So, the new Village website is really down to you two, your baby, your idea to give it a facelift and I have to say it’s been a huge success. |
Well, we must point out that the website was originally set up by Miles and Moira, and we only took over when they became too busy to look after it. But we are very pleased with how it has turned out – and that of course has a lot to do with you and Jasper! |
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You two seem to have your fingers in a lot of pies, you’re involved in the annual Sutton Veny Flower Show, you’re members of the NB Village Hall Events Team, you help organise the annual Open Gardens in Norton Bavant; you are both part of the Church Committee and I think your largest project for 2010 will be raising funds to keep All Saints open. |
We didn’t set out to get so involved – we just find it difficult to say no! When we came into the village, fundraising for the Village Hall was already well underway but we’ve enjoyed helping and seeing the project come to fruition. But securing the future of the church will be equally demanding. |
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As a Village we are very proud of our Church and nobody wants to see it fall into disrepair. Even though not that many villagers use All Saints on a regular basis, there is a lot of support for the Church and the key to successful fundraising starts with everybody understanding how the Church is currently funded and how much money it raises in it’s own right. |
| Indeed. Currently the church’s income comes from three sources – from those who attend church, through collections and donations, from what we can call hatches, matches and dispatches, i.e. baptism, weddings and funerals, and from fundraising through events such as the Open Gardens and the recent Christmas concert. |
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"We want to increase the fundraising efforts this year..." |
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I don’t think that many people in the Village are aware that the Church itself is required to raise a sum of around £2,500 per annum which goes to the Diocese. What is the purpose of this contribution? |
Firstly, this sum is actually over £4,000. It goes to pay for the clergy costs, pay, pensions, accommodation etc. Due to stock market fluctuations, the C of E’s finances are not in such a good shape as they were in the 70’s and 80’s, so this contribution, called the share, is required every year. Add to this the running costs – electricity, insurance etc, and we need around £5,500 per year just to break even. |
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| So, we all know that funds raised at the annual Open Gardens Day and money donated by the congregation goes towards the Church’s contribution to the Diocese. Does this raise enough money to cover the payment to the Diocese? Or is there a shortfall? |
Overall the financial position is precarious. Income is required not only for the upkeep of the ministry through the share payment, but also the running costs and the upkeep of the fabric. Income from collections and donations, usually using Gift Aid, are what we call the core funding streams. Currently these leave a deficit of around £2,500 per annum. The third income source is fund raising, but so far this has not been able to bridge the gap and therefore very little is available for the upkeep of the fabric. Being blunt, we are in serious danger, unless we can increase the core funding and/or fundraising significantly, All Saints could become a redundant church in the next few years. |
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| "...to include a Salsa Evening, a Wine Tasting evening and ..." |
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| The recent fundraising concert in the Church, which was very successful, raised a significant amount of money - will these funds be used as part of the contribution to the Diocese or will they be put towards the renovation fund? |
| It was very successful, as well as being very enjoyable. The share for 2009 has already been paid, but most of the money raised, apart from a small amount set aside for minor repairs, has gone towards the running costs - and this still left a deficit at the year end. |
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| With any fundraising planned for this year, will there be a separate ‘pot’ for all the funds raised by the Village so that our fundraising efforts go towards the renovation fund rather than to the Diocese? |
| We want to increase the fundraising efforts this year, so that money will be available to go towards the upkeep of the church fabric. If we can stabilise the finances in the next year or two, we would then like to set-up a “Friends of All Saints” to address the large sums needed to secure the building for the future. |
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| What plans do you have for fundraising events for this year? |
| Events currently under discussion include a Salsa Evening, a Wine Tasting evening and a Harvest/Christmas concert with a different format, as well as the Open Gardens. The first two events would be held in the Village Hall. |
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| What is the Church’s policy for All Saints to be used as a Wedding venue for couples who live outside of the Parish? Surely this would be a good way of raising funds as I’m sure that many couples would prefer to get married in a pretty Church in the country rather than a busy town Church? |
| The couples for the last three weddings have lived outside the parish, albeit with relatives living locally, so I believe the policy is that each case is judged on its own merits. Marketing of the church as a venue is something I favour. However, the choice of venues available nowadays is very wide and this is thus a very competitive market. And the fact that, sadly, we are unable to allow a peal of bells to be rung (see below), would probably prove a problem with at least some couples. |
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Is there a record of all the people buried in the Church grounds? If so, we could include a list of names & dates on the website and invite living family members to contribute to the upkeep of the Church and grounds. |
Parish burial records are normally held by the county record office, but it is certainly an idea worth exploring. Although sadly, in the case of the Benett Mausoleum, a request for support to the family went unheeded and all we can do is to fence it off for safety and allow it to fall down. |
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| "...I think mine must be our mixed native hedge..." |
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How much money do we need to raise to ensure that the Church doesn’t fall down around us (exclusive of the Church’s contribution to the Diocese)? |
Every five years an architect undertakes a review of the church fabric and grounds. The last one (in 2008) actually identified repairs requiring a total of £122,800. Luckily those requiring immediate attention – repairing roof tiles and a leak in the vestry, plus other remedial works, only cost some hundreds of pounds, plus volunteer labour, and these have been done. And other items are not urgent (if very desirable) – for example, a large sum (£40,000) for the re-hanging of the bells can be postponed, as long as the bells are not rung. But the key project – repair of leadwork on the roof and repairs to the Tower parapet and a crack in the west wall of the Tower itself – needs some £18,000. We can survive without the bells, but having an unsafe tower and a leaking roof is critical. |
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Are you open to ideas & suggestions from people in the Village to raise funds for the Church? |
YES, we want as many ideas and suggestions as possible, with as many people involved as we can. We understand that there are people who do not want to get involved in the upkeep of the “ministry” but who do want to keep the church building, if only for “hatches, matches and dispatches” and community events like the Christmas Carol Service. It is these people that we would like to involve. |
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Hilary, you are part of the Church cleaning team, what is the most interesting ‘find’ you have come across whilst cleaning the Church? We have the wonderful list on the website of Rectors and Vicars at Norton Bavant going back to 1306 now that was an amazing find – what else have you come across? |
I think many people do not realise that, in addition to the brass monument (dating from the Tudor period), on the wall of the Benett Chapel, there is a beautiful medieval brass monument on the floor of the Chapel. Dating from 1461, it depicts an early member of the Benett family, his wife and his children. The brass is covered by a rug for protection – but do have a look next time you are in the church. |
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On a more personal note, we know that you are both very keen gardeners, what are you most proud of in your garden? |
(Hilary) I think mine must be our mixed native hedge. We planted it along the field boundary over a three year period, and this winter, during all the bad weather, it has proved a haven for birds in our garden – finding shelter and food both in the hedge and in the leaf litter underneath.
(Graham) From my point of view as the number two, mine is the Veggie plot, and the Hellebores, they are just so beautiful. |
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You have a very successful kitchen garden, what’s the best piece of advice you can give to someone who is considering growing their own vegetables? |
| It is a combination of growing what you need – and like! - and looking to see what grows well in other gardens near you. Remember that a number of vegetables can be grown in containers, such as lettuce and new potatoes, and try not to be too ambitious, or too despondent if they do not all succeed at once. |
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