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profile of Littlemore Parish
Regional Context
The village Littlemore is a large village situated 3 miles south east of the City of Oxford. It is controlled by Oxford City Council (www.oxford.gov.uk), having recently passed from County Council control. It is flanked by the parishes of Sandford, Iffley, Cowley and Blackbird Leys. The village is mainly residential - with two large long-established estates - and much in-fill building has taken place over the last ten years, creating further small habitations. Multi-occupancy has increased significantly. There have also been large scale developments as a result of land being sold or `re-cycled,` for example 78 houses on the old first school site; approximately 20 on the old middle school site. At least 2 other large scale housing developments are planned for the future, totalling possibly 150 houses or more. On the edge of the village, en route to Sandford, our neighbouring parish some 2 miles away, there has been a large redevelopment of the old Victorian county asylum into luxury houses and flats. The former patients have generally remained in that area, now living in sheltered accommodation as part of the `Care in the Community` initiative. Some of the patients attend the church. There is also a medium risk secure unit on the same site. The sale of other hospital land has generated approximately 250 houses. (Heyford Hill - is this so?). Whilst inhabitants of these two estates can look to either Sandford church or Littlemore church for worship, they have to come into Littlemore - or beyond - for schooling. St. Mary & St. Nicholas Church itself is situated at the heart of old Littlemore, in what has been designated a Conservation area. Diocesan Church House is approximately 3 miles away. There are few remaining `corner` shops in the village, but the village is well served by two leading supermarkets, approx 0.5 mile to the west, and 1 mile to the east. A third smaller supermarket is located on the neighbouring Rose Hill estate, which mostly lies within Iffley parish. There a number of old people`s homes both in the parish and just outside, and 2 meeting places: the Village Hall and the Community Centre The community is well served by medical practices. Although these are located outside of the village itself - the surgeries being on the Iffley and Cowley Roads, the main roads into Oxford - they are easily accessible and not too far away. There are dental practices in Rose Hill and the Cowley Centre, a large shopping mall some two miles away. The area is well served by a general and specialist hopsitals, for both adults and children. These are located in the Headington area of the city, some 3 to 4 miles away and easily accessible. These have a tradition of being teaching hopsitals, with strong links with the University. As a result of the growth of Littlemore, the roads have become more congested and traffic flow and parking can be problematic at times. There is also a significant amount of through traffic. There are 2 bus routes into Oxford, running buses at half hourly intervals, plus a more frequent bus which can be caught at Rose Hill, approximately 10 minutes walk away. There are also courtesy buses to some of the supermarkets. Although Littlemore has become much more urban, it is still possible to access the river - the Thames at Sandford and the Isis in Oxford - and the countryside within minutes. There are many cycle tracks allowing a greener form of transport. The closest large railway station is in Oxford. All major airports can be reached within 1-2 hours, and the capital within 1.5 hours. Education Following the reorganisation of schools from the two tier into the three tier system, which was finally completed some 17 months ago, there are now 2 LEA schools: one, the John Henry Newman CE. Primary School (325 pupils on roll), and Peers School, for secondary students (1000 pupils on roll). The secondary intake, in the first instance, is taken from the village, then from Sandford, and the Rose Hill and the Blackbird Leys estates. Blackbird Leys is another huge housing development to the south-west of Littlemore. These estates have their own primary provision but it is Peers in Littlemore, or beyond to which secondary students come. The John Henry Newman school was originally founded in 1841 by Newman for the poor of the village. It has always been a CE Aided school, although since its reorganisation and refurbishment, the clergy have worked hard to make those links much stronger, more significant and more relevant. This has involved going into the school on a regular basis, working with year groups, taking assemblies and encouraging participation in key church festivals, either through readings or singing. There are also end of half term and termly services, and leavers are presented with a Bible at a special ceremony in July. The church`s closest links are with this school. Together they are actively exploring how the Christian faith can be more openly expressed in the daily life of the school. The incumbent normally serves as Chair of Governors of the Primary