You're Welcome to use St Mary's for you or Your organisation
for events, meetings and other activities
How can I help ?
Everyone is welcome and no experience is necessary, although if you do have any specific skills we would love to hear from you. There are so many ways you can help from fundraising, managing events, volunteering and more do check out our volunteering page for our latest opportunities or do contact us if you think you can help in any way. Thank you.
We would love to hear your memories of St Mary’s Church, please add your stories, pictures and memories to our Treasure Trove . . .
To make a donation to our St Mary’s Hook 800+ Campaign or to set up your own fundraising page please visit our Justgiving page. Thank you.
For alternative ways to donate, set up a regular gift or send a cheque please click the button below.
St Mary’s is a beautiful, warm, welcoming space suited to all sorts of activities.
We welcome to use it anyone or organisation which fit with our Vision (Right)
So if you do or know anyone who does, please do contact us to come and look around, discuss what is possible, what you’ll need if you were to use the space and how we can work with you.
The Past and the Future coincide . . .
In Medieval Times and onwards for the first 600 years of the building’s life it is most likely it was a flexible open, dry space which served the communities needs in many ways. The Sanctuary was probably kept ‘Holy’ whilst the rest of the building will have been used for all sorts of community activities as shown in the picture below (bigger version at the bottom of the page).
Then in Victorian Times the new school was built on High St, various other community facilities were available and the money was there to develop the space for purely religious purposes with a congregation firmly sat in pews and being preached at. This meant the building was filled with forward facing pews and could only be used for events where everyone faced in one direction such as main church services. The School Hall and other spaces being used for other church activities.
In recent times there is a need for church activities to be much more communal again with people facing one another joining together over food and drink and so onwhich require a more flexible format. So we’re looking to go back to where the church was for 600 years not having pews but rather having beautiful, high quality easily moveable and stacking chairs which enable us to do worship and other activities in the space easily and well.
Our vision
is to be
Life Enhancing
Community Building
Memory Cherishing
Soul Treasuring
Special Space
and we’re pursuing a plan to enable this by
Creating Space where Community can Flourish
Protecting that Space for the next 100 years
Supporting Activities that build hope.
If you are interested in using the space please either email Sarah or contact the Vicar.
For the sake of the church and because we and those who will fund the restoration (see 800+ page) want the building used much more than a few hours a week we’re making this flexible space available to the wider community from Goole and surrounding area. Or even much further afield given how easy it is to get here from the motorway.
After all it’s nuts to spend so much on repairing it just to use it a little.
The Picture below shows the church as it might have been for the first 550 years of it’s life when it had no pews and would have served as a village hall as well as a space for Sunday worship with a ‘sanctuary’ at one end which was kept apart ‘holy’ but the rest used in many ways.
Achieving this is a big challenge as the costs for the full project have been estimated to be £300 000 – £500 000. However we believe this is do-able with the amazing support of local fund raising and through applications to supportive trusts and other organisations who enable such projects which enhance the life of communities.
We’re phasing the project so that we get maximum impact for the money we raise and can build on the success of each stage. See Project Phasing
Our Flexible Space
We’re currently fund raising to put in
an internal multi-access toilet
better refreshment and washing up facilities
level floors
storage
and better heating
and to improve further our already good and flexible AV provision
Your use of the space or letters and quotes saying you will use the space once these or some of these are done, will help us greatly in our fund raising and in our plan to make this space work well for the community of this region and village.
We are not wanting to take anything away from local venues or events but add to what is happening and accessible to make people’s lives better and fuller .
