FRIENDS OF HEYTESBURY, KNOOK AND TYTHERINGTON CHURCHES
ABOUT THE FRIENDS
The
‘Association of Friends of Heytesbury, Knook and
Tytherington Churches’, to give its full title, or the
‘Friends’ for short, is a registered charity (No.
1083252), founded in 1998, with the purpose of supporting
the Parochial Church Council in maintaining the fabric,
fittings (including bells, organs, etc.) and furniture of
our three ancient and beautiful churches.
Our constitution ensures that money raised by the
‘Friends’ can only be used for this purpose, and not to
meet the diocesan quota, or in connection with religious
worship.
We
have some 125 household memberships but raise money, not so
much from subscriptions, which are kept low (£5 a year per
household or £3 for an individual – unchanged since our
inception), but by running fund-raising events, such as
concerts, thematic evenings (French evenings, antiques
valuations, wine-tasting and the like), auctions of
promises, Hatstand Opera (excerpts from operas presented
informally by a small professional group) and the annual
carol-singing round Heytesbury (accompanied by a group of
musicians playing traditional local instruments). We also
run a ‘hundred club’ for members of the ‘Friends’
only – £5 a ticket which buys entry to twelve monthly
draws, each with two monetary prizes.
The key ingredient for all our fund-raising events is
that we should enjoy laying them on, because we have always
found that, as a result, those attending them also enjoy
themselves. Our
newest venture is a series of three lectures, taking place
between January and March 2008.
As
at mid-September 2007, some £38,000 raised in this way has
already been handed over to the PCC, mainly for work to
Heytesbury Church, and a further £5,800 has now been
committed for repairs to Heytesbury Church roof, which have
just been completed. We
are anxious to ensure that the other two churches get help
when they need it but, to date, they have asked for little.
We have almost no overheads and no property, so that
all the money we raise, except for a tiny percentage needed
for expenses, is used for the purpose for which we are
established.
Anyone
wishing to join the ‘Friends’ should contact the
Membership Secretary, John Hutton
(tel.: 01985 840225) or the Chairman, Joe
Charlesworth (tel.: 01985 840184, e-mail address: joe@alexc.com.
Joe Charlesworth
- 10th
September, 2007