St. Mary's, Berkeley

Welcome

Welcome to St Mary's Website. We are part of the Berkeley Benefice in Gloucestershire, UK.

If you are thinking of visiting us, please check out our 'services' in the left menu and see the calendar at the bottom of this page for more detail.

If you would like to receive a list of up to date events in your email inbox every Sunday morning, please send an email to subscribe@berkeleybenefice.org.uk

‘Hope’ is intended to provide churches of all shapes and sizes throughout the UK with a fresh opportunity to work together across their communities over a twelve month period. It is as relevant for urban or rural churches irrespective of tradition. Click the Hope logo for more info.

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Parish Holidays

There is nothing as quintessentially English as enjoying the melodic sounds of the bells of the church being rung on a light summer’s evening.  In the Berkeley church tower on the second Wednesday in July the usual collection of dedicated ringers is supplemented by a group of well behaved, but very curious Americans.  That is interested curious, not odd curious….  They are the Parish Holiday visitors to Berkeley who have come on holiday to sample the joys of parish life in England. The visitors spend a week with local families, getting driven to local sights, and learning about local customs and activities like bell ringing, real ale drinking, and playing skittles.  It is an activity and sight seeing packed week of making friends, sampling English life, and immersing oneself in the English countryside.

Each year ten to twenty parishes offer different one week holidays when American visitors can become part of the parish. In return a large part of the price of the holiday goes directly to the parish church to help with major building projects for which they are raising funds. Berkeley church has benefited from nearly £30,000 when matching funds from English Heritage and the Heritage Lottery Fund are included.