Greetings from St Paul’s West Hackney and a blessed Easter to you! Welcome to our website.

I hope that you will find here something of a window onto the work of the Church of England in West Hackney as expressed through the life of St Paul's Church.

We try our best to be an inclusive neighbourhood church by welcoming all comers, regardless of race, age, employment status or sexual orientation and by reflecting the diversity of the local community that surrounds us and which we aim to serve. As such, we are a church that probably best suits people who want to explore their faith and are not easily satisfied by easy answers.

I hope that you will find some of these aspirations reflected in the content of this website which, like all the best things in life, is a work in progress, so please don’t make this visit your last one!


UPDATE ON THE REGENERATION OF WEST HACKNEY RECREATION GROUND

One great bit of news is that our bid to The Heritage Lottery Fund to redevelop the 2 acre site that is St Paul's Churchyard and West Hackney Recreation Ground was submitted at the end of February. We but in a stong bid for nearly £700,000, with the help of LDA Design, whose most recent work includes Clissold Park and the Olympic Park. Their next job is Gorky Park, so it's great that they were able to fit us into their portfolio! We will hear one way or the other on 28 June of this year, so watch this space for developments and thanks to all of you who helped with the application in so many ways, not least by completing the project questionnaires.

If you would like to see the proposed design plan, you can look at it here.

STOKE NEWINGTON FARMERS' MARKET - SAVE STOCKS FARM!

We're delighted that Stoke Newington Farmers' Market is now based here at St Paul's and you can read more about The Farmers' Market here. We are, however, concerned for the future of one of our oldest stallholders, Stocks Farm. Their meat and pies are beyond compare, but they are facing really hard times and they really need your patronage. You'll find more about their plight and how you can come to their aid here.

EVERING RD KITCHEN GARDEN

Hats off to Lucie Galand - chef with North London Action for the Homeless - whose intiative, creativity and energy has created and established the Evering Rd Kitchen Garden at the north of the Church Hall. You can find out what they've been up to here.

Don't forget that in the midst of all this and other activity, St Paul's Church is open every day from 7am to 4pm. Please feel free to come in and find a bit of peace and quiet in a busy world. You'd be most welcome. You can light a candle, say a prayer, leave a message about something you'd like us to pray for or simply take some time out on your own. The choice, like the church, is yours.

With prayers and best wishes,

Niall Weir
Rector of West Hackney