Sharrington

Sharrington has a population of 110 and is situated on the southern edge of the Benefice. All Saints' church has 30 on its electoral roll and an average of 11 people attend the weekly services. However we welcome many more villagers to our Festivals, with Mothering Sunday, Harvest, Remembrance and Carol services all well attended. We welcome lay involvement in this type of service, and are keen to involve children. At present our two Churchwardens are often called upon to read Morning Prayer.

We actively fund-raise to meet our parish share in full, and keep albums of photographs in the church to show visitors our various activities. During the past year these have included the village fete, concerts, harvest festival auction, Christmas bazaar and a flower festival.

Our Thirteenth Century church was described in the Early English Era as a "grand church of great local importance" however the north and south aisles, transept and porch were taken down in the middle of the Eighteenth Century due to a significant reduction in wealth and population. The tall tower still stands and was renovated for the Millennium, hopefully to stand for many centuries. The smaller size makes the church welcoming and of course easier to keep warm.

Our stunning set of corbels reflects the previous grandeur and is deemed by scholars of medieval history to be of the best in the country. We have a fine old stone font with an oak cover, designed and locally carved and donated to celebrate the year 2000.

We offer pamphlets on our church history and also have our own "Prayer for the People of Sharrington" on display, and used at every service. We keep the church open between dawn and dusk and welcome visitors and villagers alike.

The village is strung out along a series of lanes which make up a set of circular routes, with the houses well scattered. There is a thriving and well-maintained village hall at one end of the village and the church at the other. We have three working farms, two motor repair garages, a nursery school and a shell museum. Ages and occupations vary, but most work locally.