Join us on Good Friday when we'll be joined by Chris Rose CEO of this year's Lent Appeal charity, Amos Trust.

Visit our free lent exhibition by Mexican artist, Chantal Meza, focusing on environmental destruction, and the decline in biodiversity.

After 12 years as vicar of "the fairest, goodliest and most famous parish church in all England" the time has come for us to move on. As many of you know, I first came to Redcliffe in 1996 when I spent five years as Associate Vicar. I described that role as “The best job in the Church of England." However, after twelve years as vicar, I have to admit that I think this one is even better … just! I have been ordained for just over thirty years, which means that I have spent over half my ministry within Redcliffe. It is a community, a building and a place I have always loved for its people, its situation and its mix. It has been a huge privilege, a real honour and (on the whole) great fun being here, living amongst you and sharing with you in the work of the gospel. There have been some notable ‘wins’: a strapline and four key themes that really describe who SMR is a congregation that has grown in number and diversity a community team making a real difference a significant increase in visitor engagement a far more robust and compliant organisational structure And there are some notable things that have been left undone: most notably, our accessible toilet is still down a flight of steps! I have great confidence in the amazing team within this extraordinary place. I know you will continue to "Sing the Song of Faith and Justice" with hope and expectation. I know you will continue to find new, dynamic and creative ways that honour Redcliffe's traditions. I know you will continue to build on them and so unfold as yet unknown and unseen glimpses of the Kingdom of God. As for me, as for us, we will be moving to London. Being a clergy family means that our previous moves have all been determined by me getting a new job. For some time we have had a hankering to live in London and, as many of you know, Sarah has been commuting to the capital for the last ten years. So that's what we're going to do. In the summer we'll move to London. I'll take my pension and spend my time supporting the work of the local church in new ways. All this means that my time as vicar of "Bristol's fairest" is drawing to close and our last Sunday will be Sunday 13 July. Thank you for your companionship along the way and for your commitment to this wonderful place. Dan Tyndall 23 February 2025

Katie Bignell, SMR's Youth Community Worker, writes about the Community Theatre activities held over the Christmas holidays: As part of our Winter Holiday activity and food programme we offered a valuable opportunity to our local community to participate in a two-day Theatre experience. The local children were immersed in a heart-warming adventure when we facilitated a trip to the Bristol old Vic to watch The Little Mermaid. It was many of our children's first Theatre experience and it was so heartwarming to see them light up as they were swept away into a magical story of dance, music and unique characters touching on some very important themes relevant to our current world. These themes such as environmental impacts on our oceans, cultural expression and how we build a better world through reaching out, caring and integrating fully with those around us, were further explored when we facilitated a Theatre workshop the following day. The children had the opportunity to set the scene through set design, developing their own characters and recreating their own version of the story, relevant to them, their cultures and their experience of the world. They thrived and really flourished in developing new skills and confidence whilst having the opportunity to be creative with Visual arts and Expressive Arts alongside Music and games. This is the second year we have facilitated a Theatre experience incorporating a trip to the Bristol Old Vic with an interactive Theatre workshop the following day. Each time it happens it is pure magic witnessing the positive growth and the creative capabilities these amazing young people possess. It is comparable to a Caterpillar turning into a Butterfly. The transformation from this opportunity is beautiful.

