The
Friends of
St Mary's Church.
Financed by Shrewton Parish Council
Last updated 25-Mar-2008
10:58
The Friends of St Mary’s Church, Shrewton is a registered charity (No. 1091400) formed to raise funds to repair, maintain, improve and enhance the beauty of our historic parish church.
Who
are the Friends?
All those who value St Mary’s Church and wish to contribute regularly towards
the cost of its repair, maintenance, improvement and the enhancement of the
beauty of the interior and furnishings.
Why
join the Friends?
Because:
· You appreciate the church as a beautiful and historic building
· You live or work in Shrewton and the church is part of the history of the community
· You were baptized or married, or your forebears were buried in the churchyard and it is part of your family history
· You value the church as a place of worship and prayer, and peace and tranquility
· The may be times when you and your family will want to use the church, perhaps for marriages, baptisms and funerals
· You are a visitor and find it a place of interest that you wish to help preserve
· You wish to make a personal contribution of money
· You believe our generation has a responsibility to maintain the church so that it will be there for future generations to use and enjoy.
What needs to be done?
The church members already raise the money to run the church from day to day
from regular giving and fund raising events. These costs include funding the
clergy stipend and pension, and finding the routine running expenses for
heating, electricity, insurance and so on. The cost of these in 2007 amounted to
more than £31,400.00
Beyond this however, as with all historic buildings, there is always work to be done – repairs and maintenance is required to the walls, roof, windows and heating. The cost of this work is always substantial and cannot be met entirely from normal income. That is where the Friends step in. In the last 5 years the Friends have funded the redecoration of the entire interior of the church – carried out on a self-help basis - and funded the cost of repairs and maintenance to stonework and roofing highlighted on the routine Quinquennial inspection. Future plans include contributing to a purpose-built kitchen unit for the church as part of an extensive re-ordering of the interior to provide a more open ‘feel’ and to enable the building to be used for other events such as concerts and drama productions.
How can I help?
The work of the Friends is only limited by its income. If you would like to make
a regular contribution to the fund, please contact the Vicar, the Reverend Sue
Armitage – e-mail -
sue.armitage@dial.pipex.com
The minimum subscription rates are:
Annual membership: Single - £10.00 Life membership: Single - £250.00
Family - £15.00 Corporate membership - £100.00
You can also make a regular contribution – monthly, quarterly or yearly. Please make all cheques payable to: “The Friends of St Mary’s Church, Shrewton”. If you are a UK taxpayer you can make a Gift Aid declaration and we can increase our income by re-claiming the tax paid on your subscription. Please contact the Vicar for details and for a declaration form.
What do I get for my money?
In return for contributing
to the maintenance of St Mary’s Church you will receive a bi-annual newsletter
describing how your contribution has been used. You may also attend the Annual
General Meeting where, in addition to normal business, we have a talk on a topic
of general interest with a church slant – architecture, preservation, history
and so on. We also have a visit during the summer to places interest in the
South West: in previous years we have visited Tyntesfield, Sherborne Abbey and
Castle, and Highgrove House. Places on these visits are sometimes limited and
you are advised to book early.
See
Λrrowhead
magazine
for full details on these and all your local stories.
(Free through the letterbox of all Till Valley
Homes)