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PARISH PROFILE
THE LOCAL COMMUNITY
Northumberland is the most sparsely populated county in England (only 62
people per square kilometre) with North Northumberland (to which our
Parish of Tweedmouth belongs) being one of the most unspoilt parts of the
English countryside, ranging from its uncrowded beaches to the Cheviot
Hills. Within easy reach of Tweedmouth and in the same Deanery, is
Lindisfarne, the holy island of St Cuthbert, regarded by many as the cradle
of English Christianity but only minutes away by car..
In the top east corner is the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, below which on
the southern bank of the River Tweed, falls the parish of Tweedmouth.
Tweedmouth may be seen as the summation of the county in just one parish
- inside the western boundary there are a number of farms while the main
part of the parish is given over to tourism, light industry and services. There
is a mix of housing, outlook and activities within this one small parish,
combining both the advantages and challenges found within
Northumberland County.
Tweedmouth could be categorised as just the southern suburbs of England’s
most northerly market town, but the area has an identity of its own. Industry
includes the port, a large wood-yard and a number of light industrial units.
The greatest element in the local economy is the tourist trade, with many
people employed locally, or just outside the parish on one of the two big
caravan parks.
Supermarkets are found on the Tweedmouth side, including an M&S store
which will soon be joined by ASDA and Tesco. The Ambulance and Fire
Stations are also in the parish. The local hospital is the Berwick Infirmary.
Many of these facilities have encouraged the involvement of the incumbent
previously, and others would no doubt be willing if asked.
Berwick Rangers FC plays on the Tweedmouth side of the river, even
though it is in Scottish Division 3. There are close links with the club and
one of the former vicars was the unofficial chaplain. Tweedmouth is also
home to the local Speedway team, Berwick Bandits.
Education is well catered for in Tweedmouth. Within the parish are Prior
Park (190 pupils) and Tweedmouth West (139) First Schools, St Cuthbert’s
Catholic First School (85), the Grove Special School (31), Tweedmouth
Middle School (379) and Berwick High School (784). Jus
about 6,000 but most of these are concentrated in the urban area, the
countryside being largely open farmland.
The housing varies along with the social groupings, but they are all there in
Tweedmouth. On the outskirts are newly-built estates for owner-occupiers.
These have no real centre and rely on car-ownership to reach the shops. In
contrast is the large council estate, which while being recognised as an area
of urban priority, is starting to address these issues and has been helped to do
so by the parish.
The ethnic mix is mainly white British at about 99%, but people in
Tweedmouth are generally very outgoing and accepting despite several
hundred years of Border warfare. There are a number of immigrants from
Poland and Portugal employed in the seasonal tourist trade, while Chinese
and Indian families run takeaways and catering.
Social problems are low pay rates, seasonal unemployment and an ageing
population. These are items that the parish feels called on to address and to
help those people who find themselves in these situations.
The area is popular with those who wish to retire here – some 25% of the
population is over 65 and Northumberland Council predicts this will
increase to over 33% during the next ten years. There are also a large
number of houses owned as second homes or used as holiday lets, causing
some problems in the supply of affordable housing.
THE CHURCH COMMUNITY
Tweedmouth’s parish church, St Boisil and St Bartholomew, is the only one
in the parish of any denomination.
The congregation tends to reflect the makeup of the local community. There
are a number of older people, some professionals and a few families with
young children. The congregation operates very well as a unit and tries to
support a range of social events and activities, such as Soup Lunches,
Harvest Suppers and Christmas Parties.
The parish is a Fairtrade parish, and supports the Angel
CHURCH BUILDINGS
Our church is the only place of worship within the parish. It is also the only
church in the country dedicated to St Boisil, the tutor of Cuthbert. The parish
chose to add this dedication to emphasise its historical links to this site.
While the present building dates from 1793, the site has most likely been
used for Christian worship from at least the C7.
The church can seat about 160 and is in good repair inside. There is a loop
system, new carpeting, and a recently refurbished sound system linked to
radio microphones. The interior paintwork has been well looked after.
Externally, repairs noted at the quinquennial inspection should be completed
in early 2010. While the church is not in a central position in Tweedmouth,
it sits in the Conservation Area and is the most important historical building
on the south bank of the Tweed.
THE CHURCH HALL
The Church Hall is opposite the church and has had some work done on it
recently. The kitchen is new, and the central heating is shortly to be
extended into the upper floor.
The Hall is used by various groups, such as the local Pipe Band and Dancing
classes. It is the focus of church social activities. With a little more effort it
could be the base of an active social outreach programme.