As we begin this new year and in light of recent media reports regarding abuse cases and the way they have been dealt with by the Church of England we would like to make the following statement. As a church family, we are called to reflect God’s love, care, and protection for all His children, particularly the most vulnerable among us. With this in mind, we want to take a moment to reassure you that the safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults remains one of our highest priorities. Our church leadership is deeply committed to ensuring that St Mary Redcliffe is a place where everyone feels safe, valued, and protected. To this end, we have established a robust Safeguarding Policy and rigorously maintain processes and procedures that reflect both legal requirements and best practices in safeguarding. These processes are designed to create a secure environment for all and to uphold the trust that you, as a congregation, have placed in us. Our safeguarding procedures include: Comprehensive Policy: We adhere to safeguarding policies that comply with the Diocese of Bristol and Church of England guidelines. This policy is regularly reviewed and updated to ensure it remains effective and current. Training and Awareness: All staff and volunteers, who work with children and vulnerable adults undergo mandatory safeguarding training. This training equips them to recognise and respond to any concerns appropriately. Background Checks: Every individual serving in roles involving children or vulnerable adults undergoes a thorough vetting process, including a DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check Clear Reporting Procedures: We have clear and confidential processes in place for reporting and addressing any safeguarding concerns. Esther Keller our appointed Parish Safeguarding Lead is always available to assist with any questions or concerns. Culture of Accountability: We foster a culture of openness and accountability, encouraging everyone in our church community to speak up if they see or sense anything that does not align with our commitment to safety. As members of our church family, we all have a role to play in ensuring the well-being of children and vulnerable adults in our care. If you ever have a concern, no matter how small it may seem, please do not hesitate to bring it to our attention. We are here to listen and to act with care and discretion. We are grateful for your trust and partnership as we work together to create a safe, nurturing and inclusive environment for all. Let us continue to pray for wisdom, vigilance, and God’s guidance as we strive to reflect His love and protection. Thank you for your continued support and prayers for this vital aspect of our ministry. May we remain united in our mission to honour Christ in all we do. All the best, Canon Dan Tyndall Esther Keller Vicar of St Mary Redcliffe Church Parish Safeguarding Officer Tel: 0776 929 6220 Tel: Tel:07811723427.

Preached by George Tunnah

Preached by the Revd Laura Verrall-Kelly, Associate Vicar

My role is focused more on Sunday mornings but a typical week leading up to Sunday consists of reflection for the last Sunday. Looking at what went well, what can be improved and floods of ideas for next time. I am still fairly new to SMR. But I have enjoyed getting to know everyone, from the parish office, Children’s ministry leadership team, volunteers at the church and the congregation. At the beginning of the year, I felt a strong pull to teach on mental health – primarily Depression and anxiety. This had such a great impact on the children we were able to understand our human emotions and put them into visual representations and understand what the word of God says regarding these emotions and feelings. It was great to hear some of the adults’ feedback on this as well. A few of the children are making the transition to high school this year and emotions can be quite overwhelming. Providing a safe place where it doesn’t feel like school or another institution. Being a visual learner myself, I feel like it is so important to make sure all ages can get together and use different senses. We have been creative with painting our hands using the 5 prayer fingers. and learning how God hears our prayers. Referencing Ezekiel 34:11-16/20:24 'My Sheep hear my voice' It is so important to in my position to show the Love of God and encourage the children to build on their relationship with God through creativity using the bible. I am so excited to see how this year progresses as we build up our relationships with each other. Keilah Ayuba Cadogan

Easter Morning. All of the choristers have been at St Mary Redcliffe for nearly 5 days straight. We have just said the Lord’s Prayer and we are all quite tired, but still have the Agnus Dei and the ‘small’ task of singing The Hallelujah Chorus to go. I notice a chorister next to me scribbling something onto their music. As I peer over, I read the inscription they have placed at the start of the Angus Dei: “Juicy bit of lamb!” A few thoughts cross my mind, all while trying not to laugh: firstly, that we must be doing something right as the chorister correctly knows that the Angus Dei translates to Lamb of God; also, that they have good music taste as Haydn’s Little Organ Mass is rather…well…juicy; although, maybe this is just a reference to their Easter lunch. Although this bit of ‘graffiti’ may seem funny, it tells me rather a lot about the attitude of the choir to the music they have been singing over Holy Week. Palm Sunday we had our first “Come and Sing” event at St Mary Redcliffe during my tenure as Director of Music, as we had over 80 singers perform Stainer’s famous oratorio The Crucifixion. We paired this with a world premiere of a new arrangement of God So Loved the World by Bristol based composer Esther Bersweden. This performance brought together all corners of our parish, with the choir consisting of clergy, choristers with their parents and grandparents, vergers, servers, one of our basses bringing his partner and 3-month-old child and people I had never seen before at SMR. This shows the investment that is happening across the church into the music making at SMR. We had rehearsals both on Tuesday and Wednesday of Holy Week to prepare for the upcoming Triduum. The choristers turned up ready to learn and work hard, again showing their dedication to the tricky music they were yet to sing as part of the worship being offered. Thursday night we had all choristers participate in the Eucharist of Maundy Thursday, and after a late finish returning on Friday for the “3 hour service” with Canon Sammy Wainaina. This is a large feat for a cathedral choir, let alone a parish church choir. Holy Saturday the adults returned for the “Out of Darkness” service, and again a choral scholar brought along his mum and dad who joined us in the choir. This sense of belonging and community is something I am so proud of, and further demonstrates the engagement, dedication, and pride to be part of the SMR choir. Easter Morning. All of the choristers have been at St Mary Redcliffe for nearly 5 days straight and by this point we had sung 29 pieces of music (not including hymns or psalms) since the beginning of Palm Sunday. Yet still, a chorister is so invested and excited to sing a piece of music that they write on their copy that this is a “juicy bit of lamb”. Although this small scribble on a copy may have been intended as a joke, it proves that their active participation and passion for the music was still shining through towards the end of a very busy week. We’ve now passed probably the biggest week in the churches calendar, and it has been a pleasure working with everyone in the choir. Here’s to singing many more ‘juicy bits of lamb’ in the summer term. Joe Cryan 12 April 2024

