Volunteers ready to welcome visitors to St Mary's Church in Sompting for the flower festival and history exhibition. Picture: Steve Robards SR2108173Volunteers ready to welcome visitors to St Mary's Church in Sompting for the flower festival and history exhibition. Picture: Steve Robards SR2108173
Volunteers ready to welcome visitors to St Mary's Church in Sompting for the flower festival and history exhibition. Picture: Steve Robards SR2108173

Sompting parish church: Flower festival features in a week of celebration to mark reopening

Sompting parish church is holding a week of celebration to mark its reopening, including a flower festival and history exhibition. Well known as one of the best-preserved Anglo Saxon churches in England, St Mary the Virgin is thought to date from about 960 AD and is mentioned in the Domesday Book. Having been closed for services for some years, the church is now opening for regular Sunday worship again.

Father Felix Smith, the new vicar of St Mary’s, said: “We’re really looking forward to opening St Mary’s up to the public once more. At one point the future of this ancient and beautiful church looked to be in doubt but this celebration week marks a new beginning. We can now look forward to a brighter future, with regular services and events planned.”

The week started on August 15 with a service of Evensong with the Bishop of Chichester. This was followed by free beer and morris dancing in the church gardens. Throughout this week, the church is open to visitors and there are many other events, including talks on the history of the building, walks, concerts and a vineyard tour. Visit {https://www.somptingchurch.com/www.somptingchurch.com} for more information.

St Mary’s will now hold a regular service every third Sunday of the month at 9am.

St Mary’s will now hold a regular service every third Sunday of the month at 9am.

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