Revitalising St Mary’s Project
January 2012
The refurbished church has relished in its flexibility since the opening in May last year. Family services are held in the round, particularly good for baptisms and good visibility for all, especially little people. The more traditional services have often been held facing east. Weddings have been whichever layout the brides prefer, some opting for altar facing, some for in the round.
Our Harvest Supper was held in the church and we have staged 3 concerts raising around £3,000. Also there has been 3 wedding renewal of vows services with two of the parties using the church for receptions afterwards. It has been truly wonderful to have this flexibility and be utilising it!
Moving forwards, our master plan is to use the church every day ‘not just for Sundays’, therefore we are promoting the church as a venue to hold concerts, receptions, private parties, meetings, exhibitions – a range of community events. It is a large warm venue with fabulous flexible seating, dimmable lighting, surroundings and acoustics – a great place to hire for large numbers and a fundamental way for the church to be at the centre of village life.
The kitchen facility is due to be refurbished very shortly which will provide cooking and refreshment facilities plus a WC, disabled WC and a baby changing/toilet training area. This will be excellent for hirers wishing to make tea/coffee or prepare full meals and for those with small children.
Talking of small children, our Children & Families @ St Mary’s is now taking a new direction. We held our first ‘Messy Church’ in November for over 60 people and plan to do another one this Spring. This is a great way to get involved with children if you prefer not to attend services. To receive our e-newsletter, please email samantha.perkins@btopenworld.com.
We also need to generate an Events Committee to take on running events throughout the year. This doesn’t have to be only church members, it can be community members that wish to be involved in village life a little more. If you are interested, please contact Jane on 572447 or via the Parish Office.
Interested in hiring this unique space? Please contact the Parish Office – we now have suggested donations for weekday and weekend lettings which are very competitive particularly for a large and fully refurbished space.
A few pictures of use since the refurbishment to follow....
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June 2011
Summer 2011 We are taking a well earned break for now... read our press write-up Please click here for information
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April 2011 Update Target £390,000 Please click here for information --------------------------- Please click here for information |
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April 2011– Update Revitalising St Mary’s Project
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Well sadly, we didn’t make it back ‘home’ for Easter, the delays after the groundworks due to the revelation of the vaults - unfortunately they have cost us time and money.
The re-opening is now scheduled for Sunday 29th May – Bishop Ian has re-scheduled so will still be there to dedicate our new home. We may be back in for normal services before this date, please keep checking the website which will have the latest news or look out for the leaflet that will come through all doors late
April / early May.
Spring Social Week raised an incredible £2,330 at time of writing with 2 parties still to come in, not just a fundraiser but a real community spirit prevailed and proved really enjoyable for all concerned. It is amazing how fantastic fundraising ideas are found deep in people!
The next fundraising initiative is our ‘Chairs in Memory’ campaign. We are selling plaques that will be attached to the main new wooden chairs. They will be engraved with your loved one’s name. We only have 120 chairs available so the plaques will be sold on a ‘first come, first served’ basis. They are available to anyone who would like to see their loved one’s name in their village church.
Advance notice for concerts in our newly refurbished church:
Sat 18th June – Imperial Male Voice Choir – popular altruistic choir perform a varied repertoire including early Renaissance music, folk songs, operatic excerpts and arrangements of Gershwin. See www.imvc.org.uk.
Sat 16th July - light classical and jazz entertainment including our fabulous resident soloist Jan Barklem, Andrew Tyler on his flute, plenty of Shalford home grown talent and students from Farnborough College. Tickets £10 glass of wine.
Fri 12th August - Bach Goldberg Variations on the harpsichord by Paul Bambrough. Tickets £10, £5 under 18s and students with a student card. Glass of wine or coffee on arrival, concert commences 8pm (no interval). Paul has recently signed a recording contract to record this on the organ early next year.
Now we are nearing the end of the refurbishment project (the stone flooring is almost laid, so that the decorating and plaque restorations can commence) we are being very prudent with ‘your’ money. Once all the bills are settled and we know what contingency needed to be spent on the extra work required for the vaults, we can assess more clearly what we have left. Then we can forecast if we have enough to be able to start the Lady Chapel Glazing and/or the kitchen project.
With our future fundraising centring around using the church space, we will be actively encouraging use of the space for a variety of functions – concerts, exhibitions, receptions. So please do contact the Parish Office if you would like to enquire about hiring a unique and beautiful space for a very reasonable fee.
