News

Parish News Page
Below are 18 items of News about the Parish. To see news of things that have happened in the Parish please visit the Magazine Articles page. For News of Services please visit the Services page.

Rev'd Rebecca Priesting more...
On Saturday 21st June 2008 Rev'd Rebecca Pullin was 'priested' by Bishop David at a ceremony at Birmingham Cathedral. A large number of friends, relatives and people from the Parish attended.

BBC Director General Formally Opens Restored Buildings more...
Date: Friday 13th June 2008
The Director General of the BBC, Mark Thompson, and Carole Souter, Chief Executive of the Heritage Lottery Fund, formally opened the restored buildings on Friday 13th June 2008.
Please visit www.kingsnorton.org.uk/photos/ for more photos.
please also see http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west_midlands/7452344.stm .

Successful Medieval Extravaganza Held more...
A very successful Medieval Extravaganza was held on 14th June 2008, when many hundreds of people visited the newly re-opened restored buildings.
Please visit www.kingsnorton.org.uk/photos/ for more photos.

BBC website - update on Restoration more...
Please visit the BBC website at http://www.bbc.co.uk/birmingham/content/articles/2008/01/11/restoration_winner_feature.shtml for the update on the re-opening of the restored buildings and links to the video diaries.
Also, please visit http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7452241.stm for a 4minute video - "The BBC's Sarah Campbell took a tour of the property with Barbara Hedgeland, one of the volunteers on the project"

Restoration - Dedication Service Held more...
Bishop David led a Service of Dediction for the newly restored buidlings, in the courtyard on the evening of Thursday 5th June 2008.

Café T more...
CafeT returns on TUESDAY 15th April, one week later than planned! Over the summer months we shall be taking on our most demanding and exciting programme of debates and subjects yet attempted and look forward to faces old and new making their contribution.

Subjects include: The Secularisation of Society; Interfaith relations, Gender Wars, The Institution of the Church – all seen as challenges to faith, or are they!? We shall investigate our biblical heroes, Parables - then and now ….the trials of life and the tragedy of suicide, oh and some party and BBQ!

Do plan to be part of CafeT from 15th April. For more information see the CafeT page

Old Grammar School officially opened more...
Date: Tuesday 15th January 2008
The Old Grammar School was officially opened on January 15th by Mrs Betty Griffiths – with the Revd Thomas Hall in attendance. Thomas Hall was Kings Norton’s pastor from 1640-1662 and its schoolmaster for even longer. A remarkable man, he ensured that the Old Grammar School had a national reputation. It may even be that the parish brought the building together to house his library in gratitude for his long and faithful ministry. We still have to find out!

We were so pleased that Betty was able open the restored Old Grammar School. She is a cherished friend of all the parish’s churches and of many within its wider communities. Many will know just how passionate Betty’s son, John, was about the Old Grammar School. His enthusiasm and love, with that of many others, ensured that the building survived until we could restore it fully. John sadly didn’t live to see the building renewed, loved and cared for, ready for its new life and use, but Betty was on hand to begin the next stage in its history.

History student Steven Jinks from Newman College became Thomas Hall for the day. Stephen is on a six week placement with the project – and looked a fearsome figure indeed. Thomas Hall reminded all present about his loathing for long hair and said how pleased he was with the restoration of his school.

Work on the building continued until the last minute with the new path from the lych gate opened especially for the occasion. Simon Linford, from builders Linford-Bridgeman said: “It has been a real honour to help restore this historically significant building to its former glory. Our craftsmen have worked closely with the architects and historians to ensure a sensitive and accurate restoration of the whole building.”

Everyone involved has been working tirelessly for years to see these amazing buildings restored – a committed partnership between church and community on which we now have to build.

Come and see! There is limited opening from now until May, through booked tours by our volunteer guides on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 10am and 11am. Please ring 0121 458 1223 to book your visit!

St Nicolas Hall – sale and new beginning more...
“The St Nicolas Hall story will continue wonderfully in the Restored buildings”

St Nicolas Hall was built in the late 1950s. The parish needed much more than the then Saracen’s Head could offer so, led by the indomitable Revd Edward Ashford, church and community raised the money by huge prayer and effort, large and small. Sixty years on, the Hall has become very hard to run, in need of major refurbishment and no longer able to serve the very varied needs of our church and community. It has become sadly more costly to refurbish and adapt than to demolish and rebuild – and we do not have the resources for either.

The present St Nicolas Hall is a remarkable story of what church and community can do when working together in generosity and commitment, just like the earlier Saracen’s Head campaign, the building of St.Nicolas Church itself and its Victorian restoration and re-ordering.

Although we have no choice but to sell the St Nicolas Hall site this year and use the proceeds to complete Restoration and the new halls on the Saracen’s Head site, its story must not and will not be forgotten. The stunning new community facilities owe much more than many realise to the vision and generosity of Mr Ashford and those who gave so much to create the Hall. Without their gifts we would be unable to provide in effect a new St Nicolas Hall on The Green.

A planning application went in at the end of January for development of the Hall site for housing for older people. After the usual planning process and consultation, we expect to hear in May. The site will then be sold and all activities, with many new ones, will move to their home on The Green.

But the Hall’s place in the life of Kings Norton’s church and community does not end with its sale. The St Nicolas Hall story will continue wonderfully in the Restored buildings, alongside that of the astonishing Tudor House, the Saracen’s Head and the much earlier buildings on the site, all of which will be honoured as we begin a wholly new chapter in the story of this ancient place.

The foundation stone and Mr Ashford’s portrait will have their place in the new buildings – but we can do much more with the name, the story – and all that they represent in the life of Kings Norton and its parish church. Some have suggested that we actually use “St Nicolas Hall” for all or part of our new and restored building in Historic Kings Norton. What do you think? We really do want to know!

