Friends of the Parish Church

Latest News

Camino De Santiago Talk - 26th January 2026

Julie Kendall and Mark Vernon gave a brilliant talk on their 163 mile walk from their preparations to the completion of the walk and everything they saw and did along the way.
They gave lots of hints about what to do and what not to do if you are planning on going and also some beautiful shots of the very pretty villages they called at along the way.
A very enjoyable evening with lots of questions and interest from the over 50 people who attended the evening. A great get together for the Friends and for newcomers to our talks including those who just saw the event advertised in the local paper. Hopefully those who took our information leaflet may decide to join us.
A good start for John and Alison Forster and we look forward to the next talk.

Pamela

Visit to Canterbury Cathedral 3rd October 2025

The Friends had a wonderful visit to this amazing Cathedral on the very day that the announcement was made of our new Archbishop of Canterbury Dame Sarah Mullally. Some of our party, quite by chance, met Archbishop Stephen Cottrell after the event and received a blessing.
Canterbury Cathedral was established in 597AD when Christianity was re-introduced to England and welcomed by King Ethelbert and Queen Bertha. The Cathedral was re-built by the Norman Archbishop Lanfranc in 1070 after a fire in 1067. There were major rebuilds between 1391 and 1498. There is the most amazing stained glass some dating back as far as the 12th century. So we have the beautiful Cathedral we saw on our visit.
In 1988 UNESCO inscribed the Cathedral together with the Augustine’s Abbey and St Martin’s Church as a World Heritage site.

Click on the group photo to enlarge and click here to see more photos thanks to Tony and Martin.

Pamela

Ninth Newsletter Spring 2025

Click here to download a copy of our latest Newsletter

Friends Bring & Share Lunch Sunday 10th August 2025

Thirty five Friends enjoyed a lunch together in the Parish Rooms. The food shared was delicious and a great selection, thank you to everyone for your contributions. Two new members joined us this year which is always good to see.

Many thanks too to those who set up and put away and to all those who helped in the kitchen with a very special mention to Sue Birchall, thank you Sue. We mustn’t forget the drinks table which was very busy on a hot day, thank you Alison, John and Roger.

See you again next year !!
Pamela Secretary

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.

Chairman : Denis Tindley, Secretary : Pamela Mugliston, Treasurer : Sandra Marsh

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.