Friends of the Parish Church

Latest News

Newsflash. With apologies, the Bring & Share lunch has been moved to 10th August. We do hope that you can all join us especially new members.

Ninth Newsletter Spring 2025

Click here to download a copy of our latest Newsletter

“The Real Margaret Thatcher” talk by Sir John Coles in the Parish Rooms Wed 7th May 2025

Sixty two people attended this talk by Sir John Coles, (the Prime Minister’s Private Secretary for Foreign & Defence Affairs 1981-84) and there was a real buzz afterwards as people made their way out. We now have a much better insight into Margaret Thatcher, not the Iron Lady, as the press named her, but very much a hard-working, caring, sometimes openly emotional lady who gave her all for her country. We learned how those around her, including Sir John, also worked the long hours that she did, 7 days a week in times of crisis. We heard more about the Falklands War and how Margaret (only ever “Maggie” in the Press) travelled there, strapped in a Lancaster with everyone else, to visit and talk to all the people in residence. We heard how she cried when hearing of the crash of 2 helicopters and the probable loss of life.

We learned of her visit to Beijing during the Hong Kong discussions, a huge issue which took years to resolve but she did it. She was the first Prime Minister to visit many countries including, surprisingly, Australia where she was apprecia tively received. Margaret was invited to too many countries to list and was real ly popular but her favourite place was America which she visited many times and where, of course, she had regular meetings with Ronald Reagan.

An enlightening evening and we thank Sir John for his time with us. There will be another talk in the autumn, details to be announced.

Pamela Mugliston.

Photos by Tony Downing

Friends' Visit to Lichfield Cathedral 8 April 2025

33 of us from the Friends of St Mary's Church visited Lichfield Cathedral on 8 April 2025 and explored this medieval cathedral on guided tours. We were amazed at the many life sized sculptures on the west entrance from St Chad to Queen Victoria. The Cathedral has three spires, one of them being the same height as ours here at St Mary’s. The history of the Cathedral gave everyone lots to talk about as they enjoyed lunch at a restaurant close by. A walk around the city, Pool and parks in the sunshine was really enjoyable. A great day out in the sunshine. Thanks to Martin for the group photo and Tony Downing for the slideshow photos. Click on the photo to enlarge.

See our Archive page for details of this and other trips.

About us

New members are most welcome and you don't have to be a parishioner of St Mary's to join. See below for how to join.

Founded in 1933, the Friends of St Mary’s Society provides funds for the maintenance of the fabric of the Church and for carrying out improvements and adornments. It is a Registered Charity (No 253119) and is administered by the Chairman, Hon Secretary and Hon Treasurer and six committee members with the Rector as President. We normally hold our AGM on the second Sunday in September to coincide with St Mary's Patronal Festival.

Our Founders
The Friends of the Parish Church was founded by Isaac Marking who was a Church Warden at the time and had a butchers shop and Abattoir on the corner of Church Street and Museum Street and Geoffrey Barnard who ran a Seed Merchants business in Barnard Close. Geoffrey Barnard effectively ran the Friends from it’s formation in 1933 until his death in January 1968

Objects of the Society of The Friends
(a)    To unite into one body all the friends of this magnificent Church
(b)    To provide funds to be utilised towards the maintenance of the fabric of the Church and for carrying out any desired improvements and/or adornments
(c)    To fulfil the duty that is ours of preserving this Church in all its beauty for those who come after.

The Work of the Friends of the Church

Although a church has stood on this site for 800 years, the present building was remodelled 500 years ago under the supervision of John Wastell, master mason for King’s College Chapel, Cambridge, and externally apart from the spire has remained unchanged. Internally, over the years, many of the original tombs, chapels, pews and colouring have been removed and Victorian stained glass and the re-erected Chancel Screen and the Rood have had a great effect on the interior.

Whilst the Friends have been responsible for many practical schemes, such as the inner doors of the West Porch and the voice reinforcement system, they have also striven to bring colour and beauty to the church. The last years of the 20th century were very fruitful, with the provision of embroidered kneelers, colourful banners and the creation of the Chapel of Remembrance. We aim to use local craftsmen and women in all our projects and are careful to ensure that the schemes blend happily with the spirit of the building as it was conceived long ago.

In 2018 we made a major contribution to the Building Programme by funding the Welcome Furniture which is a great asset to the Church.

Joining the Friends

We do hope that you will join us so that we can continue to contribute to the beautification of our Church. See below:

You can help us by joining the Society. Membership includes parishioners and other supporters, residents of Saffron Walden and many from further afield. Becoming a member helps to ensure that our work can continue under the guidance of the committee of the society. Membership costs a minimum of £5 per year (single) or £8 (family) payable by 1st April each year. Contact us via the Parish Office to find out more or download our leaflet which includes an application form.