Join us over for a festival celebrating 1,050 years of St Nicholas’ Church Worth where, for the whole weekend, the church will be filled with the scent of flowers and the sound of sacred music that has echoed through the centuries.
For over 1,050 years, St Nicholas’ Church in Worth has stood as a beacon of faith, beauty, and community. One of the oldest churches in continuous use in the country, it has witnessed the sweep of history from the Saxon era to the present day – a place where generations have gathered in worship, in celebration, and in stillness. As we mark this extraordinary anniversary, we honour not only its ancient stones, but the living story of all those who have passed through its doors.
As part of this momentous year for us, we’re thrilled to be well underway with preparations for the Entwined in Harmony festival at St Nicholas’ Worth which will be a celebration of beauty, music, and community taking place over the August Bank Holiday.
For the whole weekend, the church will be filled with the scent of flowers and the sound of sacred music that has echoed through the centuries.
A quarter peal of bells announces the start of the festival on Saturday.
Floral Displays Inspired by Music
Wander through the church and grounds to discover stunning floral arrangements, inspired by musical themes that will be reflected in Sunday’s concert.
If you’d like to sponsor an arrangement, please contact Adela via musicdirector@worthparish.org.
Join the Festival Choir – No Experience Needed
The concert takes place on Sunday 24 August at 4pm, and the choir is open to all ages and abilities – no previous musical experience required, and all music will be provided. Rehearsals are on now, relaxed and friendly, held on Sunday afternoons throughout the summer. Click here for more information, or just turn up when you can.
Free Entry – Donations Welcome
There is no charge to attend the festival, but donations are warmly welcomed. All proceeds will be shared between:
Come and be part of a weekend where music, flowers, and community come together in a truly special setting.
Worth Parish to Host Open Gardens Day on June 8, 2025
Worth Parish is inviting the community to its Open Gardens Day on Sunday, June 8, 2025, as part of the 1050th Anniversary celebrations of St. Nicholas Church. The event aims to raise funds for the church’s organ restoration appeal.
Five local gardens—three in Worth and two in Maidenbower—will be open to visitors. These gardens belong to church members, including the Rector, the Crucifer, the Organist, a retired Doctor, and a retired Professor. Each garden reflects the unique style and passion of its owner.
The event will commence at Worth Rectory, Church Road, Worth, RH10 7RT, starting around 11:15 AM after the morning church service, and will conclude at 4:00 PM. Tickets are priced at £5, granting access to all five gardens. Visitors can also enjoy a plant sale, refreshments, and toilet facilities at the Rectory. Details of the other four gardens will be provided on the day.
Please note that these are private gardens opened for fundraising purposes; therefore, facilities are limited, and the houses themselves will not be open to the public. Not all gardens are wheelchair accessible, and some contain sharp objects or poisonous plants, so children must be supervised at all times.
We hope you can join us !
PRESS ASSOCIATION/Danny Lawson
You may have heard the muffled bells ringing at Saint Nicholas’ today as a mark of respect for the passing of her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Many of us are saddened by the loss of such a constant presence. It is understandable if you feel more unsettled than you thought you would as events like this can evoke our experiences of personal grief and consideration of our own mortality.
Please remember that all are welcome at our churches – even if you do not think of yourself as religious or Christian. Both churches are open all day.
At St Barnabas’, we are blessed with much outside space including the Jubilee and Bible gardens. The Jubilee garden is tended by volunteers as well as supervised input from those attending our youth club, the hangout. Ann Phillipson, on behalf of the Bible Reading Fellowship, planted a Centenary Rose there to celebrate 100 years of Bible Reading Fellowship last year. The Bible garden to the front of the church is an established garden featuring many plants referenced in the Bible, and this year, in the open space to the front of the church we planted a tree for the Queen’s canopy.
To keep the ground looking at their best more volunteers are needed along with funds to allow Jason to take on the tasks beyond the time or capabilities of the volunteers.
If you would like to help fund garden work in both of our churches, please donate with the ref “Churchyard” to: Parish of Worth, Pound Hill & Maidenbower Sort Code: 40-18-22, Account Number: 61223372.