School. Fortunately, the most difficult period in the school`s history - the reorganisation - has now passed. Recently the school was subject to an OFSTED inspection, which praised the link between church and school and the work which had been achieved to date. The report found that the school had overcome parents` anxiety about the nature of its values to become `an integral part of the Church`s mission in serving this challenging community`. It went on to say: `Parents now value the Christian ethos. Children can explain how forgiveness and reconciliation are celebrated, and the governors have reached a point where they have reviewed their vision statemnt in order to make it overtly more Christian`. Thus, we are keen to further develop this important link. The situation for Peers is not quite so rosy. Some time ago it was placed under Special Measures and a number of options are being considered as to how the school can be lifted out of this difficult situation. The new Head Teacher is making a very positive change to the learning environment. There is some work undertaken here by the clergy and a priest from Kenya who is employed by Youth Works at Peers. The clergy also take one assembly for each school year, each term and visit the school informally during the lunch hours, usually once a week. Other educational establishments in the village include the Mabel Prichard Special School, which caters for children with severe educational needs. The school and Church have developed a very `special` relationship and pupils attend the church for many traditional events e.g. Nativity, Harvest Festival etc. Their services are always a tremendously positive experience for all involved in the school and church. The school has a member of the clergy on its Governing body. Another is Sure Start, a Government funded initiative to target pre-school children and their parents. This takes place in a building recently constructed adjacent to the Community Centre and provides advice and practical support to many, often disadvantaged, families. The main operational base of this initiative is in Rose Hill Primary School, although children from both areas are drawn into many church activities eg the St. Nicholas Day procession (see below). There are two faith schools - the Emmanuel Christian School, and the Iqra Muslim School, both of which are located in part of the old first school buildings. More recently, the incumbent has taught Christianity as a subject in the latter and many interfaith initiatives have arisen out of it as a result. In the wider context of education, Oxford is well served by many Primary schools and five Secondary Schools which serve the City as a whole. Parental choice theoretically prevails. The presence of Oxford University and also Oxford Brookes University mean that there is a very high transient population within the City boundary and beyond. A great deal of property is therefore let to students, making it almost impossible for anyone trying to get a step on the property ladder. Oxford also boasts a number of prestigious independent schools for all age ranges, as well as many language schools which cause a high influx of foreign students in the summer months. There is one College of Further Education. Employment There is little industry in the parish and most working age residents are employed elsewhere in the city, though the developing Oxford Science Park in Littlemore-Sandford is gradually changing this. Small office and high-technology businesses are appearing at other industrial/business park sites within the Parish. The MINI car factory, two large supermarkets as well as Oxford and Brookes universities are the main employers for people who live in the parish. Mental Health CentreMany day patients of the Mental Health Centre (formerly Littlemore Hospital) and the Ashurst and Ley Clinics also belong to the parish (though there is a hospital chaplain). There is also a distinguished special needs school (Mabel Pritchard School) and a home for boys with learning difficulties. Other churchesApart from St. Mary & St. Nicholas, there are two other churches in the village, the Roman Catholic Dominic Barberi church, and Littlemore Baptist Church. Dominic Barberi is a relatively modern building and is named after the Friar who finally received Newman into the Roman Catholic church in 1845. Relationships between the churches are strong and many ecumenical events take place e.g. the Palm Sunday procession through the village with a donkey; the Community Carol service; Lent study groups and some Holy Week services. In the neighbouring parish of Sandford lies St. Andrews. It is a possibility that once the NSM there retires, this parish with merge with Littlemore. There are other Anglican churches in the vicinity - in Iffley, Cowley, and Blackbird Leys. Cowley also has Baptist and RC churches; Blackbird Leys has an RC church whilst Rose Hill has a Methodist church. Finally, the church has established strong links with the Asian Christian church, based on the Barton estate to the north of the City. We enjoy many cross cultural events and acts of worship with them, sharing