Rob Morris

Old Grammar School in local press more...
The Restoration work on the Old Grammar School has been reported in the local press

Birmingham Post article http://icbirmingham.icnetwork.co.uk/birminghampost/news/tm_method=full%26objectid=20356678%26siteid=50002-name_page.html on 16 Jan 2008

Birmingham Mail article http://icbirmingham.icnetwork.co.uk/mail/news/centralcity/tm_method=full%26objectid=20355925%26siteid=97319-name_page.html on 16 Jan 2008.

Old Grammar School on BBC website more...
The BBC Birmingham website has an artcle about the Old Grammar School, with a 6 minute video of Canon Rob Morris and Project Director, Pauline Weaver, talikng about the Project and the re-opening.
Please see http://www.bbc.co.uk/birmingham/content/articles/2008/01/11/restoration_winner_feature.shtml for more.

To see the video click http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/check/birmingham/realmedia/restoration_jan_08?size=16x9&bgc=C0C0C0&nbram=1&bbram=1 which will open in Real Player

Parish Visits more...
If you are aware of a parishioner who is sick, in hospital or in need of a visit could you please contact the Parish Office. We can't arrange a visit unless we know someone is in need!

Restoration Update - 19th March 2007 more...
Date: Monday 19th March 2007
At last we’ve moved from planning, designing, discussing and demolishing. Building is really happening. On 14th March, the first concrete was poured for the foundations of the new part of the project. There’s a new door in the 1492 part of the North Range where a long-closed original one once stood. Window work, final financial approvals, site set-up for the work on the Old Grammar School; all are in hand.

Tours start again in April on Saturdays and Wednesdays at 10am and 11am. The two Tudor buildings are only viewable from the outside – but there is an even older one which is more and more coming into its own as a place of worship, gathering, story and meeting for all.

Even those who have known St.Nicolas Church all their lives have something new to discover! Why not take a tour of church and building site to discover what it is.

Rob Morris

Saturday Coffee Morning more...
Are now in St.Nicolas Church
Every Saturday 10am - 12noon.
We look forward to seeing you there!

Knit and Stitch more...
Are you a great knitter? Do you prefer crochet? Or is needlework your passion? Then come along and join the Knit and Stitch group.

Knit and Stitch is a drop-in group where you can come along with your stitch work, meet other knitters or stitchers and have a good old natter and a cup or tea.

Don’t worry if you can’t knit, there’s bound to be someone willing to teach.

If you haven’t a project on the go then join in the making of the Kings Norton Prayer Shawls and Quilts. The idea is that everyone helps to knit or crochet a shawl or create a quilt. Prayers and blessings can be made while the shawl/quilt is stitched and then once completed they are blessed and given to anyone in need of comfort – someone recently bereaved or who is ill. They can also be given at times of celebration and joy – weddings or baptisms for instance.

In St.Nicolas Church from 10.00 am till 12 noon. Everyone welcome - knitters, stitchers, beginners, children.

More details from the Parish Office.

Pauline Weaver

Saturday Morning Opening more...
The Church is now open on Saturday mornings and we are enlisting people to be a welcoming presence on Saturday mornings during coffee morning between 10am - 12.30pm.
This would mean being in the church on a Saturday morning of your choice for 2½ hrs, cup of coffee in hand, once a year on a date which suits your lifestyle. If you are interested and feel that this is something you could realistically do please talk to Jess Boulton.

CandleLit Church more...
St.Nicolas Church, The Green, Kings Norton
Wednesdays 6.30-8pm
• From 6.30pm; lighting the candles
• 7pm until 8pm; music-this varies weekly
• Ending at 8pm with a blessing or poem

Tea and coffee are available.
This is a peaceful creative space for you to enjoy in this busy city.
Please feel free to come and go as you please throughout this time.
click here for more on Candlelit Church

Tiny Tots more...
If you are 5 or under, then you are invited
to join us at Tiny Tots for playtime, songs and stories
in St.Nicolas Church from 9.30 – 10.30 am
on Thursday mornings during term time.
Please bring an adult with you!

Our first meeting of 2007 is on Thursday 11th January

Work has begun - Restoration Winners Appoint Building Contractors more...
Date: Monday 26th February 2007
Below is the press release:
Birmingham’s winning BBC Restoration 2004 project has announced the appointment of Staffordshire-based building contractors Linford-Bridgeman Limited to carry out the £3.9 million construction work which started on February 12th.

Linford-Bridgeman Limited has a substantial track record in conservation and historic building restoration. Following detailed tender, Kings Norton Parochial Church Council (PCC), the owners of the Saracen’s Head and Old Grammar School, awarded them the contract to complete this landmark project. The architects are the Birmingham-based APEC, responsible for the redevelopment of St Martin in the Bullring and many other significant projects. With the specialist knowledge now on board from APEC, and Linford’s conservation and restoration knowledge, the Restoration 2004 winners are confident they have the right team in place to complete the work sensitively and effectively.

Canon Rob Morris, Kings Norton Team Rector, says: “As BBC TWO Restoration winners, we’re delighted to commence the main building work which the programme did so much to encourage. Project volunteers and our project team have worked so hard over the last three years to ensure that everything is done to the high standard which these buildings, our local community and our city deserve. We’ve worked closely and gratefully with the Heritage Lottery Fund, English Heritage, Birmingham City Council, The Restoration Fund and the Wildlife Trust and have an excellent team of professionals willing to go the extra mile.”

Linford-Bridgeman Limited, based in Staffordshire, has been the appointed building contractor for many restoration projects nationwide. The restoration and building work in Kings Norton is expected to be completed by June 2008.

For PR enquiries please contact Gemma Richards via the contacts page.