Welcome to the web site of the
Friends of St Mary’s, Bacton.
The
Friends
of
St
Mary’s,
Bacton
is
a
voluntary,
completely
secular,
group
set
up
to
assist
in
the
maintenance
of
the
fabric
of
St
Mary’s
Church
to
safeguard
it
for
future
generations
and
to
promote
its
use
as
a
village
asset.
St Mary’s,
Bacton,
near
Stowmarket
in
the
heart
of
Suffolk,
is
an
historically
important
building
having
a
rare
medieval
Doom
Painting
as
well
as
an
unusual
false
double
hammer
beam
roof
and
some
fine
wood
carvings.
The
greatest
challenge
is
the
maintenance
of
the
building
itself.
As
any
householder
will
know
this
is
an
ongoing
and
expensive
business,
even
more
so
when
that
building
is
a
fourteenth
century
traditional
flint
and mortar parish church.
Our
aim
is
to
assist
with
funding
of
projects
directed
at
maintaining
or
improving
the
building
and
to
promote
the
church
as
an
asset for the use of the local community.
Why
is
it
important?
Because
all
of
us,
in
our
own
ways,
value
St Mary’s:
as
a
place
of
worship
in
some
cases;
because
we
were
married
there,
perhaps,
or
have
family
buried
there;
for
its
beauty
and
the
craftsmanship
which
went
into
it,
or
for
what
it
records
of
the
history
of
Bacton.
And
because
if
we
-
the
people
living
in
Bacton
today
-
won't
pay
to
keep
the
church
in
good
repair,
no-one
else
will.
The
Friends
meet
p
e
r
i
o
d
i
c
a
l
l
y
,
a
p
p
r
o
x
i
m
a
t
e
l
y
monthly,
at
7:00pm,
usually
in
the
Community
Room
at
the
Church,
to
plan
and
organise
fundraising
and
other
events
and
to
discuss
funding
needs.
There
is
no
fixed
committee
membership
so
if
you
would
like
to
be
involved
just
give
us
a call and turn up!
For
information
on
church
events,
service
times
and
for
contact
details
for
church
matters,
please
visit
St Mary’s
own
website
at
A Church Near You.
Next Meeting
.
The
next
meeting
will
be
the
AGM
held
on
Thursday
11th
July
2024
in
St
Mary’s
church
starting
at
7.00pm,
followed
by
a
Business
Meeting
Everybody
welcome.
Minutes
of
the
last
and
all
previous
meetings
can
be
found in the Archive
.
The
Friends
of
St
Mary’s,
Bacton
is
a
registered
Charity
No
1106579.
By
using
this
site
you
agree to our
Terms and Conditions
Site by Andy
Last updated
2nd July 2024
Mission Statement
The
preservation,
maintenance,
repair
and
improvement
of
St
Mary's
Church,
Bacton,
its
monuments,
fixtures,
fittings
and
furnishings
and
to
promote
public
interest
in
it
as
a
building
of
historic
and
architectural
merit
and
in
its
use as a community asset for the village and surrounding district.
Friends meetings in the aftermath of the
Covid-19 pandemic.
Whilst
it
is
tempting
to
think
that
the
COVID-19
pandemic
is
behind
us,
there
is
currently
something
of
a
resurgence
presenting
very
real
dangers
for
many
people
so
that,
having
re-started
our
regular
meetings,
we
ask
that
attendees
continue
to
observe
sensible
precautions,
including
taking
a
lateral
flow
test
if
necessary,
particularly
if
they
are
showing
any
cold
or
flu-like
symptoms
or
wearing
a mask.
Thank you.
Friends’ Village Fête and
D-Day Commemoration Concert
On Saturday 8th June, the Friends held a Village Fête on
the lawn of Bacton Manor, when villagers were able to
have a go at bowling, test the steadiness of their hand at
Beat the Buzzer and try
their luck on two draws.
Musical accompaniment
gave the day a distinctly
party feel.
On the Sunday, a D-Day
Commemoration Concert
marked the 80th
anniversary of the D-Day
landings in Normandy.
The
money
raised
from
these
events,
as
with
all
others,
adds
to
the
impressive
total
that
the
Friends
have
raised
so
far
which
now
exceeds
£130,000
and
allows
us
to
make
further
funds
available
to
the
church
to
build
on
the
£106,000
already
granted
since
the Friends were formed.
In
that
time
we
have
supported
numerous
small
projects
as well as some more ambitious ones.
The
very
first
project
supported
entirely
by
funds
from
the
Friends
was
to
carry
out
repairs
to
the
clerestory
windows
with
further
work
carried
out
the
following
year.
Another
was
to
provide
cushions
for
the
pews
to
make
the
hard
pews rather more comfortable and inviting.
From
these
small
beginnings,
a
number
of
projects
have
been
partly
or
entirely
funded
by
the
Friends
to
repair
or
improve
the
fabric
of
the
building.
Perhaps
one
of
the
more
glamorous
and
ambitious
projects
was
the
c
onservation
of
the
Doom
painting
on
the
chancel
wall.
This
important
Doom
is
now
preserved
for
future
generations.
Subsidence
affecting
the
north
aisle
continues
to
be
a
challenging
problem
for
which
the
Friends
have
been
involved
in
funding
investigatory
work
and
have
just
made
another grant fund further survey work.
Annual General Meeting of
The Friends of St Mary’s,
Bacton.
Notice
is
hereby
given
that
the
Annual
General
Meeting
of
the
Friends
of
St.
Mary’s,
Bacton
will
be
held
in
St Mary’s
Church,
Bacton
on
Thursday
11th
July
2024
starting
at
7.00pm
.
All interested parties are invited to attend.
Nominations
are
invited
for
the
posts
of
Chairperson,
Secretary,
Treasurer
and
Membership
Secretary
which
should
be
sent
in
writing
to
the
Chairman
to
be
received
no
later
than
the
27th June
2024.
To
be
considered,
nominees
will
require
a
proposer
and
a
seconder
at
the
meeting.
The
AGM
will
be
followed
by
a
Trustee’s
Meeting
and
an
Ordinary Meeting.