Jane Barrett
Development Officer
development@stmary-shalford.org.uk
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December 2010 – Update on Reordering and Community Centre project
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We have an incredible 92% of our target with the vast majority in cash deposits, and some pledged via ongoing standing orders. Here is the change since July. |
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| Nov 2010 | July 2010 | |
| Pledges to date | £124,674 | £103,305 |
| Gift Aid | £32,054 | £26,814 |
| Weyland | £152,295 | £152,295 |
| Events | £25,559 | £6,200 |
| Trust Applicatons | £15,000 | £7,500 |
| Other Donations | £11,852 | £8,040 |
| Total raised so far | £361,434 | £304,155 |
| Target | £390,000 | £390,000 |
| % Raised | 92 % | 78 % |
We have raised over £57,000 in the last 4 months since July. The extra funds are as follows:
| Donations from our congregation | £21,369 |
| Gift Aid on above | £5,240 |
| Trust Application | £7,500 |
| Sponsored Abseil | £7,569 |
| Auction of Promises | £3,784 |
| Christmas Fair | £7,300 |
| Bank Interest | £1,800 |
| Miscellaneous Other | £2,438 |
| TOTAL | £57,000 |
We have also received a legacy of £10,000 which has been put into the Maintenance fund, however it does mean that it frees up £10,000 of the previous balance to put towards the project, still leaving a comfortable balance.
Recent events
The combined effort of all the autumn’s fundraising events was £21,000, a pretty impressive figure. We must all appreciate the HUGE amount of work that went on in the organising of these events and thank the people who wholeheartedly dived in with limitless enthusiasm. This extends to Joyce Davies, Naomi Fraser, Jenny Davies, Maureen Stenning, Lynda Callaghan and of course ALL their supportive helpers.
The Seahorse held a fundraiser for us too and it is estimated the profits are £1,700 which is still yet to come. Deputy Manager Hannah Worlock says: "We were more than happy to help St Mary's Church raise the funds, it is so local to us and it brought the community together to do something thoughtful for the village. We wanted to make our locals aware of what yourself and the community are trying to do for the Church to make it better for future generations. As I was christened at the Church it touched a soft spot with me being brought up in Shalford."
Shalford Choral Society very kindly held their retiring collection from their Christmas Concert for our fund too, this raised £312.79 including the Gift Aid we can reclaim.
Sally Schupke has also been busy selling our pews – so far she has sold £1,200 worth! With local advertising and newspaper coverage we have had quite a few enquires and hope to sell the remaining ones before Christmas.
2nd wave of pledges
We are very grateful to those who felt able to give a further donation. Thank you for your commitment.
Amount raised & expected
Projected further fundraising avenue is as follows:
| Raised so far | £361,434 |
| Pew salvage/sales | £1,500 |
| Chairs in memory | £2,000 |
| Interest on cash in bank | £250 |
| Seahorse/Choral Society | £2,000 |
| Ad hoc donations via Parish Office | £500 |
| Expected Total | £367,684 (94%) |
| Difference from £390k total | £22,316 |
The table below was presented to the PCC in December 2010, showing how the income and expenditure breaks down.
We clearly have enough to do the main project which includes the whole interior of the church with the chairs and liturgical furniture with £32,906 left over.
When we went to tender we erred on the side of caution and asked for the Lady Chapel glazing to be omitted, as we couldn’t be sure we would have the funds, however it appears we now do have and therefore the PCC voted to get a final costing and timescale plan submitted. We have both architect’s plans and a faculty for this as it forms the main part of phase 1.
The change of use of the choir vestry to a kitchen/disabled WC is also being progressed by a separate committee as it falls outside of the man project. Quotes are being obtained for the building work and the fitting of the interior. We have a budget that is quite substantial and are hoping that the final costs will be well under the original estimate, which could be the difference between being able to do the project at an earlier stage. With architect’s plans due to be done in January, the DAC need to approve it, then we can apply for the faculty. Then we can go ahead. This is most likely to be May at the earliest dependent on final funds.
Therefore if we add the Lady Chapel Glazing this leaves us £12,094 under. However if we add £10,000 from the maintenance budget (see notes below re legacy) and £8,000 from the loan we have offered (again see note below) this puts us £5,906 back in credit. With a further (very realistic) £9,750 due from further fundraising this leaves us with £15,656 in credit. With the vestry/kitchen works taken out this leaves us £9,344 under.