particularly their music. For a period of 3 years, we helped train an LLM in preparation for ordination. He has now taken up his post as curate at the parish church on the Barton estate, with a lead for the Asian community. Newman Also present in Littlemore are the Sisters of the Work, a Roman Catholic order which tends Newman`s college. These are the buildings which Newman used during his time in Littlemore and are visited by pilgrims from all over the world. However, many want to see the church where he began his ministry so there may be visitors from time to time, keen to see our building. Social issues in the communityProbably the greatest issue for the parish until recently has been the lack of activities for the community`s youth. As noted above in the demographical details, Littlemore is an area of high social deprivation. School attendance is poor, underachievement is high and teenage pregnancy rates in the village and also in Rose Hill and Blackbird Leys are some of the highest in the country. Anti-social behaviour has been a continuing problem. There is very little provision for this target group. Although Blackbird Leys houses a large new football stadium and entertainment complex and Peers school campus has a swimming pool, library and other facilities, these do not attract the young people or are simply prohibitive in their cost. In an attempt to address the problem, the Church has taken a leading role in attempting to secure provision for these young people - of both facilities and activities. Two youth oriented committees have been formed: firstly, the Littlemore Youth Action group comprising the designated youth worker for the area, the Church and representatives within the community from the Parish, City and County Councils. A second group, the Littlemore Interagency Youth group was formed, comprising members from the local Street Wardens team, the local Beat Bobby, CaNact (the anti-social behaviour unit); the Housing Department, the LEA Youth Service and the Church. An early idea to use land owned by the Church on which to build a jointly funded youth club had to be abandoned because of unsatisfactory access and H&S reasons. These initiatives are beginning to bear very positive fruit for example, a run-down local playground has been upgraded; there are now regular holiday schemes for 5-12 year olds, community fun days and parties. Recreational groups and activitiesThere are a number of societies and groups which exist in the village eg the Historical Society. There is a Littlemore branch of the WI, founded in 1952 which still flourishes. A larger group runs in neighbouring Cowley. The local branch of the British Legion is located on the Minchery Farm estate and although they now have their own separate service (with a member of our clergy presiding) we do have support from the local Air Cadet Corp who march through the village on Remembrance Sunday instead. There are three pubs in the village, and a couple of upmarket hotels in nearby Sandford and Iffley. The village hosts its own Horticultural Show each September, with many allotment owners participating. There is the Thursday Club for the elderly (previously the Luncheon club); a Bingo Club which is organised by support workers from Littlemore Hospital & Group Homes; various football and rugby teams for both adults and children. Buildings The Church Newman was a priest first at St. Clement`s church in Oxford. In 1828, at the age of 27, he was inducted into the University church of St. Mary`s in the famous `High` (one of the main streets in Oxford). At that time, Littlemore was part of this parish even though it lay some 3 miles outside the city. There was no church so villagers had to walk into Oxford or attend the churches in Cowley, Sandford or Iffley. Newman became determined to build the village its own church (also a school) and several years later, together with the help of his peers, Hurrell Froude and Robert Wilberforce, he persuaded Oriel college to give him a plot of land and £100 towards building a chapel. A chapel, designed by Henry James Underwood, and costing in total £665 was started in 1835 and finally consecrated in 1836. It was later extended creating a larger chancel and bell tower, and in 1918 the priest`s vestry was built. Numerous other additions and embellishments took place over a period of 100 years, although today, as then, there continues to be no running water in the church and no toilets. However, a tap for running water has been installed in the churchyard. The church has a seating capacity of approximately 150. There are no bells. Regretably, the church cannot be left open as it would be prone to vandalism. However, locked wrought iron gates allow for the church to be viewed from inside the porch each morning. A small prayer stall is provided, together with prayers and details of services. The church`s most recent refurbishment took place in 2000, following a fund raising campaign to raise £110,000. This was a major project which involved a complete rewiring of the building and the installation of a new heating system. Remedial work was carried out to the internal