The First Noël for community owned Bedrule Church
Volunteers decorating Bedrule Church with evergreen for Christmas
After an energetic campaign and generous support from the far-reaching community, BCF was absolutely thrilled to be given the keys to Bedrule church on December 19th 2025, just in time for Christmas. After some swift organising, we held two events to mark the festive period which also gave us the opportunity to ‘warm’ the church with goodwill and community spirit.
Local volunteers Paul Ryan and Jane Dawson gathered armfuls of evergreen and winter cuttings and decorated the church beautifully. Paul even organised a wicker basket full of tea, coffee and homemade Christmas cake which made decking the distinctly chilly church a fun event in itself. With the addition of many candles and a large nativity scene donated by Malcolm MacGregor, the church sparkled and felt ready for its first community Christmas.
We opened on the winter Solstice, with a fantastic piper at the door and locally made cider and mince pies to keep everybody warm. We were even graced by the presence of two Turnbulls in full traditional dress. BCF Chair Alan Bailey inspired us to think long into the future of Bedrule Church, imagining its potential to galvanise a broad community and represent our rich, rural traditions.
A festive visit from two members of the Turnbull Clan
Less than a week later, we opened the doors again for a completely community led Christmas Day service. Around 55 people from Bedrule, Denholm, Chesters, Bonchester Bridge, Jedburgh and Hawick, took part in the service which was structured much like a traditional 9 Lessons and Carols service. But instead of the conventional set of bible readings, we enjoyed contributions from several locals which were much enjoyed. Due to the last minute nature of the event, no organist was available to accompany our carol singing but the congregation sang beautifully and enthusiastically with some light guidance from BCF secretary Charlotte Maberly. A charitable collection was made, raising £220.97 for the Borders’ Children’s Charity. Well done all!
The community contributed readings and reflections at our first Christmas Day service
What a joyous way to be able to see out the year, by celebrating the future of this beloved place. Over New Year, BCF members certainly took a moment to reflect on all that it took to get to this point; in particular the generosity of local, national and international donors and most notably the Turnbull Clan. Without this help, Bedrule church may well have been in private ownership by now, with an uncertain future.
Looking to 2026 and beyond, it’s clear that this is when the really hard work starts. The building needs care and maintenance, more funds will have to be raised, a vision for the space will be developed, and events and gatherings have to be organised. And this is such an exciting opportunity to create something extraordinary in this truly special setting. The church could be host to musical events, weddings and celebrations, talks, exhibitions, conferences and workshops. Already numerous ideas have found their way to the BCF board. As well as making the space ready to receive these events, our next vital task is to engage volunteers who want to help make Bedrule Church a thriving community asset.
If you would like to create or run events in Bedrule church, or be part of the team that takes care of the building, please get in touch. You can come to one of our board meetings, or arrange to meet at the church. We look forward to hearing from you!
We hope that 2026 will see many more happy and meaningful events at the church. We will set up a newsletter soon so you can received notification directly, but you can also keep up to date by checking our website events page and Facebook page.
We’ll hope to see you in the church very soon!
