PUBLIC WORSHIP AT ST NICHOLAS

We have taken great care to ensure that you can join us as safely as possible at the Eucharist and other services in the week. We have capacity for a maximum of 50 worshippers at 2m distance. Following government guidance there will be changes to our services. 

Please read the following carefully to help keep everyone safe:

• There is no access to the carpark. Please heed government advice regarding travel by public transport.
• You are strongly advised to arrive EARLY for mass - doors will open half an hour before the service begins, and we will ask people to fill the North aisle seating first.
• On arrival please adhere to social distancing, enter by the South Door and wait to be directed to a seat by a sidesperson.
• Your order of service will be on your seat with a contact details form and a pen. Please put the completed form and pen in the box by the door when leaving. We are required to keep these for 21 days to assist NHS Test and Trace.
• Communion will be brought to worshippers in their seats. The hosts will be in a covered container and the clergy will sanitise their hands before distribution. Communion is in one kind only.
• Singing is not permitted.
• Government advice does not require the wearing of a face covering or mask during worship, but people may wear one if they wish.
• There is no access to the toilets.
• The children's area is closed and there is no Junior Church for the time being.
• At the end of the service, stewards will direct your safe exit from the building. There will be no refreshments and everyone is asked to leave promptly. If you would like to speak to another member of the congregation, please do so outside the building, and at a safe social distance.
• The government and the Church of England have now updated their guidance on the wearing of masks in church. It is now recommended that masks should be worn in enclosed public spaces, including places of worship. If you are able to wear a mask when you attend church, we ask you please to do so. This will help protect everybody in the building and allow us to worship together with greater safety and confidence.

We must all follow the government guidance for social distancing and safety; this is particularly the case for those who are more vulnerable. If you are shielding, we ask you to please wait until you are advised the risk factor is lower to attend services. If you or a member of your household have symptoms of Covid-19, or if you are feeling in any way unwell, you must not attend services. 

You may wish to consider coming to mass on Sunday at 8.00am instead of  10.30 am, or coming to evening prayer at 5 00pm in the Rest Garden. The early mass and evening prayer should be quieter and may be better for people who are particularly anxious about the need for social distancing, or who would prefer to gather in a smaller congregation. If the church risks becoming too full to worship in a Covidsafe way, you may be asked to come back for mass at a later time.

To enable recommended social distancing at all points during our worship, sidespeople will continue to allocate seats in the north aisle first.  If you are planning to attend a particular service, and have mobility needs or will attend as a household/'bubble', please let the churchwarden know before Sunday so seating can be allocated or adjusted if necessary: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.