Friends of St Mary Northill Registered Charity 1108282

THE Parish of Northill (which encompasses Northill, Ickwell Thorncote, Hatch and Budna) has had a church in its midst for more than 900 years. The present building is over 600 years old – and over the centuries it has been the local inhabitants who have built, improved and maintained this beautiful structure. It is up to us to take on the responsibility of preserving this ancient building for future generations to use and enjoy. Our plan for the future is to raise money for the upkeep of the church by...

􀁑 Asking Friends to subscribe by giving

􀁑 Holding occasional social events

The friends of our church in 1869 built upon the work of earlier ‘Friends’ going back to Saxon times. From then to the present, ‘Friends’ have ensured our village church is here.

SCARECROW FESTIVAL PHOTOGRAPHS

On August Bank Holiday Weekend 2008 the Friends of St Mary organised the first village scarecrow festival.  With over 40 scarecrows erected throughout the villages of Northill, Ickwell and Hatch, and raising £1300 towards the church reparation funds, the event proved to be a huge success which involved people from the whole parish and beyond.

To view pictures of all of the scarecrows click here  and to download a brilliant slide show with music created by Bernard Ormrod go to http://www.4shared.com/dir/3024085/60e48aae/sharing.html

REFURBISHING THE BELLS - PHOTOGRAPHS

In the spring of 2008 the bells of St Mary were removed and refurbished, with new head stocks being fitted, cracks repaired, and the bearings and supports replaced in the tower.  Children from the village school were invited to see before and after, and the tower was opened to visitors.