Friends of the Parish Church

Latest News

The Cambridge Central Mosque - Tuesday 21st July 2026

We are organising a trip to The Cambridge Central Mosque on Tuesday 21st July. If you are interested could you let me know by 15th June so that I can make a booking.

Pamela 24 May 2026

Visit to Derby Cathedral 19th May 2026

The Friends had an interesting visit to Derby Cathedral on Tuesday 19th May 2026. Worship has been offered to God on the site for over a thousand years. The first Church on this site was dedicated to All Saints and was founded by King Edmund of Wessex in 943.
The first thing that strikes you as you enter the Cathedral is the wrought-iron screen crafted by Robert Bakewell and spanning the width of the Cathedral. You can see part of that on our group photo.
The Cathedral has a memorial to Florence Nightingale and Bess of Hardwick, Elizabeth Countess of Shrewsbury who is interred in a vault there..... Click here or on the image on the right to see the full account and a slideshow of photos.

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

Ninth Newsletter Spring 2025

Click here to download a copy of our latest Newsletter

See our Archive page for details of 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 £10 per year (single) or £15 (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.