ST Mary’s Church in Ross-on-Wye is the home of a thriving vibrant community founded in 1284 – 208 years before America was discovered, reveals BILL FULP.

The Chairman of The Friends of St Mary’s says it has been and remains the jewel of Ross, the town’s only Grade I-listed building and its most important structure.

Today less than one per cent of the local population attends Sunday services, much in line with national statistics.

But with recent reordering of the church including the introduction of flexible, comfortable seating, new lighting, kitchen, access, toilets and – most recently – a state-of-the-art sound system, St Mary’s is now a perfect venue as a cultural hub for the local community.

The Friends of St Mary’s Church was founded as a charity in 2007 to assist the historic landmark with maintenance, repairs, and improvements.

And Bill says: “We have formed a partnership with our local independent Rossiter Books to host regular book presentations, and are extremely excited offering as our first event on Thursday, October 27, at 7pm, Dame Kate Bingham discussing her book, ‘The Long Shot: The Inside Story to the Race to Vaccinate Britain’.

“Partial proceeds will go to The Friends of St Mary’s and NMITE, the innovative engineering school in Hereford.”

A programme of concerts is also being developed, while another talk by local historian Heather Hurley is scheduled on Wednesday, December 7, at 7pm, discussing her new book Horse-Drawn Tramways of the Wye Valley

Bill adds that another Open Gardens weekend is also planned for 2023, on the weekend of June 3-4, and anyone interested in opening their garden, should contact [email protected]

“We also are asking anyone who has an idea for an event pertinent to the life of Ross-on-Wye to please contact us to discuss the possibility of our presenting it.

“The Friends have a membership of approximately 150 people, and we are optimistically hoping to increase that number to 1,000, still less than 10 per cent of the stated population of Ross, to help in preserving our iconic church for the next 738 years.”

A new annual membership scheme has been unveiled:

John Kyrle Membership - £500

Walter Scott - £250

Revd Roger Stirrup - £100

Joint - £20

Individual - £15.

“Along with revenues from our programmes and increased memberships, the entire community can be critical in maintaining our 738-year-old part of historic England,” Bill added.

“Our desire is to involve as much of the community as possible, and anyone who wishes to take part in our work as a committee member, please get in touch.

See the website fosmross.org.uk for more details.