We have a three-tier system for our Covid guidance. At tier 1, St John's will be open with few or no restrictions in place. At tier 2, we will be open, however restrictions may be in place for public safety. At tier 3, St John's will be closed until further notice.




We want to offer you a warm and safe welcome to St John's Church.

Service Times
On Sundays, there will be monthly services at 8:30am and weekly services at 11am. The earlier service will be from the Book of Common Prayer (traditional language). Kid's Church is now running alongside the 11am service.

Face Coverings
You are no longer required to wear a face covering inside St John's Church or Centre. You are welcome to do so as your own choice. There is no expectation to do so, especially if you were exempt under Covid legislation. However, if you would feel more comfortable if wearing a face covering for part or all of your visit, you are encouraged to do so.

Social Distancing
Social distancing from other households is no longer required, but we ask you to consider those who may be vulnerable, who may be uncomfortable being approached, or who may not be fully vaccinated.

St John's is a large building with capacity for more than 200 people. At all but the most well attended events, you are likely to be able to find space away from other people if you would prefer.

Church Activities
Our children's and toddler groups and Sunday creche have resumed. Midweek church activities have also now resumed.

Congregational Singing & Responses
Congregational singing has resumed at St John's. Mask wearing is not required for this activity. Any responses in the service may be made as normal.

Holy Communion
Clergy presiding at Holy Communion will take precautions while preparing for Holy Communion, including hand sanitisation. The common cup is offered optionally, but you do not have to receive from it. The Church of England considers the administration of Communion in one kind (bread only) to be full Communion.

The Peace
You may share the peace as you feel comfortable. Please be respectful of those who may be uncomfortable being approached, or who may not be fully vaccinated.

Refreshments
Refreshments after the 11am service have resumed.

Capacity
There are currently no unusual restrictions on capacity.

Advance Booking
You do not have to book in advance to attend unless individual events require this.

Hand Sanitisation
We continue to provide hand sanitisation stations around the building to reduce the risk of contact-based transmission.

Toilet Facilities
The toilets in church will be available.

Exceptions
We politely ask you to respect any events which specifically offer other guidance or request some additional restrictions.

Important: to help keep church a safe place, if you or any member of your household...

• have symptoms of Covid-19,


• are awaiting the results of a Covid-19 test,


• have a positive test result for Covid-19, or have a diagnosis of suspected or confirmed Covid-19,


• have been in contact with somebody who has symptoms of Covid-19, who is awaiting the results of a test for Covid-19, who has a positive Covid-19 test result, or who has a diagnosis of suspected or confirmed Covid-19,


• have been identified as at risk of infection with Covid-19 or asked to isolate by NHS or other medical services,


• are within any self-isolation or quarantine periods,

...we politely ask that you please do not attend church in person at this time. Please observe the points above even if you have no symptoms or do not feel unwell.

Following any of the above, please follow NHS guidelines regarding the timescales surrounding when it will be safe for you to return to church. Please consult your GP or appropriate NHS services if in doubt.

You may wish to take a Covid-19 lateral flow test before coming to church. These are self-test kits which you can perform at home and are best completed within the 24 hours before attending. They are available from some pharmacies and retailers and will deliver a result within an hour of the test being taken. Some people are entitled to receive free test kits from the NHS.

You will not be asked to provide proof of a negative test or vaccination to gain entry, however we would obviously ask you not to attend if your test returns a positive result.

It is impossible to remove all risk, and the Bishop has made it clear that anybody who does not feel comfortable returning to public worship in church buildings at this time should not feel under any pressure to do so. We support the Bishop in this position.

Reviews of these arrangements will take place if required, and they may be loosened or tightened - or the facility closed again, as felt necessary to protect our clergy, staff, volunteers, congregation and community. Despite these measures, we will of course endeavour to make church and the centre as welcoming as possible.

Thank you for your understanding and support at this time.

Updated: Thursday 5 October 2023 (minor wording changes and clarifications)

This guidance supercedes previous information, and will remain in place until further announcement. Updates will be posted on this page. Major revisions will be publicised on our news page. Should any discrepency exist between our advice/requirements and the government's legal requirements, the requirement of the law should be followed.


St John's Centre is currently operating at Level 1: we are open with no or few restrictions.



We want to offer you a warm and safe welcome to St John's Centre.

We continue to provide hand sanitisation stations around the building to reduce the risk of contact-based transmission.

To help keep the centre a safe place, if you or any member of your household...

• have symptoms of Covid-19


• are awaiting the results of a Covid-19 test,


• have a positive test result for Covid-19, or have a diagnosis of suspected or confirmed Covid-19,


• have been in contact with somebody who has symptoms of Covid-19, who is awaiting the results of a test for Covid-19, who has a positive Covid-19 test result, or who has a diagnosis of suspected or confirmed Covid-19,


• have been identified as at risk of infection with Covid-19 or asked to isolate by NHS Test and Trace or the NHS app,


• are within any self-isolation or quarantine periods,

...we ask that you please do not come to the centre. Please observe the points above even if you have no symptoms or do not feel unwell.

Following any of the above, please follow NHS guidelines regarding the timescales surrounding when it will be safe for you to return to your activities. Please consult your GP or appropriate NHS services if in doubt.

You may wish to take a Covid-19 lateral flow test before coming to the centre. These are self-test kits which you can perform at home and are best completed within 24 hours before attending. They are available from some pharmacies and retailers and will deliver a result within an hour of the test being taken. Some people are entitled to receive free test kits from the NHS.

You will not be asked to provide proof of a negative test or vaccination to gain entry, however we would obviously ask you not to attend if your test returns a positive result.

Although the centre is operating without restrictions, please observe any requests made by the person/organisation that has hired the room or is responsible for the event.

Please monitor our weekly notice sheet, emails, social media pages, website and this page for any further updates.

Further, regular reviews of these arrangements will take place and they may be loosened or tightened - or the facility closed again, as felt necessary to protect our clergy, staff, volunteers, congregation and community. Despite these measures, we will of course endeavour to make church and the centre as welcoming as possible.

Updated: April 2022
(Minor wording revisions have been made)

This guidance supercedes previous information, and will remain in place until further announcement. Updates will be posted on this page. Major revisions will be publicised on our news page. Should any discrepency exist between our advice/requirements and the government's legal requirements, the requirement of the law should be followed.