St Catherine's Church in Ludham is a beautiful old building. It reflects the great wealth of the population when it was built during the 14th and 15th centuries, replacing an older, smaller and far less impressive chapel.
The west tower and chancel of this church are 14th century and later, the rest of the church being mainly 15th century with 19th and early 20th century restorations. Among many items of interest inside are the hammerbeam roof to the nave, dating to about 1466, the chancel arch with its carved capitals of grotesques and seaweed foliage and a rare Royal arms of Elizabeth I. More spectacular are the 15th century decorated octagonal font and one of the finest rood screens in Norfolk, dating to 1493.
WE NEED YOUR HELP - DONATE NOW TO ST CATHERINE'S
St Catherine's relies on donations to provide care and support to everyone in this community.
Now, more than ever, please consider giving generously to support our mission and ministry by making a donation using the following button.
Take a 360 degree virtual tour of St Catherine's Church
Listen to St Catherine's church bells
Recorded by Chris Richmond. Visit www.churchbellsofnorfolk.weebly.com to find out more about the bells, how this recording was made, how it is being used at the Mancroft Ringing Discovery Centre, and to listen to other church bells in Norfolk.
Upcoming Events at St Catherine's
Sunday Morning Worship
St Catherine's is open for regular Sunday Morning Worship every Sunday at 10am
Holy Communion takes place on the 2nd Sunday of every month at 10am
All are welcome
Please check the Waterside Group opening page for details and updates to all church services taking place in the Waterside Benefice.
St Catherine's church is open to both visitors and for private prayer and reflection every day
from 10:00am until 4:00pm during winter months.
John Savage, Churchwarden
Peter Wall, Churchwarden
Lighting a Candle for Prayer or in Remembrance.
If someone you knew has died recently or long ago, lighting a candle can often help us pause, pray and think of them for a few moments.
Lighting a candle can also be a way to help in prayer, or to ask for God's help, either for yourselves, a loved one, or someone you know is in difficulty and needing God's support.
Whatever is going on, make space to pray in your life.
St Catherine's Church is open to individuals for their private prayer and reflection every day from 10am until 5pm. Prayer candles are available for people to use in the Lady Chapel of the church (at the front on the opposite side of the church to the organ).
If you are unable to get to Church you can Light a Virtual Candle
If you can't get to a church just now, you can still light a candle at home, or online on the Church of England website (link below). The process is simple. private and totally anonymous, there are no login, registration, or any other details asked for.
St Catherine's Church, some thoughts and reflections.
Churches Together in Ludham
1. How it came about.
The Methodist and Anglican Churches in Ludham have long enjoyed good and
cordial relations, joining together for services and events. A note in the minutes
of the Parochial Church Council (PCC) in 2005 said that ‘relations with the
Methodists continue to prosper’. From that time there was increasing co-operation over a whole range of activities. This was greatly facilitated by the close friendship which developed between the clergy of the time, the Anglican Priest (Rev Neville Khambatta) and the Methodist Circuit Minister (Rev Christopher Shreeve.)
It was agreed between the two sides in 2007, that they would work together in
the ministry of the two churches and for the well-being of the villagers of
Ludham. This developed into a loose but regular association, to be led by a
small committee with members appointed by the two church councils. It would
have a chairman, to be provided from the two sides in turn. It was to be called
‘Churches Together in Ludham’ (CTIL) and it was equipped with its own logo.
Where appropriate, each activity which it sponsored would have its own
steering group appointed by and reporting to the committee. The members of
the committee to report to their parent councils as necessary.
2. What it has done.
Over the past 15 years, it has co-ordinated many pastoral initiatives, including
new forms of services, joint Alpha and Lent courses, Christmas and Light
Parties in both churches, Messy Church sessions, a Mother and Toddler group,
Carols around the Christmas Tree and hot Christmas lunches for villagers on
their own during the festival. An important development was the holding in
2010 of the first Methodist Covenant Service in St. Catherine’s Church and both congregations now celebrate Holy Communion together in the two churches. These latter have become happy and joyous occasions.
CTIL has led the support of a selected overseas charity - The Vidyal Trust which helps slum children in Southern India. It has also instituted an information pack for new residents of Ludham. But, perhaps more importantly, it has created and operates some valuable facilities for villagers, which include:
a. An Internet Café.
This was set up in 2008 in Ludham Church Room in
order to teach villagers how to use their computers and the Internet, The
necessary finance and equipment was arranged and, by far the most important -
the instructors were found, almost all from Ludham. Several hundred students
benefitted from this including many from outside and from as far away as
Norwich. This club, which was self-supporting, continued until there were no
new students, when it was closed.
b. The Ludham Village Cinema, (‘Flicks in the Sticks’)
This was first considered in 2010 but did not start until the funds had been raised to purchase a new set of chairs for the Church Room. (The old set was small and most uncomfortable having been inherited from the village school.) The steering group was and remains - Sheila and Michael Farnsworth and Ken and William Grapes. The first of the monthly films (‘The King’s Speech’) was screened on 23 September 2011. Since then, a major grant has enabled the purchase of a new set of projection equipment and the 95th film has just been shown. With an average audience of 35, well over 3,000 people have attended. As with most CTIL activities, the cinema is not a fundraiser, but for the well-being of villagers. The small profits generated (sometimes) are retained in the PCC accounts to pay for maintenance of the equipment and in particular, the very costly new lamps for the projector
c. The Ludham Village Car Scheme. (LVCS.)
