The Bale & Stiffkey Benefice GUNTHORPE
Home	Bale & Stiffkey Benefice	Binham Priory	Glaven Valley

Gunthorpe lies about eight miles from the coast and has a population of just over 100. Surprisingly for a picturesque village in a popular holiday spot, most of the houses here have full-time residents.

There are 23 people on the electoral roll and although average church attendance is about 9, many more attend for special festivals – our Christmas Day carol service regularly attracts over 70 people.

There is a strong village community spirit which is highly supportive of the church. This is fostered by the Friends of Gunthorpe Church, the village institute and the Fete committee. Regular social events include the monthly Saturday morning 50/50 club, harvest supper, summer barbeque, concerts and of course the hugely successful fete. We usually raise £4000 on this occasion and split it equally with the Institute.

The fourteenth century church is situated on the edge of the village and is well-maintained. The slate roof was restored in the 1990s and a successful bid to English Heritage has earned us a large grant towards a major repair programme starting next year. Regular working parties care for the graveyard and adjacent car park. Although we are at present without a churchwarden, we hope to recruit soon, and are fortunate to have much goodwill from non-churchgoers who are happy to help with administration, maintenance and fund raising. We have always managed to pay our parish share in full and we hope to continue this.

The village has no public transport or shop, but Bale Garage is only a mile away and we are well situated between the market towns of Holt and Fakenham.

We try to encourage the spiritual life of the village, make the less confident feel welcome and ensure that the church will always be a spiritual place of peace and calm for all.