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A large, Perpendicular Gothic church,
serving the
Parish of Thirsk in the Diocese of York
The Benefice of Thirsk
Rector: Rev Richard Rowling |
St Mary's Church Thirsk: Events
Exhibitions : 
| Margaret Hunton,St. Mary's Tourism Officer, organises four of the five exhibitions held annually at St. Mary's. In 2009 we had "Cross Purposes"an exhibition of crosses from all over the world,an Easter Exhibition of Flowers and the children's Easter Garden,"4T4/U3A" textile and craft exhibition and "Bear With Us" which featured over 400 Bears of all kinds.The year ended with the Community Christmas Exhibition "Cribs ,Crackers & Christmas Trees" organised by Julia Smith.
This year’s exhibitions began with an exhibition of Easter flowers and was followed by ‘Textile Art Pool’ which exhibited over the late Spring Bank Holiday – Saturday 29th May to Saturday 5th June - and featured Textile art, embroideries, patchwork etc.
August Bank Holiday – Saturday 21st August to Saturday 4th September "Bells of St Mary's”. This exhibition will celebrate the 600th anniversary of the casting of one of the eight bells in the tower and will incorporate many different artistic and imaginative interpretations. It promises to be a free-for-all on the theme of bells.
Saturday 4th December to Saturday 11th December St. Mary’s will host the seventh annual Community Christmas Exhibition which will be entitled “All the Trimmings”.
| First Monday in the Month Lunchtime Organ Recitals : 12.15 to 12.45 Alan Morton, St. Mary's church organist gave the first recital of this season's programme of 'The First Monday in the Month Organ Recitals' on Easter Monday.
RECITALS
6th September-- Organist: John Longstaff
4th October -- Organist: Robert Firth
Admission to recitals is free but donations to the Organ Fund are welcome. The Crypt is open for refreshments and soup lunches from 10.00am every Monday.Light lunches and refreshments are served on on Bank Holiday Mondays. | THE BELLS OF ST. MARY'S : Exhibition Saturday 21st August to Saturday 4th September As well as the exhibition there will be other events to celebrate this very special anniversary. On Bank Holiday Monday we opened the tower as far as the bell chamber and lots of visitors mounted the 79 steps in the newel staircase to view the ring. (Sadly the roof was out of bounds for safety reasons). It is hoped that after seeing some bellringing- which any able bodied person aged about 10 or over can take up after a few hours’ prior instruction-some of the visitors may decide to take it up.
Later in the year ringers hope to celebrate this historic anniversary with a full “peal”, jargon for at least 5040 changes, none repeated, in the order of the bells, starting and finishing with 1 (representing the lightest) ,2,3,4,5,6,7, and 8 (the heaviest) at the other end of the octave. This session will involve the best part of 3 hours of continuous ringing. | Admission to Exhibitions : Admission to Exhibitions is free but donations to Church Funds are welcome. The Crypt is open every Monday for Refreshments and soup Lunches.On Bank Holiday Mondays there are savouries,scones, biscuits and cakes made by St.Mary's Women's Fellowship.
| Open Day in aid of church funds : Wednesday 11th August This event which was held to raise much needed church funds at 3, Sutton Road was well supported and the refreshments, raffle, retail therapy (books, cakes, collectables, plants, preserves etc.) and recreation were much appreciated. Thanks to the generosity of those on the day and those who gave donations as they could not be there £610 was raised.
| North Yorkshire Historic Churches Trust Annual Sponsored Ride and Stride Day
: Saturday 11th September Pump up your bikes, get out the car, saddle your horse or dust off your boots and enjoy a fun day riding or walking from church to church - be sponsored to church sit! - in aid of Yorkshire Historic Churches Trust. St. Mary’s will receive half the money we raise and the Trust will distribute half the total money raised by the event as grants of £500 to £12,000 to churches of all denominations.
For more Information & Sponsorship forms contact: Don Cowan: 523466 or Alison Pickup: 524129
| Home-grown Harvest. Calling All Would- be Growers : We are hoping to fill St. Mary’s with home-grown produce and make this year’s Harvest Festival Service extra special. Now is the time to be thinking,planting and planning ahead. Ark Club and Little Ark Club are enthusiastic about the prospect of growing plants in plots, pots, and tubs and we hope that there will be a great response and that lots of people will take part and grow something especially for Harvest Festival.
Promises of produce will be gratefully received.
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