However, if you read the notes after the table you will see that we have potential savings of up to £30,000. Even if we only make around 30% of these savings we have wiped out the £9,344 deficit. We will not know these final savings until the first 6 months of 2011 once all costs are finalised, however it should tie in neatly with the DAC approval and faculty granting in May.
| Income | Expenditure | ||
| Pledged to date | £361,474 | ||
| Tender cost (option 3) | -£286,691 | Note 1 | |
| Associated professional fees | -£15,000 | ||
| Balance | £59,783 | ||
| Additional extras: | |||
| Chairs | -£14,869 | Note 2 | |
| VAT | -£6,000 | ||
| Altar/lectern | -£3,500 | ||
| Organ move | -£2,508 | ||
| Balance | £32,906 | ||
| Add Lady Chapel costs (option 2) | -£45,000 | Note 3 | |
| Balance | -£12,094 | ||
| Maintenance budget | £10,000 | Note 4 | |
| Balance of Interest free loan | £8,000 | Note 5 | |
| Balance | £5,906 | ||
| Income to come: | |||
| Events | £2,000 | ||
| Interest | £250 | ||
| Pew sales | £1,500 | ||
| Chair plaques in memory | £2,000 | ||
| 2011 events booked | £4,000 | ||
| Total income to come | (£9,750) | ||
| Balance | £15,656 | ||
| Vestry works inc prof. fees | -£20,000 | Note 6 | |
| Kitchen fittings | -£5,000 | ||
| Balance | -£9,344 |
Note 1: potential saving if contingency not required £22,000
Note 2: potential saving if order before Jan VAT increase £375
Note 3: Estimated from MEA costings of £41.2k (Sept 2010) allowing for inflation, extra £3k, until costs are confirmed
Note 4: £18k balance, use £10k that is replaced by £10k legacy in (Nov 2010) so balance stays the same
Note 5: £20k loan, interest free, no time limit. £12k required to cover Standing orders running till 2015, balance £8k to use
Note 6: Vestry quotes currently being obtained, potential this £20k can be reduced to around £12-15k £5-8,000
Potential savings £27,375-£30,375
Starting the work…
The most competitive contractor has been instructed, David Davies, his building project team and the PCC all unanimously agreed to accept the company providing the lowest tender. They are local, well established with a good reputation and have experience of listed buildings & church renovations.
Timescale
Main contractor start 1st week of January
Main contractor finish 8th April
Lady Chapel (tbc) late March/early April
Vestry/kitchen May – Aug (dependent on funds)
The whole site of the church and church room will be strictly off limits to everyone, it will be a designated building site.
St Mary’s goes on tour – January to April:
8am Shalford Methodist Church
10am Shalford Infant School hall
5pm St Michael’s, Peasmarsh
Grand re-opening on Easter Day (Sunday 24th April)!
As always, there is so much more detail than I can put in these updates, so please do ask John, David or myself if you want to know more.
It’s very exciting…
A little ‘funny’ to leave you with…
Number 34 “By experimentation, try to determine how many comfortable pew sitting positions you can discover. You will kill a lot of time before you realise there are no comfortable pew sitting positions.”
Taken from “101 Things to do during a dull sermon” by Tim Sims & Dan Pegoda
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Hurrah! We’re only months away from comfortable chairs!
Jane Barrett, Development Officer
development@stmary-shalford.org
572447
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September 2010 – Update on Reordering and Community Centre project
Raised so far £318,305 Amount to reach target £71,695 |
| Since the June update we have raised a further £21,000. This has been all from personal donations – a mix of congregation generous second donations, some first time donations, and a small proportion still coming in from the village mailings . We also had to get an official final approval from the Chancellor once we had 80% which we have now received. |  |
As always, a huge thank you to everyone who has extended their standing order or given new cheques over the summer.
We have 82% now!
Further fundraising plans
We have five fundraising events happening in the autumn. Please support them and bring your friends and neighbours.
Quiz night
Hot off the press - £450 raised! Well done Jenny for a great evening!
September 18th Sponsored abseil down the Cathedral
The abseil happened in September and has raised over £3,600 so far! Our aim is £4,000. Please do support us – our forms will stay in church for another few weeks. Two participants abseiled dressed as Catwoman and one as a Thunderbird….
October 2nd Harvest Supper with Auction of Promises
We raised over £3,600 this year for pledges ranging from baskets of ironing to holiday homes!
