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FRIENDS OF PIRTON PARISH CHURCHTHIRTY YEARS ON |
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The Friends of Pirton Parish Church has been in existence for thirty years, being founded in 1974. As many people have come to live in the village since then, the committee feels that it might be helpful to write something about its history.
The Friends Association was originally founded to help raise funds for St. Mary’s Church which, in the 1970’s, was in particularly dire need of money for repairs. The aims, as described in the 1974 Bylaws, were to stimulate the interest of all the inhabitants of the village, to assist the work of restoration and maintenance of the church building and precincts and to encourage and support all that is done to add to their beauty and usefulness. It was set up as an entirely separate charity from the Church itself, which reflected the idea that members did not necessarily have to be on the electoral roll or be regular churchgoers. We are anxious to flag up this aspect and feel recognition of the wider network of membership is very important today.
The Church is a holy place of worship for some; for others it may well have different meanings. The Friends of Pirton Parish Church reflects inclusiveness in its aims: we feel the church is for everyone who is interested in maintaining this beautiful, ancient building, which does so much to enhance the village for us all. And with belonging goes responsibility!
In the early days there were more activities. Open Gardens, then a rarity in the area, was the main event, but there were other activities such as wine and cheese evenings, Christmas coffee mornings and coffee mornings at Church House, Hitchin. Sales of bric-a-brac, books and homemade produce were also included. However, with all the fund-raising events taking place in the village at present, we think it may be as well to keep our main focus on Open Gardens. This continues to be very popular and a good source of income.
The other main source of revenue for the Friends is the annual contributions from our members, of which there are currently about 100. Although the amounts collected annually have traditionally been called subscriptions they are, in fact, variable amounts which are more in the nature of donations. In future we would prefer to call them donations so that, as an independent charity, we can take advantage of the Government’s Gift Aid Scheme. The benefit to the Friends of donations made this way is that we will be able to reclaim from the Inland Revenue 28p for every £1.00 donated, provided the donor pays enough income tax to cover the rebate. We will, therefore, provide our members this autumn with a simple form to sign if they wish their donations to be ‘gift aided’.
The suggested minimum annual donation has been £1.00 for a very long time. In view of the impact of inflation over the years we would like to suggest a minimum of £5.00. (In fact, the great majority of members already donate £5.00 or more.) This would bring us into line with similar organisations elsewhere. Nevertheless, we will be happy to accept smaller amounts from existing members if they feel that £5.00 is more than they can afford.
Another innovation we would like to introduce is the payment of annual donations by direct debit. We feel that many members prefer this method of donating and it will, of course, make the annual collection process much easier. However, door to door collections will continue for those members who prefer the traditional method.
Over the years, the Friends have made substantial grants to St. Mary’s to help pay for repairs to the building. In the period 1992-2002, for example, the Friends gave a total of £32,632 to assist with the cost of such major repairs as a new heating system, tower repairs, re-leading the nave roof, repairs to the nave floor, church ventilation and restoration of a number of windows.
With such an ancient building the work of repair and restoration is on-going and never-ending! Repairs to the chancel scheduled for this autumn will cost well over £20,000 and the Friends expect to make a substantial contribution towards this. If you are not already a member, please think about joining us. Membership of the Friends is an excellent way of helping to look after this most beautiful and important part of our heritage in Pirton. Just contact one of us named below, or any other committee member, and we will be delighted to enrol you. Also if you are able to help us, especially around Open Gardens time, which will be on Sunday 12th June next year, you will be most welcome.
Chairman Ann Fausset 712343 Treasurer Peter Williams 712813
Vice Chair Angela Kefford 712492 Secretary Phyllis Nicholl 713833
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