General information
The objectives of the society are set out in the
constitution, and these are reproduced below.
The objects of the Society shall be to help
and support the Priest-in-Charge and the Parochial Church Council
of the United Benefice of The Giddings, and to raise funds to
maintain, repair, restore, improve, beautify and insure the fabric
of St Michael’s Church, its monuments, fixtures, fittings,
furniture, glazing, ornaments, other chattels and churchyard,
(subject to necessary faculties being obtained), and protect
it as a place of Christian worship.
If anyone would like any information, or would
like to be actively associated, please contact the chairman Paul
Burgess (tel 01832 293354).
Spring 2005
AGM
The society's Annual General Meeting takes
place in the Lounge of the 'Fox & Hounds'
Public House on Wednesday 27th April at 7.30pm. Everyone is very welcome.
JUNE 2004 - Report of FRIENDS
OF ST MICHAEL’S
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The Annual General meeting was held in the Lounge
Bar of the ‘Fox and Hounds’ on Wednesday 28th April.
The
Minutes of the 2003 AGM were read and approved. Paul Burgess
gave the Chairman’s report, the text of which is shown
below.
Report from Paul Burgess
" I would like to say that we are very pleased
that The Bishop of Ely, Sir Philip Naylor-Leyland and David Woodley
have agreed
to be patrons. At the committee meeting of Tuesday 27th May 2003
I said that The Friends of St Michael’s will be involved
the church building and environment as an asset and historic
focus for the
village as a community, and that it is our intention to do this
in two ways; to raise funds to offer practical help. In our first
year I’m very pleased to report that we have been active
and successful in both aspects.
From the possible list of projects
to support financially, we chose the repair of the leading on
some of the windows as a realistic
target, achievable within a reasonable timescale. With our fund-raising
events, generous donations and subscriptions we have already
sponsored the repair of the south-east aisle window, and plan
to complete the necessary work over the next four years.
Fund-raising events
To support
our work we have several fund-raising events planned. In June
there will be a car treasure hunt, in late June an evening
of madrigals and in early September a garden party. We hope
these will be well supported. Friends have also assisted in practical
and sociable ways getting people involved and working together.
The notice board has been
re-furbished. Memorial stones have been straightened and made
safe. Work will restart on the remaining plot soon. The new kissing
gate for the end of the path into the glebe field is waiting
to be put in. Regular maintenance has included: helping with
grass cutting, clearing ivy from walls, and assisting in cleaning
roofs and gutters. Several people have offered to "Adopt-a-plot" and
look after specified kerbed graves. We will be organising a session
to clean and re-polish the pews during the summer.
The success
of our first year is very pleasing, and a good foundation from
which to grow. One of our priorities must be to increase
the number of subscribing members. We have discussed ways of
doing this and would welcome suggestions. We are able to reclaim
tax on subscriptions and will be applying for charitable status
in the current financial year.
Thank you for taking the time to
come to our AGM. I hope to see you, and those you persuade to
come, at some, if not all of the
fund-raising events, and, perhaps, helping with the practical
work too."
The Treasurer, Maurice Armstrong presented the
accounts which showed a credit balance of £502.20. It was
explained that all expenditure had been incurred after the end
of the current
financial year (December 2003). The Treasurer was thanked for
his work, and the meeting recorded their appreciation of the
auditor, John De Val.
Charitable status
It was noted that charitable status is
a requirement for the Friends and this goal will be pursued.
A letter was received
from the Revd Catharine Furlong thanking the Friends for their
enthusiasm and achievements over the past year.
Committee members
The following
were elected to serve on the committee, Patrick Jarvis, Pam
Matthews, Lois and Bruce Jordan, SueFreestone,
Maurice Armstrong, Michael Keck and Paul Burgess. Officers
for the coming
year are Paul Burgess (chairman), Michael Keck (secretary)
and Maurice Armstrong (treasurer). April
2004– Annual General Meeting DATE
The Annual General Meeting takes place in the
Lounge of the 'Fox & Hounds' Public House on Wednesday 28th,
starting at 7.30pm. Everyone is welcome to attend.
February
2004– Patrons announced, window restoration goes ahead
The Friends are delighted to announce that the
Bishop of Ely, Sir Philip Naylor-Leyland and David Woodley have
kindly agreed to become Patrons, and welcome their support.
New kissing gate
On the work front, the gravestone project has stopped temporarily
with the advent of the winter weather, but as soon as spring
comes around work will recommence back in the churchyard. The
stile at the end of the church path has almost disappeared
and a metal kissing gate has been acquired to replace it. This
too
is scheduled for the spring when a young man's fancy turns
to such things. There are other small jobs requiring attention
and
if anybody would like to help then you would be very welcome.
