❍ focusing on inspiring people to a shared vision of the future

❍ providing direction and guidance and delegating responsibility

❍ discerning and encouraging people’s varying gifts

❍ making people feel valued and appreciated

❍ sensitive to the diverse needs and concerns of the wider community

● a strong communicator able to communicate their faith confidently in ways others easily understand

❍ listening carefully and paying attention to the ideas, needs and concerns of others and fostering a spirit of cooperation

● humility – a woman or man ‘of the people’ as well as being a ‘man of God’, approachable, compassionate but also clear and committed

Sunset over Orston

● mostly welcoming, hospitable and caring

● strong social aspect to our church services (refreshments and fellowship) and church lives (Passover Seder and especially bring and share events!)

● committed but ageing church communities whose numbers have shrunk in recent years

● pockets of thirst for greater experience of prayer and bible study

● people struggling to know how to hold onto the best from the past and grasp the best for the future in an increasingly secular world

● churches with anxieties about how to maintain and grow their local church communities

What our Vicar may see in us!

● a range of worship styles and preferences across the group but finding it hard to offer diversity within small worshipping communities

● semi-rural villages with 2 local primary schools, lots of community groups and local businesses which provide opportunities which have not been adequately addressed

● there is a skilled part-time administrator who provides support for the vicar

● three able and enthusiastic, if heavily committed, Readers with a willingness for exploring opportunities for different ministries

Local footpath

Our special thanks go to Fiona Grant, whoseexpertise has turned our words into a visual storythat we hope will add colour and texture to yourinsights into our setting/ locale and our people.

A few last words…We created this by setting aside our personalpriorities, working together and allowing the HolySpirit to guide our decisions. For us it’s been a challenge to produce a booklet toconvey to you what the Group is like.

The Vicarage at Aslockton

The Vicarage is an attractive four-bedroom family home situatedbeside Aslockton church. Large,manageable gardens provide afeeling of tranquillity, with amplespace for outdoor living.

The Vicarage

How to find usSituated on the edge of the Vale ofBelvoir, 13 miles from Nottinghamand Grantham, there is good accessto the A1 at Grantham and M1 atLeicester. Aslockton station provides easy access to Nottingham, offeringevery sort of amenity, and Grantham,where the railway makes London justover an hour away.

Contact DetailsFor more information please contact us:

Nick Finlay (Group Council Lay Chairman)

e: nick@nfinlay.freeserve.co.uk t: 01949 850912

Sue Rowe (Reader)

e: susanrowe.assoc@virgin.nett: 01949 850600

Annie Dickinson (Reader)

e: annie@dickinson.nett: 01949 851375