St Mary's is one of eleven Parish Churches within the Bride Valley & Chesil Benefice. Other members are: St Mary The Virgin, Burton Bradstock St Michael and All Angels, Little Bredy St Peter, Long Bredy; Chilcombe (dedication unknown); St Mary The Blessed Virgin, Puncknowle; St Martin, Shipton Gorge; Holy Trinity, Swyre; St Nicholas, Abbotsbury; St Peter, Portesham; St Peter, Langton Herring. Rector: Reverend Andrew Rawding Parochial Church Council Chairman: The Rector Churchwarden: Vacant Secretary: Vacant (Contact Wendy Firrell 01308 482532) Treasurer: Kathryn Brooks The full Parochial Church Council meets four times a year including the Annual Church Meeting in April. The Council adopted a policy whereby the church would embrace community use. To that end the pews at the rear of the nave were removed and the floor there levelled to provide an open space for social occasions. As a result of the generosity of many villagers, 50 upholstered chairs were purchased to provide additional seating when required. A hearing loop and sound enhancement system are installed and a professional recording of our organist Paul Cheater made so that a library of hymns and other music can be played at St Mary’s, and other churches in the Bride Valley, in the absence of an organist. To complete the policy, the redundant church hall was demolished to provide some car parking space and to create a vehicular access to the churchyard,. The tower was reordered, to provide a WC and small kitchen facility on the ground floor, with a staircase to a new mezzanine floor above. The pattern of Worship currently in use on a monthly basis is: 1 st Sunday: 9.30 am: Holy Communion, with hymns and sung responses. 2 nd Sunday: 9.30 am: Morning Worship (lay led) 3 rd Sunday: Oct – April 9.30 am: Morning Prayer (lay led) 3 rd Sunday: May – September 6.00 pm Evensong (usually lay led) 4 th Sunday: 4.00 pm - Community Church at LATCH (informal) 5 th Sunday: usually a United Valley Service at one of the Valley Churches. Copies of Source to Sea (Sunday Pew Sheet) and Bride Valley News are available in the Church.

St. Mary’s Church takes its responsibilities surrounding the safeguarding of children, young people, and adults who may be at risk very seriously and works in partnership with the Diocese of Salisbury to ensure that we work in accordance with best practice at all times. Our Parish Safeguarding Policy was adopted by the PCC on 8th May 2018 and a copy of it is available on the shelf inside the Church. It can also be downloaded from the Salisbury Diocese website: www.salisbury.anglican.org If you have queries or concerns regarding any safeguarding issues you should contact the Diocese as Safeguarding Advisor direct at https://www.salisbury.anglican.org/safeguarding/ Email: safeguarding@salisbury.anglican.org Or telephone 01722 438651 and press option 2.

For generations, St Mary's Church has stood at the heart of our village. Many of us hold precious memories within its walls - baptisms, weddings, Christmas services, carol singing, school visits and funerals of loved ones. One much-loved feature of our church is the flagpole. This is the only location in the village where national flags can properly be flown on high days and holidays. That being the case, whether for Remembrance, national events or church celebrations, the sight of the flag flying high over Litton Cheney can be seen as a source of pride and belonging for the whole community. The flagpole was installed in 2014. Time and the British weather have taken their toll. The main problem is with the clamp brackets which secure the wires to the pole and to the stonework at the base. They are rusted and have sharp edges which catch on the flags in light winds with consequent damage to the flags when taking them down. There is also a potential problem with the swivel at the top. This appears to stick which causes the flags to wrap around the pole rather than rotate with changes in wind direction. The pole itself is 8 metres high and the stays are secured at a height of 5 metres above the deck. We won’t know the full extent of the problems until the pole is lowered. In summary, the pole is now in need of specialist refurbishment. With that in mind we have contacted the company who installed the flagpole on the basis that they are probably the best people to take it down. The project will involve: 1. Safely lowering the flagpole. 2. Removing the existing rusted collar and wires and replacing with new. 3. Repairing/replacing the swivel as required. 4. Cleaning the pole. 5. Erecting and securing the pole when done. 6. Ensuring all safety regulations are met. We need to raise £3600 to cover the cost (including VAT) of this complex, high-level project. This includes manpower and travel costs (the contractor isn’t local to Dorset) and a contingency against the possibility that a cherry picker will be required to gain access to the top, if the pole cannot easily be taken down. We have some money pledged but this is unlikely to cover the cost. We therefore invite you to kindly consider a donation of any size to help make up the shortfall and to ensure that we can continue to see flags flying over our church and village for years to come. You can donate by: Cheque (payable to PCC St. Mary’s); or Bank Transfer (Sort Code: 30-92-69, A/C 00397579, Reference Flagpole). Should we find ourselves in the fortunate position of raising more than we need, we'll put the money towards repairs to the stained-glass windows which we know will need doing in the not-too-distant future. If this church has been part of your story, or if you simply want to help preserve an important part of our village’s heritage, please consider donating. Any questions please contact John Vercoe on 07973781019. Thank you from PCC St. Mary’s.