Just give Paul Burgess a ring (293354)
Five year plan to restore windows
At the last committee meeting,
it was unanimously agreed to offer to provide funds to the
church authorities for the restoration
of the church windows. This would be undertaken over a five
year period. Since then the Friends have provided funds for the
first
window to be restored, and the work has been completed.
October
2003 – The Friends of St Michael’s Parish Church
off to a good start
I’m pleased to report that The Friends of
St Michael’s Parish Church has got off to a good start,
financially and socially. The Village Show Committee very kindly
nominated The Friends to receive the proceeds from the auction
at the end of the show and £139 has already been banked
by our Treasurer, Maurice Armstrong.
Social evening
The social event on September 20th at our house
raised just short of £200. I would like to thank all those
who came and those who, though not able to come, sent a donation.
We had a very convivial evening with plenty of wine to help things
along. Thanks also to Lois Jordan and her team for providing
the food. Several possibilities for sociable gatherings were
discussed – more of this later. Though the principal aim
of The Friends is to help maintain the fabric of the church,
to do so, and enjoy it seems a good idea.
Regular tasks
Besides raising money there are practical tasks
which we will undertake. Some will be in the nature of regular
maintenance but others may call for a working party approach,
a bit like the Village Spring-Clean, such as re-setting the leaning
tombstones. I should also like to ask for volunteers to ‘Adopt-a-plot’;
that is to choose and tidy one of the graves which have a kerbed
perimeter. We can keep the churchyard grass cut and the edges
trimmed but a few neat plots would make a lot of difference.
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First project
I’m also delighted to report that the ‘Friends’ first
project (hopefully of many) has just been completed. The
notice board
in the churchyard (given by the family in memory
of Dick Griffin) was in serious need of restoration. This
has now been carried out by ‘Friends’ member,
Bruce Jordan, and a superb job it is. (Click on picture for
bigger version) |
Applying for charitable
status
Finally we intend to apply for charitable status,
and we are already in negotiation with Inland Revenue for all
donations from UK taxpayers to qualify for Gift Aid where the
taxman will add 28p to every £1 donated. That said you
don’t have to be a taxpayer to become a ‘Friend’.
So we hope you will consider joining. Give me a ring on 01832
293354 and I’ll rush a subscription form to you.
(Paul Burgess - Chairman)
May 2003 – AGM of the FRIENDS OF ST MICHAEL'S
PARISH CHURCH
The first Annual General Meeting of the FRIENDS
OF ST MICHAEL'S PARISH CHURCH, GREAT GIDDING took place in the
Village Hall on Friday April 29th.
John DeVal took the chair for the meeting, but
stressed he would not subsequently stand for election onto the
committee. The election of the committee took place and the following
were elected:
Lois Jordan
Pam Matthews
Michael Keck
Paul Burgess
Bruce Jordan
Patrick Jarvis
Rev Catharine Furlong is an 'ex officio' member
of the committee. The meeting noted that the Parochial Church
Council would nominate its representative at its Annual General
Meeting in May.
A proposition that the society seek charitable
status was carried unanimously.
With the closure of the AGM, John DeVal again
took the chair for the election of the society's officers.
Chairman: Paul Burgess
Secretary: Michael Keck
Treasurer: to be filled
Paul Burgess thanked John DeVal for all his work
in setting up the society. It was agreed that at the next committee
meeting, the church should present an outline of the challenges
facing them in the maintenance of the building, so that a mutual
objectives could be adopted by the society. The next committee
meeting takes place on Tuesday 27th May at 7.30pm at 'Buckland',
79 Main Street, Great Gidding.
Information concerning the society can be made
by telephoning either 01832/293354 or 01832/293357.
March 2003 – The Friends of St Michael’s
Parish Church, Great Gidding
The Parish Church is an integral part of the village
community. Last year, a number of villagers expressed an interest
in forming a group to support the church members in the maintenance
of the beautiful and historic building that is St Michael’s
Church.
In January 2003, a public meeting was held to
pursue the above ideal, and a Steering Group, under the chairmanship
of John DeVal, was formed to prepare a draft constitution. In
March, this draft constitution was unanimously accepted at another
open meeting, and the date of the first Annual General Meeting
was scheduled.
The name of the group is The
Friends of St Michael’s Parish Church, Great Gidding.
The objectives of the society are set out in the
constitution, and these are reproduced below.
The objects of the Society shall be to help
and support the Priest-in-Charge and the Parochial Church Council
of the United Benefice of The Giddings, and to raise funds to
maintain, repair, restore, improve, beautify and insure the fabric
of St Michael’s Church, its monuments, fixtures, fittings,
furniture, glazing, ornaments, other chattels and churchyard,
(subject to necessary faculties being obtained), and protect
it as a place of Christian worship.
If anyone would like any information, or would
like to be actively associated, please contact Paul Burgess (chairman)
tel 01832 293354.
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