Our incredible new website for Scampton Church and RAF War Graves Heritage Centre has just been launched.

It is the culmination of many years work by volunteers at Scampton Church. Our new web site has two gateways. One to our Church activities and the other to the personal stories of those who lie in our 107 Commonwealth War and Service Graves. We are grateful to Flt Lt Gary Mennell from The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight for his permission to use his years of research into the personal stories of those who rest here.

The new website, designed by Monkie Graphic and Digital Design Solutions, will promote our Christian activities at Scampton Church in a modern, relevant and unstuffy way, and widen the scope of our educational project, opening accessibility to those schools and groups who are unable to attend the church and war graves site because of travelling costs or distance.

Photo from the Sanctuary Awards ceremony – From left to right:
Flt Lt Gary Mennell (Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Display Wing)
Barbara Young (Church Warden – Scampton Church & RAF War Graves Heritage Centre)
Anna Hartley (Learning Manager – Heritage Lincolnshire)
Group Captain Neill Atkins (No 2 Group Safety and Assurance & former OC RAF Scampton)

Scampton Church & RAF War Graves Heritage Centre wins two awards!

Scampton Church & RAF War Graves Heritage Centre scoop awards for ‘Keeping Their Stories Alive’ at coveted Ministry of Defence Sanctuary Award Ceremony held at The Historic Dockyard Portsmouth on 19th March 2024.

The Sanctuary Awards have been recognising outstanding heritage, sustainability and conservation efforts across the MOD estate in the UK and worldwide since 1991. The Awards celebrate and encourage group and individual efforts that benefit heritage conservation, sustainable development; environmental utilities and resource saving measures; sustainable construction and procurement; or community engagement.

THE PROJECT
Adopting the motto ‘Keeping Their Stories Alive’, the journey towards creating a unique place of remembrance, history and heritage for RAF Scampton began.
The project took a major leap forward when grants from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and FCC Communities Fund were awarded to make the church more suited to the modern visitor.
Once a welcoming and comfortable environment had been created, the team worked with RAF Scampton, Heritage Lincolnshire, West Lindsay District Council and The Commonwealth War Graves Commission, to maintain this often forgotten rich vein of RAF Heritage.
Building on 20 years of research by Flt Lt Gary Mennell from The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Display Wing, the stories of all 107 servicemen buried at Scampton were recreated and digitalised on touch screens. Lesson plans and resources were created and primary schools invited to take part in interactive lessons. Recognising that issues surrounding war and death can be frightening to young children, it was decided that each of the stories should be told in the first person, with the children’s allocated ‘fallen friend’ explaining their background, what they did in the RAF and what ultimately happened to them.
Scampton is now a thriving centre of remembrance, one which tells the stories of those who died from generations ago in a way which is relatable to those who will carry those stories forward for generations to come.

SCAMPTONS’ AWARDS
As well as securing 2nd place in the heritage category, Scampton Church and RAF War Graves Heritage Centre won the coveted innovation award given to those who have who have exemplified innovative behaviours by championing the adoption of new ideas, innovative ways of working and continuous improvement.

JUDGES’ COMMENTS:
‘We were really impressed by the nature of the project which manages to support the historical nature of the site at Scampton, ensuring the rich history is shared widely. What has been achieved is a class leading venue delivered through collaboration, innovative thought and community spirit.’

Support for the project is welcome – click here to visit Scampton Church’s Just Giving page

Click here to watch a short video shown at the award ceremony

Click here to read the Sanctuary Magazine Article

RAF executives visit to Scampton Church 

A party of executives from the RAF at High Wycombe and the RAF Museum at Hendon visited the RAF Museum and Heritage Centre at RAF Scampton.

Whilst in the area they particularly wanted to visit, The Dambusters Inn and Scampton Church to look around the church building, and understand the setting for the RAF Scampton Commemorative Window. They spent time visiting the Commonwealth War Graves and were interested in hearing of the future plans for the church.

Follow up e mails were received saying: ‘Thank you for a wonderful visit – it was great to meet up in person and find out more about the project and your wonderful plans for the Church and your community.

