St Andrew - Orwell

St Nicholas - Arrington

Welcome to St Nicholas Arrington which is part of a group of five churches that make up the Benefice of Orwell in South Cambridgeshire. All five churches are here to serve you, whether you are a regular church attender or not. As rural parishes, many of our congregations have members of various traditions who all worship together, be they Baptist, Methodist, Roman Catholic, or whatever, and all are welcome. After all we all worship the same one God.

All of the church buildings in the group are listed, three of them being grade 1 (eg Arrington) which makes them of national importance and two are grade2*. It also means worship and spiritual development has been going on amongst the parishes for at least a thousand years if not more, even if the buildings have changed. This does not mean we fossilise, and as social changes occur around us we endeavour to respond to the challenges that are presented to us (see 'About us' for details of the development of the church).

St Nicholas Arrington is the smallest church in the group but on a summer day you can stand beside the church and look up to see buzzards circling against the blue sky with swifts and swallows below them while at the same time you may hear a green woodpecker the other side of the churchyard. The churchyard is managed as a rural churchyard to protect as much wild life as we can \- so a concern for ecology is one of the primary concerns of the church along with remembering those who have gone before us.

Our church building is open for public worship both day and in the evening as well as for private prayer, reflection and simple visiting during daylight hours.

This is also a difficult time for many people who suddenly find themselves with less resources through no fault of their own. There is a Foodbox in our church porch which all who need it are welcome to use, there is no need to ask, simply help yourself to what you need.

"Our parish of Arrington: St Nicholas is committed to safeguarding children, young people and adults from harm. We follow the House of Bishops guidance and policies and have our own Parish Safeguarding Officer (PSO). Our Diocese of Ely’s safeguarding pages contain vital links and information including contacts for the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisor who advises our PSO. If you are concerned that a child or adult has been harmed or may be at risk of harm please contact the PSO or the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisor [[email protected]] or phone 07904 487912. If you have immediate concerns about the safety of someone, please contact the police and your local authority’s children or adult social care services."

St Andrew - Wimpole

Welcome to St Andrew's Wimpole which is part of a group of five churches that make up the Benefice of Orwell in South Cambridgeshire. All five churches are here to serve you, whether you are a regular church attender or not. As rural parishes, many of our congregations have members of various traditions who all worship together, be they Baptist, Methodist, Roman Catholic, or whatever, and all are welcome. After all we all worship the same one God.

All of the church buildings in the group are listed either grade I or grade II*, (Wimpole is Grade II*). This also means that worship and spiritual development has been going on amongst the parishes for at least a thousand years if not more, even if the buildings have changed. This does not mean we fossilise, and as social changes occur around us we endeavour to respond to the challenges that are presented to us (see 'About us' for details of the development of the church).

St Andrew's Wimpole is the youngest church building in the group although it replaces an earlier medieval church of which a significant part is still retained in the Chicheley Chapel. The churches particular character being the many important monuments to the former owners and their families of the nearby Wimpole Hall and in its position surrounded by the National Trust's historic grade I listed parkland and the gardens of the Hall.

The parish of Wimpole: St Andrew is committed to the safeguarding of children, young people and adults. We follow the House of Bishops guidance and policies and have our own Parish Safeguarding Officer(s), PSOs.

The Diocese of Ely’s safeguarding pages contain vital links and information including contacts for the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisor (DSA) who advise our PSOs. [[email protected]] or phone 07904 487912.

If you are concerned that a child or adult has been harmed or may be at risk of harm please contact the DSA. If you have immediate concerns about the safety of someone, please contact the police and your local authority Children or Adults Services.

All Saints - Barrington

SETTING

Welcome to All Saints Barrington which is part of a group of five churches that make up the Benefice of Orwell in South Cambridgeshire. All five churches are here to serve you, whether you are a regular church attender or not. As rural parishes, many of our congregations have members of various traditions who all worship together, be they Baptist, Methodist, Roman Catholic, or whatever, and all are welcome. After all we all worship the same one God.

