Ingham
Our Church
We are a lively church, seeking to build community in our village. We hold weekly Cuppa and Chat mornings that help people to meet up and our building is used as a community space, the only one that the village has.
The tower is older than the rest of the church walling and dates from the middle of the 14th century. The interior of the church was remodelled in 1861. In 1986 the Victorian pews and pulpit were removed and the nave is now used much as it was before the Reformation. A kitchen and toilet were added in 1989 and a catering quality kitchen installed in 2016. The last major project was to install new heating so that the building is now comfortably warm.
The PCC have agreed to the installation of mobile aerials in the church tower and we await a satisfactory outcome to ongoing negotiations.
There is plenty of parking space for visitors in the churchyard to the north of the church.
Sunday Services take place fortnightly between Ingham and Great Livermere at 10am, with a monthly BCP Holy Communion at Ampton.
Common Worship Morning Prayer is said on a Friday morning in each of the churches by rotation and the one in Ampton is particularly well attended.
There is a monthly Sm@11 (Sunday morning at 11) service at Ingham, an all age service which is really popular with everyone.
Our Parish
The parish of Ingham with Ampton and Great and Little Livermere is a united parish covering four villages with three parish churches, two of which are in regular use.
Ingham is the largest village with a population of approx. 400. The A134 Bury St Edmunds to Thetford road divides the village, with the pub, shop and church on one side and the majority of the housing on the other. Businesses in the village include a large farm and haulage business, a small business park and a number of self-employed people working from home.
Great Livermere has about 190 people, with a large farm and a game shooting business in the village. It also has a recently refurbished village hall which is well used and is a focus for village social activities.
Ampton has a population of about 70 and is an estate village with the owners living at Ampton Hall.
Little Livermere is also part of the Ampton Estate and is a very disparate village with about 30 people living there. Little Livermere church is now in ruins.
In the whole parish, those who are employed mostly work outside the villages in Bury St Edmunds, Thetford or further afield.
Ingham church building is used both as place of worship and as a community space, the only one the village has and, in addition to some of the Church run activities outlined below, it also hosts a weekly “Cuppa ‘n Chat” to reach out to people feeling isolated.