6th October Nostalgia tea party
Old fashioned fun on a patriotic theme over a cup of NAAFI tea.
November 20th Christmas Charity Fair
Joyce and Naomi are doing a superb job – please do support them and offer help – they are working so hard to make this year’s fair different, fun and successful. You will have a yellow leaflet out soon asking for help/donations for all stalls. There are lots of ways you can help depending on what suits you. Thanks to all those who have helped make bunting and offered to run/help on stalls – we couldn't do it without you!
These five events are now a crucial part of the last stages of our fundraising – we have to put our all into them. We need to raise our target of £14,700 for the five events.
Amount raised
We’re still waiting for the miracles; however, in the absence of said miracles, our projected fundraising avenue is as follows:
| Raised so far | £318,305 |
| Village mailings still expected | £200 |
| Events planned for Autumn 2010 | £14,700 |
| Further Trust applications pending | £5,000 |
| Pew salvage/sales | £500 |
| Chairs in memory | £8,000 |
| Interest on cash in bank | £2,250 |
| Ad hoc donations via Parish Office | £500 |
| Expected Total | £349,455 (90%) |
| Difference from £390k total | £40,545 |
| £20,000 loan from Trust | £20,000 |
| £20,000 loan from St Mary's member | £20,000 |
Loans
We have offers of two loans for £20,000 each as above. BUT these have to be paid back so we CANNOT accept them until we have pledges in place to be able to repay them.
We still need to find £40,545 to be able to complete the whole renovation.
If we do not achieve this, we can still go ahead with the major portion of the works, but will have to leave the glazing of the Lady Chapel to a later date. The cost for this is around £41,000. However we really do want to be able to complete this at the same time, it will be more cost effective to do so and we will desperately need to have an area of private prayer, particularly when the reordered church will be in use during the week. The PCC are concerned that if it gets left until a later date there will always be another more urgent call for church funds and it will never get done.
As a response to my last letter to you all, we have received donations specifically for the altar furniture and seating, Richard has now set up a separate fund purely for these items, restricting the usage only to the furniture. If you wish for a restriction on your donation, please specify on your pledge form.
Second wave of pledges
I am sorry to keep repeating myself BUT the majority of the money we need will have to come from our church family. This is why my second ask to you is crucial. If everyone gives something then we can get there. I know we can. Please don’t think we’re going to have a huge amount land in our lap – we won’t – it will be small amounts from everyone that all add up.
Please, if you can, submit your second pledges by the end of September. Thank you.
Starting the work…
David Davies and his team have been having regular meetings to start planning the contractors and the interior fitments. We are planning chairs, liturgical furniture and kitchen facilities. The team are also progressing tenders and quotes for work and supplies so that we have a more accurate idea of how close our budget is. Negotiations will commence to ensure best value for money. The architect’s drawings all are completed, the tender documentation is being prepared and the schedule is still as follows:
Tender package through to approval by 29th November
Start on site 3rd January 2011
Completion within 12 weeks 25th March 2011
It’s very exciting…..
Jane Barrett, Development Officer - development@stmary-shalford.org - 572447
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June 2010 – Update on Reordering and Community Centre project
Raised so far £297,297 Amount to reach target £92,703 |
Firstly, I would like to thank every one of you who has given. Due to our confidentiality promise, I don't know who you are, so I can only offer a blanket thank you to everyone. |
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Well we’ve gone from 72% to 76% (another £16,000) since February.
Since the beginning of the year we have written to:
- 49 local companies
- 1,413 households in the parish
- 26 wedding couples
So far this has raised almost £6,442 including the Gift Aid with donations still coming in as I type. So far over 70 villagers have donated giving us a 4.65% response rate. Considering in marketing terms that 1% is a standard response, we should be very pleased with our early outcome. Thanks to all our hardy deliverers – 1,413 households covered by foot - you know who you are!
The mailing to companies gave a disappointing (but expected) result; however one company Gordon Murray Design on Broadford Park has kindly donated us a book to auction. It is a beautiful signed book called ‘The official story of the McLaren F1’. Copies of these have previously been auctioned for £550! We have yet to decide how this will be auctioned.
Trust applications
Our first application of £1,500 was swiftly followed by another for £6,000 (with an offer of an additional £20,000 loan payable over 4 years at a low interest rate). We have one other large application and one small one that we are waiting on – fingers crossed. Jenny Davies and Zoe Figueiredo have worked incredibly hard on this complex area particularly in such a tough economic climate when there is far less in the available ‘pots’.
