The benefice covers a large part of picturesque Wensleydale, and consists of Aysgarth church (St Andrew’s), Castle Bolton church (St Oswald’s), Preston under Scar church (St Margaret’s), Redmire church (St Mary’s), Wensley church (Holy Trinity) and West Witton church (St Bartholomew’s) and Thornton Rust Mission Room.
The churches are open again. For full details see penhill.benefice@btconnect.com
Face coverings must be worn in church, along with social distancing and the use of sanitiser. Sanitiser is available immediately inside the churches as well as the means to provide details confidentially for track and trace.
For details of how to join telephone and Zoom services go to the Service page of the Penhill Benefice website.
Church services from October
From October the benefice moves to a new pattern where, in addition to phone and ‘zoom’ services, services in church will be held as follows:-
1st and 3rd Sundays 9.30 at St Mary Redmire and 11:00 at St Andrew Aysgarth
2nd and 4th Sundays 9.30 at St Margaret Preston-u-Scar and 11.00 at St Bartholomew West Witton
Special Services
Sunday November 1st: A service of Commemoration and Thanksgiving for those who have died. If you have been unable to join with friends and family for a funeral service – or wish to light a candle in memory of someone special, please join us for this quiet, reflective memorial service. Please email penhill.benefice@btconnect.com or phone 01969 624542 if attending, as space is limited. You may also indicate names to be commemorated.
Sunday November 8th: Remembrance Servces
- 9.30am St Mary’s, Redmire
- 10.45am Holy Trinity, Wensley
- 10.45am St Andrew’s, Aysgarth
- 9.30am Telephone service
Annual Meetings – deferred from the spring:
Aysgarth – Monday 19th at 7.00pm in church
Preston with Wensley – Sunday 25th – 10.30am after the morning service
West Witton – also Sunday 25th – 12.00 noon after the morning service
Bolton cum Redmire – Weds 18th November at 7.00pm in Redmire Village Hall
Our church buildings are presently open on the following days*-
Preston under Scar and Wensley – Daily
Aysgarth – Daily
Castle Bolton – Daily
Redmire – Daily
West Witton – Sunday and Thursday
* the buildings will close for the three days before a service to allow time for virus degradation.
The responsibility for keeping buildings clean and the public safe rests with the members of each church council along with myself as Vicar. We show our care for the community by only opening after we have studied the guidance and made a careful risk assessment.
The new vicar, the Rev Tom Ringland, was licensed in November 2019.
For more about Aysgarth church see: Pentecost at Aysgarth church; a personal view; the Heroine of Cawnpore; Aysgarth church and a Gurkha officer; 2014 Flower Festival ; and In Appreciation of Easter. See also Wensley Church
About other places of worship in Wensleydale: St Simon and St Judes, Ulshaw Bridge; and the introduction to The Quaker Inheritance – which is part of my series on Pioneering Girls’ Education.
FLOWER FESTIVAL at Aysgarth Church
Photographs of the flower festival during the Festival of Remembrance November 9-12 2018 can be seen by going to Aysgarth Festival of Remembrance.
And click here to see photographs of the flower festival during the Harvest Festival at St Andrew’s in September 2019.