Community - Groups

click on title for information

Beavers, Cubs, Scouts	Bell Ringers

Brownies, Guides, Rainbows, Rangers	Cleaning Groups

Eco Congregation	Fair Trade Stall

Flower Arrangers	Gardening Group

Grapevine – Men’s Group	Mothers’ Union

Olive Branch - Woman's Group	Prayer Group

Sunday Schools	Visiting Group

Youth Club - St Thom's	Child Protection Policy

Beavers, Cubs, Scouts

We have a wide range of uniformed groups in our church community. The details of the ages of each group and the days and times that they meet are below. For more information, please call the Parish Office on 01722 322 537.

Beavers ~ for boys aged 6 to 8 years old. Our Beaver Colony meets

every Tuesday in term time from 6.30 – 7.45pm.

Cubs ~ for boys aged 8 to 10 ½ years old. Our Cub Pack meets every Tuesday in term time from 6.30 – 7.45pm.

Scouts ~ for boys and girls aged 10 ½ to 14 years old. Our Scout Troop meets every Tuesday in term time from 7.30 – 9pm.

Bell Ringers

We ring for 2 services on Sundays from 9.30 - 10.15am and 5.15 - 6pm. Our practice night is Thursday from 7.30 – 9pm. We also take part in local ringing competitions and social events such as skittles nights and quiz evenings with other members of the local Branch.

Ringing is fun! If you would like to have a go and find out more about this very English art, ring Margaret on 01722 503178. We always need more ringers (minimum age 12 years.)

Brownies, Guides, Rainbows and Rangers

Brownies ~ for girls aged between 7 and 10 years old. Our Brownie pack meets every Thursday in term time from 6.30 – 8pm.

Guides ~ for girls aged 10 to 14 years old. Our Guide Pack is a joint one with the Salisbury Methodist Church and meets every Friday in term time from 6.30 – 8.30pm.

Rainbows ~ for girls aged between 5 and 7 years old. Although there is no pack directly connected to St Thomas’s church, many of our girls belong to packs in the city. Call the Parish Office for information on how to find a Rainbow pack.

Rangers ~ for girls aged 14 to 26 years old. Our Ranger Guides are also run jointly with the Salisbury Methodist Church and meet every other Friday in term time from 7.30 – 9.30pm.

Cleaning Groups

We have five teams of volunteers who clean the church every Friday morning. This means that nobody is overburdened with chores. We welcome anyone - old, young, men and women - who would like to help keep our building looking sparking clean and tidy.

Eco Congregation

Being an Eco-congregation means that in approaching environmental issues we have a spiritual awareness of God's Creation and acknowledge our ecological and global responsibilities.

Selling Fair Trade goods, recycling and conserving resources, using "green" energy fuel, making our Churchyards and garden eco-friendly and beautiful, educating our children and sharing our experience beyond the congregation, is all part of an exciting and inspiring aspect of life at St Thomas's.

Fair Trade Stall

St Thomas’s is a FairTrade church. A weekly stall selling a wide range of fair trade foods is open every Tuesday morning (Market Day in Salisbury) from 10:00am until 12 noon and on occasional Sundays throughout the year after the 10:15am service.

FairTrade coffee, tea and sugar are used at church meetings and coffee mornings and other fairly traded products are promoted whenever possible. We have assisted another church and a local school in promoting FairTrade at special events by supplying goods on a sale or return basis.

Flower Arrangers

We have a dedicated team of 30 flower arrangers who keep the seven arrangements around the church looking beautiful every day for the enjoyment of our many visitors.

Gardening Group

The gardeners meet every Tuesday 2.00 - 4.00pm in St Thomas House garden. We are a small group of willing volunteers who do our best to maintain and enhance the house garden and churchyards. We welcome any new members on a casual/weekly basis. No great skill needed but ability to multi-task is an asset!

Tea with cake is served at 3.00pm.

