St John the Evangelist

Hailey is a village and civil parish north of Witney. The village comprises three neighbourhoods: Middletown on the main road; Poffley End on the minor road to Ramsden, and Delly End on Whiting’s and Wood Lanes. Hailey has a church – St John’s; a very popular and busy C of E Primary School; Village Hall; several farms; and a hairdresser, but it no longer has a shop. It is a lively village, with a summer festival and lots of activities throughout the year.

Hailey Church, is a Victorian building completed in 1869, but the church itself reaches out into the community well beyond its’ walls. Together with the school, pub, community woodland, and village hall, it is at the centre of village activity. Sunday services attract a steady, enthusiastic, mature congregation of over 30. We have a planned series of special services across the year, most of which are family focussed, and include the Festival Service in June, the Peace Service in July and a Pet service in the autumn. Compline services, lay led, are held in Advent and Lent, and Evensong is held on the first Sunday of the month.

In 2013 we found our 150 year old floor was beginning to collapse, rising in some places and falling in others. Following a successful community fundraising effort in 2018 enough money was raised to “Fix the Floor “. It was also a great excuse to have parties, jazz concerts and many social occasions within this friendly village.

Visiting our unique Victorian church you would find it hard to see what was done. All the tiles were pulled up, cleaned and then put back! We also used it as an opportunity to improve the insulation, electrical supply, and a new catering area made locally from oak in a style in keeping with the other designs in the church, in short a bit of a makeover.

We are keen on our environmental footprint and working towards an Eco Church award. Our Great Big Green Week was one part of a whole village series of events celebrating the works done locally and championing further work to be done.

Caring For God’s Acre is a national charity that helps and signposts church communities to develop and nurture the valuable green space that is the churchyard and we are keenly embracing this process.

Developments with the school and nursing home, a new Tiddlers group and collecting for the local Food Bank have seen our church community reaching out to the wider village and trying to showcase the relevance of the church in a modern busy life.

Crawley is a small village linked ecclesiastically with Hailey since its small church, St Peter’s, was closed in the 1980’s.

Other Service Times in the parish can be found here

Find Us

Parking

There are several generous laybys on the main road through the village, meaning only a short walk to the church.

Disabled Access

At services, there is a moveable aluminium ramp, and rails, to cover the one step into the church. Level access inside the church other than up to the chancel. Level access to the disabled toilet.