A question that does come across my path every now and then and makes me stop and think is: do we really need church? This question often comes from someone who hasn’t been to church in a while and a fairly unique occupational hazard that I have is that people often feel that they need to confess to me the reasons why they haven’t been to church in a while. As an aside, this does make me feel a tad uncomfortable as no one needs to justify anything to me! So, do we really need church? Is it easier just to pray and worship God in your own way on your own? Do we need to gather, every Sunday and sporadically throughout the week to know God better? I think these are good questions. Over the last 4 weeks a small group of us on a Monday have gathered together for the Lent group. A brilliant course written by our very own Stephen Spencer where we have been reading the Bible together and reflecting on different journeys of faith. This, of course, has led to reflecting on our journeys of faith and what pointers or ‘waymarks’ have helped us keep the faith and different journey points. These weekly gatherings have been simple and yet powerful. I can honestly say they have been the highlight of my week. All we do is read the Bible together, share what has jumped out to us and then share as much as we want about our own lives and journeys. But in the sharing, in the honesty, in the laughing, in the caring, God’s Holy Spirit has been breathing over our words and conservations and transforming into something much more profound. This small expression of a Christian community has been Church and I feel closer to my brothers and sisters and God as a result. This question of: do we really need church? Came to me again this week and I thought of the Monday Lent group and felt more confident than I ever have in answering ‘yes’. The Bible mentions a lot about the importance of gathering together, I think something happens when we do that goes beyond our understanding. It echoes something of family, of the joy of ‘being with’ others, of rejoicing when somebody is rejoicing and mourning when someone is mourning. Is it always easy? No. I think we can all testify to that! And I do understand why some people find it easier to find God away from Church. And yet, when we are gathered together we mirror something of the diverse, unique and communal God that we worship. It reminds us that we are body and when we are together we are a richer expression of God’s kingdom. It is on my heart to look at the importance of the ‘gathered’ expression of our church community. This includes Sunday, but it also strikes me that the mid-week smaller groups are just as important. Having a moment where we can share, pray for and be prayed for, to listen, to input, to journey with others enables us in our faith. I will be sharing more on this in the coming months! Laura Verrall-Kelly

As many of you will know there is always so much more going on beneath the water than appears on the surface. It certainly has been a busy start to the year. We have seen some amazing success stories in our concerts, growth in the community team, increase in heritage tours, and the seemingly never-ending task list in looking after the three sites we occupy and the people working hard within them. Two weeks ago I visited Salisbury Cathedral with Rhys, Ellie & Chris to discuss the many opportunities and challenges of managing our extraordinary places. The timing of the visit was particularly important as we are currently writing a SMR Business Plan, which will help steer our decisions over the coming years, particularly in relation to ‘Welcoming Heritage Destination’ strand and our future financial sustainability. We also spent a good deal looking at signs, fixings and information boards (fascinating stuff in certain circles I assure you!), and this work will inform the last stage of the North Transept Window project as we look to install appropriate interpretation and commemoration. I am delighted to share, on the subjects of both interpretation and sustainability, that the Canynges Society have agreed to support work in a number of key areas including a review of the signage and interpretation of the church for visitors. This support also extends to working on further understanding the archaeological setting of the church (more coming on this soon!) and better understanding our visitors and users of our church and community hub. These studies have short term benefits, but also longer term directly impact our longer-term ambitions to improve the facilities at St Mary Redcliffe. I am grateful to the staff team at St Mary Redcliffe who continue to go above and beyond in their areas of responsibility and continue to amaze me with their passion, creativity, and drive. As with all teams there is almost always some change, and I can share that Sarah Purdon who has been the Parish Administrator since 2019 has decided not to return to work at SMR since the birth of her second child and so we have thanked her for all her hard work and wish her the very best for the future. In the here and now I am focussing on several important audits and visits we have taking place at the church, including an energy audit being supported by the Diocese of Bristol, archaeological survey, and familiarisation visits by the fire brigade (not to mention getting to grips with changes to employment law, committee meetings, conservation works etc!). These visits will no doubt generate a list of actions which we will look to address in the never-ending job of looking after our amazing church, for now, and for future generations.