All of the church buildings in the group are listed, three of them being grade 1 (including Barrington) which makes them of national importance and two are grade 2* . It also means worship and spiritual development has been going on amongst the parishes for at least a thousand years if not more, even if the buildings have changed. This does not mean we fossilise, and as social changes occur around us we endeavour to respond to the challenges that are presented to us (see 'About us' for details of the development of the church).

BUILDING

All Saints Barrington is perhaps the largest church in the group and was conceived more as a town church than a village church. Its particular character is its site, at the end of what is claimed by some, to be one of the largest village greens in England. Its interior is also rather grand with medieval carving throughout the Nave and its aisles, and a late wall painting of the 'Three Dead' can be seen on the south arcade. The 'Three Dead' are normally complemented by the 'Three Living'. but they are not visible if they do exist just like some black letter texts on the north arcade that are not visible. The Three Dead and the Three Living is about how we cannot escape our ageing and our death in this world - it's a medieval moral tale.

SERVICES AND MISSION

Our church building is open for public worship during the day and the evening and it is open during the day for private prayer and simply visiting.

This is also a difficult time for many people who suddenly find themselves with less resources through no fault of their own. There is a Foodbox in our church which all who need it are welcome to use, there is no need to ask, simply help yourself to what you need.

SAFEGUARDING

The parish of Barrington: All Saints is committed to the safeguarding of children, young people and adults. We follow the House of Bishops guidance and policies and have our own Parish Safeguarding Officer(s), PSOs. The Diocese of Ely’s safeguarding pages contain vital links and information including contacts for the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisor (DSA)[[email protected]] or phone 07904 487912.

who advise our PSOs.

If you are concerned that a child or adult has been harmed or may be at risk of harm please contact the DSA. If you have immediate concerns about the safety of someone, please contact the police and your local authority Children or Adults Services.

All Saints - Croydon

Welcome to All Saints' Croydon which is part of a group of five churches that make up the Benefice the Orwell Group in South Cambridgeshire. All five churches covering five parishes are here to serve you whether you are a regular church attender or not. As rural parishes, many of our congregations have members of various traditions worshipping together, be they Baptist, Methodist, Roman Catholic, or whatever, and all are welcome. After all we all worship the same one God.

All our church buildings are listed either grade 1 or grade II* (eg Croydon) thus worship and spiritual development has been going on for at least a thousand years if not more, even if the buildings have changed.That does not mean we fossilise, and as social changes occur around us we endeavour to respond to the challenges that are presented to us

Perhaps the one distinctive feature of All Saints - Croydon is the association with the Downing Family who of course built Downing Street in Westminster and founded Downing College in Cambridge. The Downing family were responsible for the rebuilding of the chancel around 1680 as well as being buried in the crypt. Not far, and to the west of Croydon church, are the remains of the now lost Cloptonvillage that was joined to Croydon in 1561 (see About us for more detailed information).

Since the restrictions around the Covid-19 pandemic the five churches have moved to on-line services ( YouTube and Zoom™) and these will continue alongside those churches that have been able to re-open. Also Bible Study and Messy Church are on-line.

This is a difficult time for many people who suddenly find themselves with less resources through no fault of their own. There is a Foodbox in our church porch which all who need it are welcome to use, there is no need to ask, simply help yourself to what you need.

The parish of Croydon: All Saints is committed to the safeguarding of children, young people and adults. We follow the House of Bishops guidance and policies and have our own Parish Safeguarding Officer(s), PSOs. The Diocese of Ely’s safeguarding pages contain vital links and information including contacts for the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisor (DSA) who advise our PSOs. If you are concerned that a child or adult has been harmed or may be at risk of harm please contact the DSA. If you have immediate concerns about the safety of someone, please contact the police and your local authority Children or Adults Services.