About Us

Hargrave Church is part of the Suffolk Heights Benefice (a benefice is a collection of churches sharing one vicar) with Depden, Chevington, Chedburgh, Rede and Hawkedon - more Benefice information on www.suffolkheights.org

The Parochial Church Council (PCC) for the parish are responsible for running and maintaining the church. Our PCC members are Rev Clive Fairclough - Rector (from 21st June 2022);  Jill Upton and Justin Rabett - Churchwardens;  Jill DeLaat - Secretary;  David Williams - Treasurer; and Ross Wembourne

if you would like to get involved, contact any of the above or use the 'Contact Us' button or phone number shown, it is invigorating!

Dedicated to St Edmund, the church dates back to Norman times, and features an unusual Tudor brick tower and Victorian north aisle. It is situated a little way away from the modern centre of the village, at the end of a pretty track, which gives the church a special feeling of peace and tranquillity, and given the comments in our visitor’s book, many visitors appreciate this.

We now have REGULAR SERVICES twice a month at least. On the 1st Sunday of the month, normally 11 o'clock, and on the third Sunday of the Month, Evening Prayer in the afternoon (3 or 6 o'clock depending on the time of year). We are a growing and varied LGBTQ friendly congregation - please feel welcome to join us, especially if you are planning a visit. Sometimes the times of services changes, please refer to services tab to check.

The church remains open at all times

The money raised through regular collections at our church services is shared between supporting our own church and vicar and charities, such as (in 2022) Crisis at Christmas, and The Royal British Legion.

The amount we are likely to raise from village events, which we all enjoy, is more difficult to predict, and more regular donations give us greater scope to plan work ahead. We have regular expenses (insurance, electricity and of course the Rector's salary and pension) amounting to £7,000 a year (about £20 a day)

If you are able to pledge a regular amount monthly or annually, however small (like £5 a month), this has the benefit of attracting an additional 20% from the government (if you are a basic rate taxpayer). So for every £5 you give, we get £6…what a deal!

You can join the Parish Giving Scheme to give regularly with GiftAid, please look at the Give Monthly & Support Us tab for the forms to complete, if in doubt, call or email Justin (see Contact Info).

For single donations, please use the 'Support Our Church' tile on the main page

Since our Quinquennial in 2009 we have raised funds, from a very low level, and completed three tranches of urgent repairs. We were granted an English Heritage grant funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund for replacing the north aisle and north side of the nave roof completely. We have had to raise £11,500 to complete this work, which is a major challenge for such a small village and without loads of support we'd not have made it!

Our 2014 Quinquennial is summarised thus:

"This has been a quinquennium mirabilis with the PCC achieving significant amounts of urgent repair work in three contracts, much of it having been outstanding for many years. The result is that the fabric is now in a watertight condition and elements of the building at risk of loss have been secured.

There remain areas of concern, particularly the cracking at the east end of the chancel and this will need careful monitoring by volunteers initially, possibly followed by structural engineers later. There may be a need for substantial repairs here but it is too early to say whether and what - as of January 2021 - this work has been completed at a cost of £50,000.

There remain some challenges ahead but the PCC has achieved a very significant improvement in the state of the fabric and is to be congratulated on this."

A BIG THANK YOU because none of this would have been possible without your continuous and generous support!