SPRING 2024
Garden of Remembrance
We recently organised a church working party to tidy up around our beautiful and extensive churchyard. One of the main aims of the day was to work on our garden of remembrance. We removed box hedges which have suffered from box moss damage and a damaged weeping pair. We are planning to introduce better ground cover and some suitable bedding plants.
Saturday 27th April 10:00am
Our annual parochial church meeting will take place on Saturday, the 27th of April at 10 am in church. This meeting is a chance to elect church wardens and members of the PCC as well as hearing the annual report for 2023 and receiving the financial report. All those on the church electoral roll are welcome to attend and question director, treasurer and members of the PCC.
Saturday 18th May 10:30am-2:30pm
We plan to hold a parish “away” day at the Coach House in Bexhill on May 18th. This will be an opportunity for members of all our parishes, Winchelsea Icklesham and Pett to come together for prayer and reflect upon the future of our ministry in this beautiful corner of East Sussex. All are welcome.
WILDFLOWER CIRCLES
Two years ago as a church we took the decision to create three wild flower areas to increase the biodiversity of the Churchyard and allow for the augmentation of insect life, which in turn helps give a food source to our colony of swifts, which returns each year to nest in the church. This shows progress at the beginning of April this year. Grape hyacinths and crocus can be seen. The yellow rattle and ox-eye daisies are also coming through.
THE CORONATION OF HM CHARLES III
We will be marking this historic event in the life our Nation and National Church by holding a said service of Evening Prayer on Friday May 5th at 6:00pm to pray for the King and Country. On the Sunday following the Coronation, May 7th, there will be a special Parish Eucharist to celebrate the occasion at the usual time of 11:00am. A Street party is being organised following the service at 1:00pm in St Thomas St.
St Richard’s Winchelsea Beach – Closure
Unfortunately due to financial pressures our church at Winchelsea Beach has closed
It became clear following the most recent structural report (Quinquennial) that we would need to find between £50,000 and £100,000 to maintain the church. A public meeting was held at the Winchelsea beach community Hall on 27 October 2021. Notes from the meeting and a more recent update can be found by clicking here. Following this and extensive discussions, a period of reflection and prayer it was decided that the church would have to be closed and offered for sale. As part of this process we have had to obtain permission to remove and re-inter cremated remains that way incorrectly buried in the surroundings of the church. After extensive efforts to contact next of kin we obtain permission at the end of 2022 and all the remains have now been re-interred in a dignified and seemingly matter the Churchyard of St Thomas the martyr in Winchelsea. The church is now for sale on the open market and it is expected that a sale will be negotiated in the near future.
While the Rector and the PCC regret that we have had to take this action, we feel that we have made the right decision and would add that we committed to maintaining a Christian presence within Winchelsea beach and it is likely that regular services of some kind will be held in another venue. If you would like to discuss this matter please do feel free to contact the Rector revdjonathan@btinternet.com
History – St Richard’s Church
Services at Winchelsea Beach ceased with the wartime evacuation and resumed in 1949, although it was not until Miss C M Biddle became Missioner in Charge in 1955 that all was put on a firmer footing.
The war-damaged chapel, though patched up, was too damp to use in the winter and services were transferred to her house. She was the driving force behind the campaign to raise the funds to buy a new plot of land and build a proper church.
Designed by Duncan Wylson of Rye and built by Padden and Durrant, the new St Richard’s opened in 1962. The original concrete altar was brought from the lock-up garages and an organ from Rochester Cathedral. Rye Harbour parish was not entirely happy with Pett’s claim on the Beach, and a low level dispute rumbled on until 1966 when it was agreed to redraw parish boundaries and combine Winchelsea Beach with Winchelsea, recognising the role that Winchelsea had taken in supporting the building of the new church.
Sadly the Church closed after the Covid 19 Lockdown in 2020 largely on account of the costs needed for repairs and renovation. The money raised from the sale of the church will go to the Parish and some of it will be put aside to support ministry in Winchelsea Beach. Do contact the Rector if you have any questions.
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Recorded Services
RECTOR BECOMES PRIEST IN CHARGE OF PETT15 March 2022 - 9:38 am
Evening Prayer for 27th January 2021 Epiphany27 January 2021 - 6:25 pm
Evening Prayer for Epiphany11 December 2020 - 10:29 am
Psalm 2321 May 2015 - 9:23 pm
Recorded Guides, Prayers and Reflections
- Reflective Material21 May 2015 - 9:20 pm
News
ADVENT and CHRISTMAS SERVICES 202412 December 2023 - 4:57 pm
Service of Thanksgiving for the Departed21 October 2023 - 2:52 pm