This was originally proposed by Rev Neville Khambatta in 2010. Margaret Watts and Ken Grapes were appointed as the steering group and they remain joint chairmen of the scheme with finance controlled by Treasurer John Fletcher. The scheme takes villagers without their own transport to all types of medical appointments, including all the county hospitals. A particular success has been the ability of the scheme to find and retain volunteer drivers - around 30 in number.
This is a subsidised scheme, with users paying modest sums, which means that it costs some £800 to £1,000 a year to run. So far, there has been little difficulty in finding these funds from a variety of sources. The scheme has its own bank account and is managed by a voluntary coordinator - Jane James, with one or two others as a backup when required. The scheme has been in operation since 2012 and carries between 350 to 450 villagers to their appointments each year - some 4,000 over the 10 years of its existence. The drivers can claim 45p per mile for their journeys and are required to undertake a DBS check and provide details of their car licences and insurance. There is just one annual meeting each year.
When the Covid pandemic occurred, the scheme lost most of its drivers, due to
their age and the lockdown requirements. However, a plea for help via the
village's social media produced over twenty new and younger volunteer drivers
and the main thrust of the scheme became the purchase and delivery of food. It
was decided to rename the scheme ‘Looking after Ludham.’ In the year of the
lockdown (2020 - 2021), the scheme completed 497 medical missions and
purchased and delivered 370 food orders. It reverted to its original name in
March 2021 and continues as a much-valued contribution to the welfare of
Ludham villagers.
The scheme has a set of rules, which are now in need of an update, and which will be put to the committee at a forthcoming meeting.
d. Action Resulting from the Inflationary Pressures arising from the War in
the Ukraine.
The Government and other agencies have provided a variety of grants for the relief of poverty or to help parishioners to pay their utility and other bills. With the approval of the committee and the blessing of Ludham Parish Council, the LVCS steering group has applied for and received this money for distribution. (Five grants totalling £27,020.) This money has all been handled using the LVCS bank account because it seemed sensible and there was little alternative. As inflation is decreasing, it seems likely that this funding stream will cease and the LVCS bank account can then revert to its normal long-term use. Our treasurer has reported that in the light of all this extra funding the bank has suggested that the scheme might become a Registered Charity. However, as already stated, it is almost certain that the extra funding will shortly be no more and the need for Registered Charitable status will hopefully disappear with it.
3. Conclusion.
There can be no possible doubt that the establishment of Churches Together in
Ludham has been a real success which has enabled and provided great service
to the people of Ludham. It has raised the image of the two churches amongst
our people and we suggest that the committee might now devote time to
considering how to capitalise on this fortunate state of affairs.
Margaret Watts.
Ken Grapes.
Founder members of Churches Together in Ludham.
3 February 2023.
Churches Together and Ludham Parish Council
Looking After Ludham - Village Help Scheme
A video highlighting some of the ways St Catherine's Church in Ludham is serving the community.
Ludham village Car Scheme
CAN YOU HELP?
VOLUNTEERS WITH CARS NEEDED!
The scheme takes villagers to medical appointments
and is open to all villagers, regardless of age, who are without transport or who would otherwise find it difficult to attend.
It carries out some 350 transport 'missions' each year.
Drivers are only asked to take on missions when
they are able and are paid a mileage allowance
when using their cars for the scheme.
We need more volunteers, the NHS is busy catching up with
all the procedures that were postponed due to COVID,
so more villagers are getting hospital appointments.
If you have any questions, please call
Ken Grapes on 678437/email kengrapes@gmail.com or
Margaret Watts on 678570/email marg.motorhouse@gmail.com
St Catherine's Church Bellringers
Bell Ringers Needed
no experience necessary!
The bells of St Catherine’s Ludham have rung out across the village
since the early 1600’s, and been used to mark times of rejoicing, celebrate
great feast days, marriages, mark deaths, and to call the faithful to prayer.
If you enjoy hearing the bells rung on Sunday mornings then make
contact to find out how you can learn the skill of bell ringing
and be part of this centuries old tradition.
You do not need to be a regular church goer, or even attend the services,
just want to hear the bells ring out.
It takes time to learn how to ring the bells but to give people an idea of what is involved we are recruiting people to start out by “tolling” or swinging the bell.
People of all ages are welcome. You do not need to be strong, or musical
to learn to ring, although a sense of rhythm helps.
To find out more contact Gerry King email waterside.churches@gmail.com.
Ludham Parish News
Find out what is happening in the community click on the link below to read the latest Ludham Parish News.
Where to find us
Norwich Road
Ludham
Great Yarmouth
NR29 5QA
Who's Who
The Reverend Gary Noyes
Vicar - Waterside Benefice
The Vicarage
Norwich Road
Ludham
Great Yarmouth
NR29 5QA
The Waterside
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