Community and Wider World

St Mary’s was the first ever school in Dunblane, and the first self-governing school in Scotland. It was established by the church in the nineteenth century to provide education to poor children in the parish. Today it is run by Stirling Council but maintains strong links to the congregation. We work closely with the parent council, provide assemblies throughout the school year, and host their end of term services. Their motto is “where great oaks from little acorns grow”.

For more information, visit their website.

St Mary’s has close connections with many organisations that operate both locally and nationally. We believe that we are called to put our faith into action and to partner with others who are working for good in the world.

We have close connections with the Dunblane Boys Brigade and the Queen Victoria School MAD (Make a Difference) group who host regular coffee mornings at St Mary’s.
Members of St Mary’s are active in the Mother’s Union Forth Valley Branch and organise an annual collection for the women at HMP Stirling. We are an active member of the local Christian Aid organising group, taking our turn in hosting the Annual Christian Aid Service and supporting the Christian Aid Week Café and house-to-house collection. We also take part in campaigns and contribute to emergency collections whenever the need arises. Please keep an eye on our FaceBook page for more information.

We are a dementia friendly church and support Dementia Friendly Dunblane.
St Mary’s is part of Dunblane Churches Together, working with the other congregations in schools ministry and at town events such as the Christmas Extravaganza and the Dunblane Fling.

We host collections of goods for both Start-Up Stirling and Stirling Women’s Aid and each Christmas we raise funds for Aberlour Children’s Charity, with whom we have a longstanding relationship.

Recent figures (end of 2023) from the UN suggest that there are 117.3 million displaced people worldwide.  At St Mary’s we believe that no matter where they come from, how they travel, or where they are going, they deserve to be treated with the dignity and respect that God inherently creates all people with. We also know that we are called to do what we can to help.

Castlemilk Link

St Mary’s has long had a relationship with Castlemilk Community Church through our collections of baby and children’s items for distribution to refugees, asylum seekers, new Scots and others in need, at their Furniture Project. In recent years this has developed into a group from St Mary’s hosting days out for people as part of the Integration Group which encourages cross-cultural understanding and tackles isolation.

Forth Valley Welcome

Forth Valley Welcome (FVW) seeks to help New Scots (refugees), integrate as confidently as possible into their new communities through furniture provision, home visiting, English language practice, and family activities. We support FVW in fund-raising, hosting their clothes hub, organising an ongoing collection of toiletries and seasonal collections of clothes, through member’s volunteering and board membership, and sharing information.

Sanctuary Sunday

Each year St Mary’s supports Sanctuary Sunday, when churches across Scotland, and worldwide, offer their prayers and express their solidarity with displaced people around the world.

As part of St Mary’s commitment to caring for the environment , EcoFest began in 2022 as an event in the church hall which connected people in the community with local environmental organisations. In 2023 it grew to include a second venue at the Braeport Centre and brought together organisations as wide ranging as Stirling Council, Extinction Rebellion, Hedgehog Friendly Campus, and local crafters and makers. St Mary’s was particularly honoured to host the Stitches for Survival 1.5mile long scarf of knitted and quilted panels which had first been displayed at COP26. Coming back in 2024 with talks, seminars, and even more activities, watch this space for Eco-Fest news!