The churchyard is closed and maintenance responsibility of the local
council. The site is highly regarded by English Heritage and contains the
graves of several local celebrities including Victorian publisher JM Wilson,
and Jimmy Strength who was (apparently) 116 when he died. Neighbours of
the church help out with clearing leaves from paths and the local Residents’
Association values the site.
PATTERNS OF WORSHIP
The regular pattern of worship is Family Service in the morning of the first
Sunday, and CW Holy Communion on the others, all at 10am. There is a
fortnightly Sunday evening service, usually following the BCP or CW at
6pm.
Midweek Communion is on a Wednesday at 10am, usually CW.
Special services are held over Christmas, Easter, All Souls and during other
church festivals.
There is an annual civic service for the patronal festival, and a church
service for Remembrance which is linked to two services at the memorials
within the parish.
CHURCH TRADITION
The congregation covers a broad spectrum of churchmanship. During the
Vacancy the congregation has welcomed a number of preachers and
celebrants from different traditions within the Anglican family. During
recent incumbencies some of our ecumenical colleagues have been visiting
preachers.
The congregation is also willing to try new things and the annual retreat at
Shepherds Dene has seen a range of creative activities, from rock music to
photography and banner making.
CHURCH ACTIVITIES
The parish sees the following activities as key to its life, though not all are
active at present:
Bible: Bible study and prayer groups.
Children’s Work: There are only a small group of children of widely
different ages in the congregation at present, but the parish would like to
develop children’s work in church and schools.
Bereavement: One member runs an informal group for those who have
been bereaved and this has a committed membership. Others meet for coffee
in their free time.
Social Outreach: Work within the estates and among those struggling
with social problems and addiction tends to be informal. However, the parish
takes these issues seriously and would be prepared to give their full support
to more organised initiatives. Parishioners are involved in re-forming a
Residents’ Association (Pride of Priorpark) and are representatives on
Tweedmouth’s Resident’s Association. The parish supported a Christmas
tree lighting event and has donated local mission money for food distribution
during the recent severe weather.
Worldwide vision: The parish supports missionaries in Nepal and
Ethiopia with occasional visits from both families who were members of the
congregation before leaving these shores.
Education: Some members of the congregation have been involved in
the Diocesan Faith & Life course and we intend to build on this.
Music: The parish would like to explore different styles of music to
enhance worship – recently the church hosted a ‘Songs and Arias’ produced
by a regular churchgoer to our
Relations with Holy Trinity in Berwick are good. However the parishes of
Tweedmouth and Spittal have more in common and while the parish
boundaries are clearly drawn on a map, in practice this is far more difficult
to discern on the ground. As a result the two parishes tend to overlap in
terms of where the parishioners live and this has helped both groups grow
closer together.
The Deanery Plan is being redeveloped but the main aim is to maintain the
existing clergy ratio and place more emphasis on the urban areas where the
population is. This will see greater emphasis on lay involvement, etc. in
order to cater for the large areas of housing in the parish.
ECUMENICAL RELATIONS
Churches Together in Berwick operates effectively within this area and is
well supported by the churches. Speakers from the Catholics and Methodists
have addressed the congregation, while relations with the Baptists, URC,
etc. are good. Regular meeting
THE NEW PRIEST
When asked, the congregation had differing views about what they expected
the priest to do, but they were much clearer on the sort of person they
wanted.
A spiritual person with good people skills and a robust sense of humour will
do well in this parish. If that depth of spirituality comes across in their
preaching; the skills in dealing with people is seen in their relations; and
their sense of humour copes with the inevitable setbacks, then they will be
the person we are looking for.
We are not looking for a saint, particularly not a plaster one, but we are
looking for a real life person who can help this parish rediscover its spiritual
gifts and sense of mission. Then the congregation can rise to any other
challenges.
PARSONAGE
The Vicarage is close to the church and to the church hall – which more and
more will play a central community roll.
It is a large and well maintained double fronted building that is probably
early twentieth century. It has a large garden at the rear. The central heating
has been recently overhauled and most of the building was decorated to a
high standard three years ago.
There are three sizeable reception rooms, one with an open fireplace on the
ground floor. There is a WC situated under the stair case. Thus allowing the
parish meetings etc. To take place without intruding on the family area.
The kitchen was refurbished with new units and flooring during the
redecoration. There is a large utility room to the rear of the kitchen, with
units, a sink and plumbing for a washing machine.
Upstairs there are four double bedrooms plus another room that could be a
single bedroom or office. There is a family bathroom with bath, separate
shower, WC and hand basin. All of these were newly installed during the
work three years ago.
There is a garage with off-road parking for a further two or three cars.
The Vicarage sits on the main road just a few hundred yards from the shops
and the new ASDA opening this year.