“No Mow May”‘ was probably the start of the problem. It gave our local biodiversity a boost and allowed the birds, bees, bats and butterflies a feast of Good Things but very quickly meant God’s Acre turned into a Field of Gold.
For many years our churchyard has been tended by a group of volunteers who were able to meet regularly on a Monday morning. This year, age, injury and illness caught up with the team and we have had to come up with a new approach to care for our ancient burial ground.
At St Nicholas’, the churchyard is open, meaning we can receive ashes for interment, often in our recently created Garden of Remembrance. We therefore receive no public money from either local or county councils whose job is only to maintain closed churchyards. After a recruitment drive, we now have a small team of working-age volunteers who need to work in a new way.
Our Sexton, Jason Watts, provides coordination and support for any new gardeners and gets to understand their priorities and motivations for working with us. The younger team can only work as and when, meaning that the St Nicholas’ Garden Party WhatsApp group has been of vital importance indicating what needs doing, and who is attending when.
If there is work in the churchyard that is beyond the time or capabilities of the volunteers, Jason takes this on as paid work. This has been made possible by a generous donation from a parishioner upset at the speed which the space can fall into neglect if not carefully looked after.
We hope and pray that this hybrid model of voluntary and paid work will prove resilient and restore the churchyard to a more ordered beauty.
If you would like to join our team of volunteers please email Rose Wells on stnwarden@worthparish.org. Alternatively, you can always donate to our Churchyard Fund (funding garden work in both churches) with the ref “Churchyard” to: Parish of Worth, Pound Hill & Maidenbower Sort Code: 40-18-22 , Account Number: 61223372
Have you heard about St Barnabas’ exciting project?
We have a plan to improve the usability of our Church buildings for a wider range of users. This involves lifting/lowering areas of flooring to allow level access between major sections of the building. We also wish to improve accessibility from the exterior to the interior of the building with a new entrance porch and we intend to refurbish the Pastoral Centre.
We are delighted that we have received a legacy of £55,000 towards the work plus a £10,000 donation from a parishioner.
Thanks also to those grant-making bodies who are supporting us:
Our project will cost £215,000 so we still need lots more funding. Can you help? You can donate using our bank details which are: Worth PCC, Sort Code: 40-18-22 Account Number: 61223372. Please use the reference: “St B project”.
What could be nicer than a summer’s afternoon tea followed by a stroll round the grounds of our ancient church, the 11th oldest in the country? Well, the bellringers at St Nicholas’ invite you to join us as they provide a delicious spread of homemade sandwiches, scones with jam and cream, a selection of cakes and tea, coffee and soft drinks. Special diets can be catered for on prior request and all profits go directly to parish funds for things such as the cost of repairing the roof of our beautiful Saxon church.
Tickets are £10 in advance and only 80 covers can be taken, so get them now, either from the churchwardens or from EventBrite here.
Save the date of Sunday October 21 2018 !
We are delighted to announce that Chichester Cathedral Choir will be visiting St Nicholas’ Worth, to sing Choral Evensong at 4pm. Refreshments afterwards.
Full details of music will be announced in due course.
Wonderful News ! It w
as announced in both churches on Sunday 28 May 2017 that The Reverend Michael Boag, currently of the Parish of Upper Coquetdale, Northumberland will be joining us as Rector.
Michael, who originally hails from New Zealand, is currently Rector of Upper Coquetdale (near Newcastle) a parish of six flourishing churches in three districts covering 180 square miles of remote rural Northumberland.
Leading a team of three clergy, he is governor of two church schools, trustee of two local charities, and chair of the local neighbourhood planning development group. He is chair of the local Royal British Legion and Police Force.
Michael has a choral background as Succentor at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, organising singers, organists, and the Royal Household and ensuring that traditional Anglican liturgy was offered to the very highest standards.
The churchwardens are happy he is right for Worth Parish and are really delighted that he accepted. We welcome Fr Michael to our Parish and look forward to his Ministry.
Please join us at his licensing by Martin, Bishop of Chichester, on Monday 2nd October 2017 at 19.30 at St Nicholas’ Church, Worth, RH10 7RT.
Worth Parish 