Dear Friends, Our parish church of St Mary is at the heart of our village community. We have services each Sunday and in the week. We celebrate marriage and birth, find comfort in death, share joy in our Christmas services and concerts. We find meaning together on Remembrance Sunday and at Easter and we celebrate creation at Harvest. Our children come from school to experience the building and tell the Nativity Story, and the Cubs and Beavers celebrate Christingle and achieve their faith badge. Our church is 700 years old, and we marvel at the skill, craftsmanship and vision of those who built it. It is a wonderful building and an important part of our heritage. Over the centuries it has experienced times of neglect, restoration and change. We believe that now is a time of restoration and a time to change. We hope that you will join us in a project to reorder the church to make it more flexible, hospitable and a practical space for both worship and community use in this and future generations. The work will include extending the north aisle, bringing water into the building, providing a kitchen/servery and a disabled access toilet. In addition, a dais will be provided, the sound system extended and the electrical system updated in readiness for new heating and lighting systems. There is a display at the back of church illustrating the plans, do please drop in to look at it, and at the display that will appear in the window of Our Shop from mid-March until Easter. The proposals have drawn considerable support already from the church community. The funds generated to date are around 40% of the cost of the scheme which is anticipated to be in the region of £300,000. Now we are looking for your support as well as applying for grants. We are delighted to have been offered a generous sum of matched funding. Every £1 given from our village fundraising will be matched up to a sum of £40,000. You can give by: putting a cheque through the letterbox of either The Rector, 3 Rectory Lane, Wyton or The Treasurer, Montague House, Thicket Road, Houghton or into the collection plate at any service. (please mark the envelope “Church Project”) OR paying a donation direct into the Church Bank Account: Houghton and Wyton PCC Account No 01115086 Sort. code 30-94-47 If possible, please also enable us to collect Gift Aid on your donation by filling in the form which can be obtained from simonsummers6@gmail.com and then enclosing it with your donation, or returning it by email. With love and prayer Geoff