Grapevine – Men’s Group

Grapevine is an informal group for men at St Thomas's and meets on the last Wednesday evening of the month. With more than fifty members, the group enjoys some excellent Speakers and other activities throughout the year, ending with an annual Dinner which is always a highlight of the programme. If you have not been to Grapevine, you would be very welcome to join us and don't worry if you can't make it on a regular basis due to other commitments! Simply come when you can.

Mothers’ Union

The Mothers' Union meets every 4th Thursday of the month in St Thomas's House at 2.30pm. We believe in the importance of family values and aim to promote them. We have had a range of speakers recently giving talks on topics from Thailand and Tibet to All Saint's Day. We support the work of the Mothers' Union overseas and give to the Holiday Fund which has recently helped disadvantaged families enjoy a holiday on the Isle of Wight.

Olive Branch – Women’s Group

Olive Branch is an informal group for ladies at St Thomas's and everyone is welcome. We meet on the second Thursday of each month at St Thomas house at 7.30pm. The meetings vary between outside speakers, outings, talks from members and culminate in a summer party each July. New members are always very welcome.

Prayer Group

Many people – strangers to church, come here to pray. They often leave prayer requests which speak of extreme need. Every week we offer these prayers knowing that our Lord hears and responds.

We pray for our church, for confidential personal requests from members and friends, for our city and for the world.

Sunday Schools

Minnow's Sunday School ~ Children from 3 years old are invited to come to the St.Michael's room during the first hymn. There we tell them stories of Jesus's life and Old testament stories that Jesus might have been told as a boy. There is always a picture to colour or other creative work and a prayer. Around their 6th birthday most children are ready to move up to the older Sunday school.

Little Fishes Sunday School ~ Sunday School for children from six years old is held during school term time, excluding family services (the first Sunday of the month). It gathers at the back of church during the first hymn and then moves to St Thomas' House, returning for the Eucharist. The lesson is based on one of the service's bible readings, and includes activities and discussions related to the ideas in the reading. There is usually a worksheet to complete, or some kind of creative work.

Visiting Group

The Visiting Group’s objective is to visit or make contact with all members on the Electoral Roll at least once during the year. Our aim is to welcome newcomers and to be especially aware of anyone with special needs or difficulties. We give Communion to the house-bound and sick members of the congregation. If you know of someone who is unwell, would like a visit or would like someone to be with them and listen, please make contact with one of the Visiting Group so that we can help. Please see the noticeboard at the back of church for a list and photos of the members.

Youth Club – St Thom’s

This is a group for our young people over the age of 12 to meet together twice a month for various activities and outings. The aim of the sessions is to create a friendly, informal and safe environment to help our young people have fun and to explore issues important to them. The group welcomes non church go-ers.

Child Protection Policy

St Thomas’s has its own Child Protection Policy and a named Local Child Protection Administrator. The policy offers guidelines to all paid and voluntary workers in the church concerning the health and safety of children, young people and adult staff whilst engaged in church activities. This policy is expanded from guidelines issued by the Home Office in its Code of Practice entitled “Safe from Harm, 1992”.

The children’s and youth groups of St Thomas and St Edmund’s church are committed to the Christian education and development of children and young people. The church is concerned with the wholeness of each individual within the context of the church family and recognises the need for all activities to take place in an environment which is safe and rewarding. It is the responsibility of all adults to prevent the physical, sexual and emotional abuse of children and young people in their care.

Click here PDF of St Thomas's Child Protection Guidelines

Site Map

Community - Groups

Olive Branch - Woman's Group

Prayer Group

Sunday Schools

Visiting Group

Youth Club - St Thom's

Brownies, Guides, Rainbows and Rangers

Cleaning Groups

Grapevine – Men’s Group

Mothers’ Union

Olive Branch – Women’s Group

Visiting Group

Child Protection Policy

Click here PDF of St Thomas's Child Protection Guidelines