The United Benefice of Hadleigh, Layham and Shelley is part of the Hadleigh Deanery which totals 22 parish churches.
Hadleigh is a mid-sized rural market town with a population around 10,000. The town provides a good range of shops, supermarkets, leisure facilities and a base for larger businesses. There are 3 primary schools and 1 high school. The town also has six care homes. Other Christian churches are Catholic, Baptist, United Reformed and Salvation Army.
St Mary's Hadleigh is the only Anglican Parish Church in the town. It seeks to provide a wide range of Church of England worship, acknowledging his historic anglo-catholic roots but also offering new forms of church and worship.
The other churches of the Benefice are St Andrew’s Church Layham and All Saints’ Church Shelley.
Layham is a small rural village, a mile east of Hadleigh with a population around 580. The village is divided into two parts by the River Brett and therefore named Upper Layham & Lower Layham. St Andrew's Church is situated in Lower Layham, close to the village hall and public house.
Shelley is a small community of only 70 people but over a large rural area. Farming is the main business. All Saints' Church is a beautiful small church, situated in a quiet and delightful spot - ideal for quiet prayer and reflection.
Across the three churches we offer a wide and rich range of Anglican worship. We seek to proclaim the Christian Good News in word and servanthood, being active partners in God's Mission both locally and wider afield. We take the ministry of welcome seriously, so if you are a visitor or someone seeking to join a church community, we would love to meet you. Please contact us, or you are most welcome to join us at one of our three congregations that meet on Sunday and during the week - simply check out the SERVICES for details.
The Benefice seeks to work together as much as it can but recognises that Hadleigh is the main community and the largest church in size and number. Each community church has its strengths and gifts and these continue to be celebrated locally and collectively.