All Angels

The Parish Church of Little Marcle is situated in a rural area in Herefordshire. It serves a scattered population of people in a predominantly farming area. Residents tend to be older and in our area, loneliness and rural isolation are identified issues. Little Marcle lacks any community facilities at all. There is no shop, no pub, no village hall, no school and no bus stop. There are no other adequate community facilities in Little Marcle or its immediate neighbouring parishes.

In 2018, a Friends Organisation was set up tasked with developing a re-ordering scheme to enable wider community use of Little Marcle Church. Its mission statement reads:- “By consultation with local people and groups, to create a 21st Century Building which meets local need and puts Little Marcle Church at the centre of our community and is sustainable in the longer term.”

In the summer of 2018, with the help of our very supportive Parish Council, an extensive community survey was undertaken to assess the support for a possible re-ordering Little Marcle Church to provide Community Facilities. The survey was done by questionnaire and all properties in the Parishes of Little Marcle, Pixley, Aylton and Munsley were circulated. Over 53% responded and there is widespread support for providing community facilities to address peoples’ concerns, hopes and aspirations. We also canvassed the opinion of young people in our area, with a simpler one page questionnaire.

The result of the consultation revealed an overwhelming mandate from our community to deliver a community space and place in our area and people are excited at this prospect. The timeline below indicates what progress has been achieved in a short space of time.