Loans
We have also had a very generous offer from a member of St Mary’s of a loan for £20,000. Although both loans mentioned need to be paid back (with extended fundraising), it means that it is very likely to enable us to start the work in January 2011 as scheduled with no delays due to insufficient funding.
Further fundraising plans
We have three fundraising events happening in the autumn:
September 18th Sponsored abseil down the Cathedral
10 of us brave souls are participating, sponsor forms will be in church during July, where you can sponsor any of the brave souls – all the money raised comes to our fund. By spreading the sponsors outside church as well we hope to raise approximately £4,000 as a group.
October 2nd Harvest Supper with Auction of Promises
Following a successful auction in 2007, we thought we’d do it again due to popular demand. We are hoping to top the 2007 figure of £4,300 and raise £5,000 this time. We will be asking for promises shortly i.e. cake making, dinner party catering, holiday rental, gardening etc. Then please come along (or send your bid in) and spend your money – it’s a win/win situation – this time you get something for your donation!!
November 20th Christmas Charity Fair
This year we are aiming for at least £5,000 for our fund. With Joyce and Naomi in charge this year, we have our potentially biggest ever fair! Please do offer help on the day or with items to donate and of course bring your friends and neighbours along to spend their money!
We are hoping to raise £14,000 from these three events. Events are a lot of hard work, but we realise they are important for people to be involved in the fundraising process particularly if they have been unable to donate large sums.
Want to help?
Can anyone offer me a couple of days/evenings work ringing round/emailing companies to ask for vouchers and goods? I need someone that can get started over the summer months really as large companies need time to process applications. I will give you a template and all information/brochures you just need to apply for me! This is much easier than people imagine – trust me - I have obtained £400 worth of goods in 10 phone calls before – I’ll show you how!
The Fundraising Steering Group meets in July to plan the strategy for the final figure. There are a number of avenues we will be discussing in addition to those below. Miracles are always welcome. However, in the absence of said miracles, our projected fundraising avenue is as follows:
| Raised so far | £297,297 |
| £20,000 loan from Trust | £20,000 |
| £20,000 loan from St Mary’s member | £20,000 |
| Village mailings still expected | £2,000 |
| Wedding couples mailings still expected | £1,000 |
| Events planned for Autumn 2010 | £14,000 |
| Further Trust applications pending | £5,000 |
| Ad hoc donations via Parish Office | £1,000 |
| Expected Total | £360,297 (93%) |
| Difference from £390k total | £29,703- (7%) |
If we manage to raise all the above before December 2010, this gives us 93% - we will be able to get started. The £29,703 outstanding if we cannot achieve before then, we could just leave the Lady Chapel conversion till a later stage which is budgeted for in excess of that figure.
Starting the work…
David Davies will be the Project Manager for the overseeing of the renovation. He has welcomed Roger Batchelor, Alan Dewhurst, Nigel Tyler & Val Heliwell to his Project Management team.
The architect has scheduled the next 9 months as follows:
- Final budget price by 21st June
- Revised drawings for final specification by 31st August
- Tender package through to approval by 29th November
- Start on site 3rd January 2011
- Completion within 12 weeks 25th March 2011
It’s happening!
Jane Barrett, Development Officer - development@stmary-shalford.org.uk - 572447
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February 2010– Fundraising update
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Thank you to everyone who has generously given, we are so lucky that we have a supportive and generous congregation, all of your donations are much appreciated. |
Since my last update in October, we‘ve still had pledges coming in from our congregation giving as they have been able to, we have had some amounts come from families who have had their children baptised at St Mary‘s and also an impressive donation of £486 from the Shalford Choral Society who most kindly chose us for their retiring collection at their December concert. Thank you all!
We are 72% of the way there!
The Fundraising Steering Group continue to beaver away behind the scenes, our last meeting earlier this month consolidated our strategy for January to June 2010.
In my October update I said that after reaching the magical 60% mark we could start looking outside our church family.
We have planned for Spring 2010, letters to:-
- Local companies
- Couples who married at St Mary’s
- Village residents
Trust us
We also have started to apply to Trusts and Grant-making bodies. This is a HUGE daunting task which Jenny Davies has tackled with indeterminate enthusiasm with the help of Zoe Figueiredo.
We are delighted to announce we have our first successful application for £1,500. It‘s a great start and we are now awaiting news of other recently submitted applications plus preparing information for further applications.