Well, 2023..what a year! I’m struck by how fortunate we are to live in Bristol, a City that is progressive, creative, full of community and who remain proud to host a myriad of events and festivals every year. Last year was no exception, with the Bristol Balloon Fiesta taking flight to the Harbour Festival delighting visitors from across the globe. For the first time SMR has decided to actively focus on increasing Events in Church as more than just an income generator, but actually as a way to bring in new audiences and communities and to help us become a world class Heritage Destination and a Church that makes a difference in the parish and beyond. In February 2023 we hosted ‘Orphelia’ as part of the Bristol Light Festival, since then we have welcomed two film screenings including Bristol Film Festival with the incredible 1920’s silent horror film ‘ the Cabinet of Doctor Caligari.’ Candles have filled our transepts monthly with Fever Up Concerts, and community choirs have echoed through the Nave as part of the Christmas Star Concert, a fundraiser for Bristol and Western Hospitals Charity, the funds of which go to improving the health and happiness of every patient in 10 local hospitals and supporting their families in a very difficult time. 2024 started with a bang! Our first SMR Event ‘Interstellar 10’ in early February was a huge hit, proving that SMR is truly beginning to engage new audiences through the Arts. Coming up we will be working with ‘Exhibition on Film’ to bring the works of Monet to Matisse to Bristol, Its going to be a very exciting year!

Project 450 is St Mary Redcliffe’s major facilities development initiative. The project, which has been in process since 2013, will create a new visitor welcome, cafe and shop at street level alongside new spaces for exhibition and interpretation, improve access to the historical church and open up currently inaccessible areas to the public, revamp the visitor experience and make the church a more attractive place to visit for a wider range of people. A significant heritage component of Project 450 will be to provide a new home for William Hogarth’s St Mary Redcliffe altarpiece, which is currently stored in St Nicholas’ Church. The overall aims of the project are to present the church and its history to as wide an audience as possible, support the worshipping community, promote music and cultural events in church, provide opportunities and support for local people, and achieve long-term sustainability, helping to secure one of England’s finest churches for future generations. Project 450 is overseen by the P450 Project Board - a committee of individuals with professional experience in areas pertinent to the project, such as planning, fundraising, architecture, heritage and project management that reports to the PCC (Parochial Church Council). Since 2020, planning for Project 450 has slowed down to take account of changing financial and social conditions caused by Covid. During this time, work has focused on testing the projects main financial components - the business plan and fundraising strategy - to ensure that the project is realistic and realisable. Project 450 has made significant progress during the last six months, a period that began with the appointment of Alex Notay - Placemaking and Investment Director at Thriving Investments (formerly PfP Capital) - as Chair of the Project Board. Alex, who is also a member of the congregation and PCC, brings significant international experience of planning, project management and placemaking to achieve tangible benefits for communities. Since 2020, when a planning pre-app for was submitted to Bristol City Council, the project team has been engaged in a process of iterative consultation with Bristol Planning Office to ensure that the Project 450 scheme that is eventually presented for planning is consistent with planning policy, responds to feedback from statutory stakeholders such as Historic England and has the best chance of achieving planning consent. During 2022, to support this process, Avison Young was appointed as planning consultant for Project 450. Since then, Sally Davis, Associate Director at Avison Young, and has been offering advice on planning policy, arranging consultation with stakeholders and representing the church consultations with the planning department that will inform Bristol Local Plan. During autumn 2023, the project team visited City Hall to meet with Bristol City Council’s new Director of Planning, Simone Wilding and Pete Insole, Head of Urban Design and Principal Historic Environment Officer at the council. During this meeting - which was very positive - a series of next steps were agreed, including a geo-spatial archaeological investigation of the churchyard to inform planning for the new buildings. Also involved in this meeting were Kate Newnham and Julia Carver, curatorial representatives of Bristol Museums - owners of Hogarth’s altarpiece - with whom the P450 project team is working to plan for the rehousing of the work. Discussions are also taking place about displaying some of the many other items from Bristol Musuems’ collections that are pertinent to the history of St Mary Redcliffe, such as the Braikenridge collection of images and archival documents. A further outcome of the workshop at City Hall was that the museums team would support the P450 project team in producing a study that will measure the potential impact on the church’s core and target audiences of plans to improve access to the heritage of St Mary Redcliffe. These findings will inform P450 planning and support funding applications relating to the project. Since Christmas, The Fundraising Practice, a team of experienced fundraising consultants, has been working on behalf of the church to provide a detailed analysis of the local, national and international funding landscape that will help the church determine a realistic budget for Project 450. This work will form an updated Fundraising Strategy and Plan that will be delivered in March. In a parallel process, members of the staff team, James Rodliff (Head of Operations), Rhys Williams (Heritage Development Manager) and Ellie Bowes (Visitor Services and Commercial Manager) have recently been working on an updated version of the Project 450 Business Plan, the first iteration of which was completed by Glevum Consultants prior to Covid. Building on Glevum’s work, this document will be key in providing a firm foundation for the development of activities during the coming years as we build towards the creation of our new facilities.

