This is the official website of The Downs Benefice Winchester, Hampshire.

Sparsholt Mission Links

Notices in brief...

For all the notices and more information, please see our Notices page

In Emergency 

The office is open during regular working hours, however if you need to contact a minister in an emergency, please call either:

Revd Kevin Rogers: 07584 162 594

or

Benefice Office: 07857 512 053

Further information about the phone line is available

here

Prayer Requests

If you have any prayer requests, for any concerns lying on your heart or to give thanks, please email the office on office@downsbenefice.org.uk

All prayer requests will be made anonymous before being passed on  to our Prayer Team.

Parish Magazine Deadline

Copy for Feb/Mar edition of the Benefice Parish Magazine should be submitted by 12.00 noon - Friday 4th January.

We currently donate to:

The Winchester Beacon – this independent local charity helps homeless people by providing a safe, warm environment together with a meal, advice and vital assistance to prepare for independent living. Sparsholt community, including the school, also support this charity by donating Harvest Festival goods and several villagers cook hot meals for The Beacon.

For more information, visit The Winchester Beacon 

 

Karis Kids  – this Winchester charity supports children orphaned by AIDS in Uganda by helping local families to care for them and enabling the children to go to school. Sparsholt Primary School has adopted Karis Kids as its global charity and has links with  a school in Kampala; the pupils have donated a considerable amount over recent years to Karis Kids.

For more information, visit Karis Kids

Downs Benefice contact – Carol Coleman, email downs.benefice@kariskids.org 

 

Winchester Hospice - At Winchester Hospice, specialist palliative and end of life care is provided to adults with life limiting illness who live in Winchester and the surrounding villages. Their dedicated team supports patients to live a life as full as possible in an environment that enhances well-being, privacy, and care. As well as their In-patient Unit, they provide Community Palliative Care and Bereavement Support.

For more information, visit Winchester Hospice

 

 

We also support:

Winchester Street Pastors - this charity offers reassurance, safety and support to all people working in or enjoying our city’s night time economy through caring, listening and helping. Street Pastors are trained volunteers from fifteen local churches who care about the community in Winchester; our previous Churchwarden, Alastair Barron, is one of the Street Pastors. The volunteers are on duty from 10pm to 3am, every Friday and Saturday night; they stop and chat to anyone they meet while providing a peaceful presence on the night-time streets.

For more information, visit Winchester Street Pastors

 

SSAFA The Armed Forces (Winchester Division) - SSAFA helps the armed forces community (those serving, veterans, and dependents) in a number of ways; their focus is on providing direct support to individuals in need of physical or emotional care. SSAFA works in partnership with other military charities and specialist organisations to ensure that those who turn to them for help get the support they need.​​

SSAFA is committed to helping our brave men and women overcome the problems of addiction, relationship breakdown, debt, homelessness, post-traumatic stress, depression and disability, thereby giving them the opportunity to rebuild their lives.

For more information, visit SSAFA

 

 

Sparsholt Church is also committed to donate 20% of profits made at the annual Church Fete to local organisations such as: Sparsholt Primary School, Sparsholt Village Playground Association, Sparsholt Memorial Hall and Ham Green Conservation Volunteers. Huge thanks to everyone in the village who help to make these Fetes such a huge success.

 

As part of its Home Mission, Sparsholt PCC organises the delivery of the Parish Magazine to every household in the village six times a year, to keep everyone abreast of what is happening in our Church and throughout the Benefice.