‘Thankyou for being so generous with your time on Wednesday. The warmth and values that shine from all that you showed us are incredibly inspiring, from your beautiful community church, to the German graves beside the RAF ones, to the lovely welcome note you read to us as we were leaving. The Dambusters Inn also was a real joy.’

Pictured from left to right: Maggie Appleton (Ch Exec RAF Museum), Wing Commander Erica Ferguson (RAF heritage lead), Rev Sue Deacon, Ian Thirsk (RAF Museum Head of Collections), Seb Cox (RAF’s Senior Historian) and Karen Whitting (Director engagement RAF Museum).

Churches Festival

This year we put on an exhibition of contributions made by members of the Royal Flying Corps and the RAF whilst stationed at Scampton and South Carlton during WW1. The exhibition included video and music. There was a prayerful reflective walk laid out around the churchyard telling some of the stories of those buried in the Commonwealth War Graves.

A great big thank you to all those hard working people who helped out, especially baking the scones to take part in the ‘sconathon’. We raised just over £200 but more importantly we shared our vision of creating a ‘Community Church and RAF Heritage Centre’ here at Scampton. The reaction was really encouraging with comments like ‘What a change from last year – the chairs make it so light and welcoming’ and ‘Wow this church looks alive!’

Thanks again everyone – Sue

A time to reflect and remember

Our special Armistice Centenary event ran during remembrance week. It was made up of three parts. The Lost Voices Concert, The Remembrance Service and a World War 1 Flying Corps Exhibition.

All parts of the special event made the Armstice Day Centenary a time to reflect and remember.

The Lost Voices Choir Concert was on the 10th November and was a performance of songs from the trenches, along with readings written by soldiers during World War 1. All 100 seats allocated were taken.

Over 200 people attended the following mornings Remembrance Service which included the dedication of a commemoration rose bed planted with 6 roses called ‘Peace’ The rose bed has a plaque inscribed ARMISTICE DAY 100th Anniversary 1918 – 2018 ‘All gave some – Some gave all’. Large poppies were placed on the 64 Commonwealth and German war graves by local children.

A servicing RAF officer commented “As the member of RAF Scampton to be present and having the honour of laying a wreath, I was moved by the whole service and the dedication. It truly was an honour and I feel blessed and humbled to have been there with my family”.

For the rest of the week there was an exhibition of personal stories of those members of the Royal Flying Corps who served at Scampton Airfield during WW1 and who lost their lives whilst protecting the country from Zeppelin bombers. The small exhibition alongside the RAF chapel in church was free to enter and a collection box for the Armed Forces Covenant Fund raised £20.

All of the events were accompanied by ‘there but not there’ silhouettes representing nine pilots who lost their lives flying from either Scampton or North Carlton airfields during World War 1.

The season of invitation continues

Our season of invitation continues and is gaining a huge response as 200 people come along to our remembrance service, including a couple who, after visiting the website, specifically made the journey from Doncaster to attend. Following a two minutes silence, children were invited to place large poppies on the war graves.

A fitting tribute

The third invitation in our ‘season of invitation’ started with a message from John Beavan, the head teacher at Scamptons’ Pollyplatt Community Junior School reading….

Dear Sue,

We’ve had an idea about Remembrance Day, and were wondering if we could erect a temporary structure coming out of the porch of the church which would house lots of poppies. Together with an artist, all of the children of the two schools and local nursery would construct the poppies that would then be put in an archway structure that would come out of the porch and down the path. The children of both schools would come to the church to hold an outdoor act of remembrance, hopefully with a representative of the church to lead the short service. The RAF Scampton base is keen to take part in the project and would like to attend too and are providing a hanger for the artist to work with the children. The idea is that we make enough poppies to represent everyone who has died during conflicts since World War 1. There would also be some larger poppies that would be on tent pegs that could be stuck in the ground one for each war grave.

We are also hoping to create flags – one for each school and one for the RAF base. It was thought that these could be placed at the start of the poppy arch.

What do you think? Is this a non-starter?

Well from this idea a community remembrance commemoration service was jointly planned between; Scampton Church, Scampton Church of England Junior School, Scampton Pollyplatt Community Junior School, Curiosity Creators, Playmates Nursery, Aviation Heritage (Lincolnshire), The Dambusters Inn, and RAF Scampton.