roof boarding and the building was completely redecorated. Outside, the stonework to the west tower window was replaced. More recently, the tower clock face has been repainted and re-gilded, the cost being met by the Parish Council. In April 2005, the Quinquennial report highlighted a number of urgent matters with regard to the fabric of the church and these have been resolved. A further number of non-urgent matters are still to be acted upon, the greatest being the need to redecorate some of the internal walls. Some repointing , replacing or dressing off of the stonework outside is also required. Additional security lights are being investigated. Recently work has been carried out in the upper and lower vestry areas, to streamline storage and create more space for the ever increasing numbers in the Sunday School. Finally, to encourage `Access for All`, work has been completed to the front entrance of the church, and the path has been improved. The church does not enjoy the benefit of a church hall, either attached, adjacent or elsewhere in the village. This is particularly desirable as it would give us the potential to increase all sorts of activities and raise funds through hire. The PCC are currently looking into the possibility of the glebe land to the front of the church being offered to a builder for development, and in return we would acquire toilets and a small meeting room with running water etc. The Vicarage The Vicarage is an attractive, early 1970s house, next to the church. Downstairs there are two reception rooms, a large kitchen, utility room, downstairs toilet and a study facing the churchyard and church. Upstairs there are 4 good sized bedrooms, a bathroom and a separate toilet. It has a large secluded garden, well stocked with trees and fruit bushes. There is a garage and parking area for several cars. The Worshipping CommunityCommunication The church has its own website, constantly updated, and each week the incumbent or curate produces a publication called `The Window` which contains information about the forthcoming services, readings, hymns, news and events within the community and further afield. The Diocesan publication, `The Door` is distributed monthly, as is the local monthly publication, the Littlemore Local. Coffee and biscuits, sometimes cakes, are served after the service each week. We are committed to the Fair Trade initiative and use its tea and coffee. Worship Regular Services -
Other key services -
In addition, a number of other feasts are celebrated for example, a special Commemorative service for the Departed on the Sunday closest to All Souls. We also hold a Service of Remembrance on the designated Sunday. We celebrate Harvest Festival. For those unable to attend the church, there are masses held in the local old people`s homes. Individual visits to homes are also undertaken. Churchmanship The tradition is modern catholic, though as a genuine parish church, many of the congregation could be described as central anglican. As noted above, regular Services include 8am BCP Communion Service, a 10am Common Worship Communion Service and a Thursday evening Communion service at 7.30pm. There is a healing service on the last Thursday of the month. We use Order 1 Modern Language. The blessed sacrament is reserved. Incense is not used on Sundays, but only on major feasts. There is a strong tradition of preaching. We have a dedicated singing group for special services, singing mostly Iona and Taize style music. (see also the section headed `music`). Children`s service Children of all ages - especially babies - are welcome to attend all services, but during the 10.00 am service on Sundays, there is a Sunday School which lasts for most of the main service. Gathering at the front of the church after the first hymn, the children go into the vestry areas to continue their worship. During the `notices` period, before the Peace, they return and share with the main congregation what they have covered in their age related worship. After receiving a blessing or communion, they usually return to the vestries. Some rejoin their parents. Normally we have one or two children who work towards Confirmation. The issue of whether children can take communion without confirmation has been discussed and deferred for the time being. The Sunday School leaders, of whom there are four at the moment, use the ROOTS series of materials. This contains very extensive child-oriented material. Numbers vary a great deal but usually we have between 5 - 12 children. For each session there is one leader and one helper, (currently totalling 6 at the present time) all of whom have been CRB checked. Throughout the year there are many services which are geared specifically towards children: at Easter they prepare the Easter garden, partly decorating it with crosses which are painted black on one side. These have been prepared at a special workshop a couple of weeks before Easter. On Good Friday, these are displayed, black side showing , around the Easter Garden, together with the sowing of seeds and the naming of footsteps. Finally, on Easter Day these are decorated on the