However, here we need your help. Success with Trusts is often down to having a link with a Trustee.
- Do you know anyone who is a Trustee of a Trust or Grant-making body?
- Do you have any contacts within the City of London livery companies?
- Do you have friends from other churches that may have contacts?
If you don‘t know anyone immediately, please ask around, it‘s amazing what you can find out by asking!
The PCC is already working on their individual contacts. The further we can spread the work the more chance we have of success.
David Davies will be the Project Manager for the overseeing of the renovation. We are looking for additional helpers who may come onto the Works committee.
All the architect‘s work is finalised and so we are looking to prepare tender documentation in the next few months with a view to getting tenders out in May of this year. By September, we hope to have negotiated and appointed a contractor to start from January 2011. The work is anticipated to take 3 months, therefore finalising in March/April 2011 and celebrating Easter 2011 in our newly reordered building.
Helpers are required to help David with tender preparation, sourcing builders, assessing the tenders, scheduling the work, managing the site & co-ordinating the work to be finalised by April 2011.
Can you help?- Do you have any construction/renovation/quantity surveying experience that would be useful on our Works committee?
- Are you willing to give your advice on a consulting basis ad hoc only?
- Do you know of anyone outside church that may be willing to help do either of the above?
- Do you have none of the above but are organised, willing & interested?
Please talk to David Davies or Jane Barrett (without obligation!)
Doing this togetherNow we have received the majority of the donations from our church family, we will be looking at other ways of raising money and having fun too! If anyone at an early stage would like to organise an event for us for 2010 or 2011 please do let me know.
Jane Barrett
Development Officer
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October 2009 – Fundraising update
Modernising our village Church for 21st Century use
We have very exciting news this month for you!
At long last, we have the FINAL permission to go ahead with Phase 1 of the project at St Mary‘s from the Registrar of the Diocese of Guildford. This was the last of many approvals we needed to gain and we now have the vital piece of paper with that all important wax seal!
So with approval from Guildford Borough Council, The Diocesan Advisory Committee (church planning permission) and now the Chancellor in Westminster – we are finally there! Phase 1 is the maintenance, restoration and enhancement of our Victorian church into a more flexible, adaptable church for the 21 st century.
Now it‘s just a case of raising the money. No mean feat, that‘s for sure.
We are in our first year of our two year plan to raise £390,000. Before the summer break we had reached £93,255 just from our congregation. Over the summer those donations swelled to £104,889. This is incredible given the uncertain economic times and shows how our congregation are truly committed to ensuring our village church doesn‘t go to wrack and ruin.
Given the commitment of our church family, the PCC has also recommended that we include a legacy that is currently invested and is receiving very little interest. It will be much more beneficial to use that capital now to secure our future than to keep it as a long term investment for a future capital project. This amount totals £152,295.
With residual amounts in the pots mainly from last year‘s fundraising events, the recent Musical Medley and further table top sales this adds a further £6,541.
Therefore we now have a total of £263,725. This is a whopping 67% of our target.
We have reached the magical 60% figure in just 5 months. This means that doors are opened to us in terms of further fundraising requests. To ask for donations from Trusts, companies and Shalford residents, we must show we have raised the majority from within our church family – which we can definitely say we have (and with knobs on!)
A word from the Vicar, Revd John Cruse:–
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“ After so long wondering if we‘d ever get to this stage, it‘s great to know that we have reached this exciting stage on our journey. Enormous thanks in particular are due to David Davies who has fought the good fight with bureaucrats and masses of paperwork with his characteristic determination, and Jane Barrett who has done so much as our Development Officer. A restored church building will lead to a revitalised Church – the people who continue to come to seek a vision for their lives and world as revealed in Christ, and the guests we welcome in to share the space, physical and spiritual, with us”. |
The Fundraising strategy for Autumn 2009 and Spring 2010 will concentrate on moving outwards into the community, to businesses and residents and to Trusts & Grant making bodies.
It is clear that no one wants the village church to go into decline as proven by this fantastic commitment, we just hope and pray that the wider community feel the same and join us on this exciting journey.
Jane Barrett
Development Officer
Carry on reading below for previous updates and see how far we‘ve come!
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June 2009 – Update on Reordering and Community Centre project
Phase 1 – Maintenance and reordering of the church interior
Phase 1 is in progress now and with a timescale to raise £390,000 by January 2011.
How much have we raised so far?