In amongst the array of wonderful things happening in Redcliffe it’s sometimes hard to pick out one highlight. However, our community cook-up is providing a huge amount of satisfaction now – not least for Andy (our Community Development Worker)’s stomach! It combines all the best of what we do through our Youth and Community work. We have nearly 350 of our neighbours living in the Mercure Hotel that are desperate to cook. At St Mary Redcliffe, we have an underused commercial kitchen in the Undercroft. By simply connecting the two it has created something truly inspirational. We work with the hotel management to form teams from the same region of the world who then cook a meal for up to 40-50 from the hotel to enjoy. So far, we have had Afghan, Indian/Pakistani, Kurdish, Caribbean, Georgian/Ukrainian, Southern African, Brazilian teams cooking dishes that astound us with their restaurant quality taste and presentation. It is not just about the food though. As the teams come together from different parts of the world you can feel the strength provided by the connection to their culture and the pride in sharing something that they have created. We provide simple activities for parents to do with their children. Families gather around the table and eat, play, and talk together. A feeling of home.  As a simple analogy it beautifully represents what we want to do as a community team at St Mary Redcliffe. When we see people who are hungry the most obvious and natural thing is to give them a meal. However, when we give the ingredients to cook, we are giving them the power to feed themselves.

A new calendar year also heralds a new financial year, where usually the team would draw a line across old finances and start to work from fresh new year budgets. This year’s budgeting has been particularly challenging, as the pressures of the cost-of-living crisis, inflation and general cost increases we are all facing on a day-to-day basis is also being felt within the church’s finances. This has meant a delay in getting the budgets approved, as the budget had to be reworked several times as we seek to find the balance of providing great services for the St Mary Redcliffe community and to strive to make this a great place to live and worship; but are mindful that the church only has finite resources and so need to ensure every pound is being spent wisely. This time of year also means we are busy reflecting back across 2023 and producing the final management accounts of the year, the financial statements and the Trustee’s Annual report (TAR) in preparation for our annual audit in March. Once audited the TAR and financial statements will be available for circulation at the AGM and will also become a public document celebrating the successes of St Mary Redcliffe.  All the above could not be achieved without the help of our fantastic finance volunteers Dominic Hewitt, Temi Garrick and Pat Stevens whose efforts and assistance are invaluable. Breaking News! We welcome Janine John, as finance assistant, who will be with us for a year, one day a week, due to the Parish Administrators maternity leave. Janine will assist with managing the high volume of transactions and allow time to ensure processes and policies are in place for the future.