Thornton with Nash

The parish is formally called Thornton with Nash because the land on which Nash church was built was given by a Thornton benefactor.

Thornton is a small hamlet 2 miles from Nash. The Church of St Michael and All Angels Thornton has been made redundant and is cared for by the Churches Conservation Trust.  A few special services (Harvest and Carol Services) are held in Thornton.  Thornton College is a Roman Catholic Boarding School.  However, about 66% of the pupils are not Roman Catholic and those seeking to join the Church of England have confirmation classes from the ministry team of the Buckingham Benefice.

Nash is a rural parish some 6 miles from Buckingham and 8 miles from Milton Keynes with the surrounding countryside devoted to farming with a number of stables.  The village has about 160 houses and 330 on the parish electoral roll.  The parish includes all age groups with over 60 pensioners and about 60 children.  The village has a strong sense of community with recent residents mixing well with those who have lived in the village for many years.  This is achieved despite the lack of amenities such as a shop, school, post office or public house.  A major facility for keeping everyone informed is the bi-monthly Newsletter edited by a church member and distributed to all houses in the village.  Many of those who move into the village are families with young children and so the number of children in the village has increased significantly in recent years.  Apart from farming, there is no employment in the village and so most people commute to work in the surrounding towns (Milton Keynes, Buckingham, Aylesbury, Northampton) or take advantage of the fast rail link to London.

Buildings

All Saints’ Church is a key landmark in Nash, being centrally placed on Stratford Road, the main road linking the A421 Buckingham / Milton Keynes Road with Beachampton and Stony Stratford.  The Church was designed by the well-known architect G E Street in the 1850s when Nash separated from Whaddon.  It has some lovely stained glass windows.  The Church is an attractive building for village worship set in well-kept grounds.  The Village Hall, formerly the School, is next door and functions as a Church Hall, its car park providing off-road parking.  Children attend school in Thornborough.

Worship

Each month there are two Holy Communion services, one All Age Worship and one Morning Prayer (Evensong in the summer).  These services are led by the Ministry Team of the Benefice.  Nash shares a Priest with the other parishes of Buckingham Benefice and there is also an Ordained Local Minister and a Licensed Local Minister who live in the village.  The average congregation is around 18, with family services varying between 20 and 40.  There are 35 on the electoral roll, three of whom are not resident in the parish.  A choir is formed from members of the village who sing in local choirs for special events.

Groups

There are two regular fellowship groups associated with the church: the Monday Fellowship Group (afternoons, fortnightly during school terms) and the Prayer Group (monthly).  The core members of all these groups come from Nash but members from other villages are welcome.  Nash children participate in the ‘Monday’ Sunday School in Thornborough and there are often collaborative Holiday Clubs in the holidays.  In addition, a number of coffee mornings are held in the course of the year to support Dr Shirley Heywood in Nepal.

Special Events Organised by the Church

Ash Wednesday service followed by soup lunch for the village

Village Fete (jointly with the Village Hall Committee)

Barn Dance

Harvest Service and Lunch

Church Yard Clear-up and Annual Gift Day (early November)

Christingle

Christmas Carol Service (and carol singing round the village for charity)

Weekday Lunch (every few months)

Benefice Lunches shared with Buckingham, Radclive and Whaddon