From our congregation, we have pledges amounting to:–
£73,630 Pledged so far (as at 28th June 2009)
£19,625 Gift Aid reclaimable from Government
£93,255 Total
24% achieved
36% still needed to get to 60%
£2,220 Average pledge
We‘re a quarter of the way there! Thank you to all who have pledged.
What is happening now?
We are still asking for all members of our congregation to pledge money for the project. Experience tells us that the majority will need to come from our nearest and dearest – our congregation who worship at St Mary‘s and St Michael‘s. The magic figure we need to get to before we can ask outside the church is 60%. That‘s £234,000. So we still need £140,745.
Free donations from the Government
Just look at the £19,625 above we can already claim from the government in the form of Gift Aid. That is why asking for pledges from individuals is the most cost effective way of fundraising. Unfortunately, grants, company donations and events do not attract Gift Aid, so that is why asking for individual pledges is so important.
If you haven‘t yet pledged, please can we ask you to do so before the end of August.
Please note: July pledges and acknowledgements
Please note that if you pledge during July, your pledge will not be acknowledged until early August. Ian Johnson is away all of July and Richard is not able to take on managing the pledges, therefore we are sure you will understand that you will get a thank you letter and further instructions – just not straight away!
What is happening over the summer?
Ian will still be managing the pledges once he is back in August. Myself and the rest of my committee will be taking a break over the school summer holiday – phew!
Where will the rest of the money come from?
We will also be approaching trust and grantmaking bodies, but we need to show we have raised at least 60% first. That is £234,000!
Therefore in September when we total the pledges, we can then plan whether we are in a position to be able to start applications. We will also be approaching local companies for corporate donations and asking the whole village to support the project financially, but again we cannot start this process until we have 60%.
If we do not achieve the 60% we will have to re–visit our strategy.
Timescale
May – August 2009 – Asking for pledges from our congregation
September 2009 – Review pledge totals, assess whether we can start asking outside sources
October 2009 – April 2010 – Outside approaches
Outside sources are:
- People on the fringes of church
- Trust & Grant Applications
- Company approaches
- Village residents
We can only start to ask them when we can show substantial support from our own church family.
Last but not least – a big thanks to my Fundraising Steering Group
Naomi Fraser (Secretary) – For excellent & prompt minute taking
Ian Johnson (Donations Coordinator) – For managing the pledges coming in
Ellen Hallam – For producing such an excellent brochure
Bill Ward – For organising the suppers and lunches
Anna Souster – For hosting & amazing cooking of the above
Jenny Davies – For researching the Trust & Grants available
Sam & Steve Perkins – For taking on the approach to businesses
John Cruse, Jane Wetherall, David Davies – For their ongoing direction, support & enthusiasm
The Fundraising Steering Group will meet early October to discuss the strategy for 2009/10.
Jane Barrett
Development Officer
_________________________________________________________________________
March 2009 – Update on Reordering and Community Centre project
Following our very exciting news in January of obtaining approval from the DAC (Diocesan Advisory Committee), I have further positive news to tell you.
Fundraising Strategy approved by PCC
Following extensive research over 2008, I presented a Fundraising Strategy with timescales to the PCC in January. It was unanimously approved with much excitement at the prospect of a realistic and well researched way forward.
Obtaining a Faculty from the Chancellor
There are still letters going back and forth ironing out little points, mainly to do with the liturgical furniture and fabric of the reordering which we are confident will be recommended in due course. The actual Faculty (permission required before any work can be undertaken by a church) once recommended is only issued when 80% of the funds have been raised.
The Fundraising strategy
The best and most positive way forward is to phase the project in two parts. Phase 1 will be the reordering of the church and Phase 2 will be the new build Community Centre.
Starting now with Phase 1 – Reordering of the church interior
Phase 1 is in progress now and with a timescale to raise the money by January 2011 – that‘s in less than 2 years. We could have a beautiful re–ordered church for Easter 2011 or before. It‘s very very exciting to see light at the end of the tunnel after so many years of planning and talking about it!
Why start with the Reordering?