reverse with bright colours, as a symbol of Christ`s rising; then the children process in, singing an Easter song, and the crosses are placed, bright side showing around the Garden. The children celebrate Christingle, which includes the Nativity story acted by the children from both local Primary School and church, and a collection is made for the Children`s Society. Approximately 120 parents and children attend. At Christmas, there is a `blessing of the crib` service at which children play the characters at the Nativity, except for Jesus who is played by a live baby! Many of these services are attended by children outside the regular congregation, which boosts attendance to well over 100. Another example of this is on Mothering Sunday, when the local Brownies and Guides attend the service. Small bunches of daffodils are prepared by them in advance and these are presented during the special service. Similarly, at the beginning of December we have a Lantern festival to celebrate St. Nicholas` Day. Children from the local Sure Start group, as well as children from the community attend this. Firstly, there is a lantern workshop at the Community Centre, with refreshements; then a procession through the streets of Littlemore to the Church. During the course of the service, there will have been a surprise visit made by St. Nicholas to replace the carrots left by the children in their shoes, with sweets. At Harvest, the local schools have services at the church and bring produce which is distributed to a local charity. On these child-oriented occasions, the children often lead the service, reading lessons and intercessions. The Life of the Church Summer Fete, Christmas Bazaar, the Gardners` coffee Morning, Flower Festivals, Musical events including the world premiere of Littlemore Tractus by Arvo Part, Bible Study groups, Advent and Lent study groups, Ecumenical events, Social trips eg river boat trip, Music group; Pancake Party; Christmas Lunch Extra-curricular Activities for children a) Youth Club There is a fortnightly over-8`s Sunday evening youth club, run in the local village hall, where children can relax with their friends. The children take part in drama games, sports games, craft activities. Sometimes they have a theme evening, the most recent of which was a Victorian Christmas party, organised by the parents of one of the children. During half term and holiday periods there are occasional visits to the cinema or other similar activities. b) Godly Play For two years, the curate has run an after school club `Godly Play`. Godly Play is based on the idea that children enter a sacred space where their spirituality can be explored and nurtured. Children listen to a story that is told with wooden figures, which takes the attention away from the storyteller to the actual story. The children ask `wondering questions` which stimulates engagement with the story at their own personal level. They can then react to the story in their own creative way using paints, crayons, pencils, clay or tissue paper. The session ends with prayer and `the feast` - biscuits and juice. Baptisms, Weddings and Funerals On average, there are 40 baptisms per year. The services take place both in the main Sunday morning service or shortly after the end of that service. Weddings have ranged between 4 and 12 per year. The parish follows the guidelines of the House of Bishops in relation to remarrying. There are between 45 and 55 funerals per year. Since the graveyard is now officially closed, there can be no burials except for those with an existing plot. However, ashes are interred, following a brief church service and cremation at the local crematorium, some 3 miles away. If required, the flower arranging team will undertake special arrangements, charging a small fee to boost flower funds. Clergy Littlemore has had a very interesting and enriching mix of clergy. For some years now there has been one Priest-in-Charge, a full-time stipendary curate, an NSM assistant priest and two NSM assistant curates. The NSM clergy are academics at Mansfield College, Oriel College and Harvard University. Their unique presence provides us with stimulating, thoughtful yet accessible worship, especially sermons. The team has had an international flavour for some years, as our last Priest-in-Charge was of German origin (married to an Estonian artist), and the current priest-in-charge is originally from The Netherlands. The team is very friendly and co-operative. More detailed information is available on our website, including some previous sermons. The parish has been a training parish for many years and links with St. Stephen`s House and Ripon College, Cuddesdon provide us with regular preaching visits from ordinands. Trusteeships The incumbent is a fellow trustee (with four other vicars of the area) of the Sarah Nowell and Alice Smith charities. This allows him to disperse around £1500 for each charity, to identified need within the parish. The incumbent is also one of two trustees of Lawn Upton House. This is to be sold in this coming year and the money will be split between the local Education Department and the