- To show our supporters we embrace change and are a “church that do”
- To show that our ‘church family‘ show commitment to raise funds for the church and its sustainability for future generations
- To provide a flexible space to hold activities inside the church that currently use (and most importantly don’t use!) the church room
- To enable us to review and regenerate our services within a flexible building to fit a changing society
- To increase our profile in the village
- To gain support and publicity for Phase 2
- All re–ordered churches increase their congregation significantly – the whole point of our mission (see Parish Vision below)
- The Church will then become a rentable asset e.g. for concerts which will provide a small income and awareness towards Phase 2
Current Parish Vision
1. Welcoming God‘s people to a place where he is celebrated and encouraging them to join us on the journey: A welcoming, enquiring and inclusive church is our ideal
2.
We aim to be a welcoming community seeking to understand and live out our faith in a modern and inclusive way
How much will Phase 1 cost?
The Reordering costs are still being finalised, now we have decided to phase the project, but we expect it to be in the region of £400,000.
Who is involved?
I have formed a Fundraising Steering Group and each member has a special responsibility. The group includes some PCC members and some of our congregation. Those involved so far are:
Jane Barrett (Chair)
Naomi Fraser (Secretary)
Ian Johnson (Treasurer‘s assistant)
John Cruse
Jane Wetherall
David Davies
Ellen Hallam
Bill Ward
Anna Souster
Sam & Steve Perkins
Jenny Davies
I still require more help for either a position with special responsibility or general ad hoc help. Please let me know if you would like to be involved at any stage for however long.
What happens next?
We will first be asking YOU – our parishioners to donate what you are able to give. It is the collective responsibility of our ‘church family‘ to raise the vast majority of the funds. We will also be approaching trust and grantmaking bodies in the autumn but we need to show we have raised over at least 60% first. We will also be approaching local companies for corporate donations and asking the whole village to support the project financially, HOWEVER experience tells us that the majority will need to come from our nearest and dearest – our congregation who worship at St Mary‘s and St Michael‘s.
Not everyone can give the same amount, some people are in a position to be able to give substantially more than others, but we ask you to start considering now what you will be able to give (or pledge) either as a lump sum or a regular commitment over 2–4 years.
Please put these dates in your diaries now
Sunday 26th April – APCM
Sunday 28th June – Patronal Festival
Please diary these now, they will be very important dates for information updates, giving out brochures and crucial parts of the Fundraising process. It is hugely important we have as many of you there as possible. Your support is of paramount importance.
Timescale
May – July 2009 The ‘BIG ASK’ to our congregation
September 2009 – April 2010 Trust & Grant applications, company approaches and letter with brochure to the village
April 2010 – Jan 2011 Further applications and Fundraising events if necessary
You will get far more updates now as the work behind the scenes is really happening fast!
If you have any questions, please do ask me or any of the Steering Group.
Jane Barrett
Development Officer
An ambitious project to reorganise our church interior and build a new contemporary Community Centre.
To enable us to serve our Community more easily we need to turn our church into an ‘everyday church’ to serve our churchgoing and wider community who wish to use it as a community resource. It will be inclusive &ndash available for everyone regardless of their beliefs.
Plans showing the new community centre to the left of the church.
Click on the image to see a bigger plan (shown in a new window)
Why do we need a Community Centre?
To replace our ageing, damp church room. The contemporary new building will house a large foyer, large meeting/function room, fully fitted kitchen, the Vicar and Parish Secretary‘s Offices. It will have full disabled facilities and secure and plentiful car parking. The building will be integral to the church making the whole area much more user (and weather) friendly for all ages and abilities.
Why does the church interior need changing?
To keep up with the times and allow for modern liturgical needs. Many modern lively churches are now utilising their beautiful historic interiors for functions such as concerts and wedding receptions. By installing flexible seating it will give us enormous opportunities to use the space wisely for the benefit of many. Also there are many positives on a practical nature regarding the fabric and ongoing maintenance of the church this will solve.
Who will it serve?
Everyone in our community. Of course for our own church functions, particularly after service drinks, but we also plan for it to be available to anyone. It will be used in the daytime, evenings and weekends for community and support groups, local authorities (council and police meetings) private hire for parties, wedding receptions and baptisms and for a quiet reflective area after funerals. We also hope to have drop in coffee mornings every weekday morning open to everyone at no cost and to organise community events for all groups of our community.
How much will it cost?
Currently it is estimated to cost £1.25m. This is for the church reordering and New Build Centre project to completion.
How will you get the money?
From our parishioners, our village community through individual donations, or corporate donations. Also from fundraising events, grants and community funding projects. We are registered for Gift Aid donations too.
Most importantly, we‘ll be having FUN whilst raising this money! Many community events will be organised – please help support them. Click here for information on our fundraising events.