Diocesan Education Department. The incumbent is an ex-officio trustee of the Littlemore Village Hall. Helpers/Volunteers a) Children The children not only receive spiritual nourishment at their own level in the Sunday School; some of them are actively involved in our main service as servers. They are trained and supervised by our head server, who is also our Crucifer. The children carry the Lectionary and Service Book during the main procession and act as acolytes. Sometimes they carry their own wooden cross. b) Adults The church has a small but regular band of helpers who are involved in most of the activities, depending on their strengths. Our ongoing strategy is to encourage more volunteers so that it spreads the load and encourages participation of as many people as possible. As noted above, there is a group of 10 people who between them lead and help with our increasing Sunday school numbers. These comprise mainly parents and occassionally clergy. Similarly, there is a small regular group of people who perform sidesperson duties. This aspect of duty is valued very highly. We prize ourselves on being a very welcoming church. Indeed, a number of new recruits have said this was what attracted them to our church. Part of the welcome strategy is to offer tea and coffee at the end of the service. We have a regular group of intercessors and readers, together with a small number of lay people nominated to assist with the chalice at Communion. We have a Sacristan, who doubles as a verger at baptisms, weddings and funerals. The church is cleaned from time to time but we have difficulty in recruiting numbers, particularly since some of the older members of the congregation have had to step down from this task. Finally, we have a small but strong team of flower arrangers who keep the church dressed throughout the year, except during Lent and Advent. There have been a number of flower festivals, the most impressive being for the 200th celebration of Newman`s birth and the world première of Arvo Pärt's piece, `Littlemore Tractus` in 2001. Music The church has a tradition of congregational singing, led by a simple but fine Victorian organ at the west end (see website www.littlemore.org/littlemore-organs.html) for a history of organs at the church. The organist is a professional choral director and musicologist, though there is no church choir as such (a condition of his appointment in 1984!). The church `singing group` contributes informally on occasion as do visiting musicians. The `Complete Anglican` hymn book replaced the English Hymnal some years ago. PCC The PCC meets 6 times per year. It comprises a secretary, a treasurer, 6 additional members, 3 of whom also attend Deanery Synod. The incumbent chairs the PCC and there is a lay Vice chair. Sub groups are occasionally formed eg when the church was being renovated, there were building and finance sub groups. Giving and Money The parish has improved its financial position slowly but steadily over recent years, from a position of being unable to pay its full Diocesan share, to being able to meet all its outgoings and to make a small surplus. The parish share continues to be the biggest challenge, as it has increased significantly year on year. Currently, it stands at £18k and represents about 80% of the voluntary giving. A large proportion of donations are made through Gift Aid and the income tax we are able to reclaim helps significantly. Other one-off donations have also been made. The church also operates an Envelope Scheme and on an average week will receive about 15 envelopes in the offering. In addition to the regular giving, the church has an annual Gift Day in October. Every house in the parish is given an envelope and the church is open all day to receive gifts. This has proved quite successful and brings in approximately £1k of additional income. A Summer Fete and Christmas Bazaar are the other two significant annual events which help to generate funds. Specific donations of varying sums are sometimes given for particular projects - new hymn books, repainting of the clock face, the work of the Sunday School etc. A few years ago, the church was the grateful recipient of a legacy. Some of this has been put towards the cost of improving the vestry and tower area to provide space for the Sunday School, and some has been used to improve access to the building. The total annual cost of running the church and the services stands at about £30,000. Although ours would be viewed as a relatively poor parish, and we sometimes struggle to meet our parish share, we strive to make charitable contributions to nominated causes: eg money from the Christingle service goes to the Children`s Society; the produce from the Harvest services goes to the local Homeless project; money from the Remembrance Day collection is shared with the British Legion; at Christmas, as part of last year`s `Christmas Unwrapped` initiative, we managed to buy two goats, a cow and a donkey. This year we are collecting "gifts in shoe boxes" for children in need abroad. click here for history of Littlemore Church
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