Tag: fundraising

February 2022 News

FOSM Chairman Colin Dixon writes:

We held our Nine Lessons and Carols service for the first time in two years on 19th December with a larger than expected congregation. Once more a very satisfying service led very ably by Reverend Tunnicliffe.

COMPLETED PROJECTS

In the intervening two years since the last Nine Lessons and Carols Service, the Friends have provided over £200,000 to St Mary’s Church for the new vestry cupboards, the wonderful new glass vestry screen, the new bell ringing floor (pictured above), and of course the bells themselves.

This was only possible through the good offices of members of the Friends who donated their hard-earned money or went out and garnered charity grants from a variety of sources. We also raised money through events held over the past few years.

CONTINUING PROJECTS

At the same time, the Friends continued with their normal maintenance work, such as mowing the churchyard, clearing the weeks and paying for the cutting of the yew hedges. The yew hedges always look so wonderful when they have been cut and it is the Friends who pay for it.

NEW PROJECTS

There are still more things that are in need of replacement or repair in this ancient and lovely church of ours. Most pressing is probably the boiler which is on its last lets and will need to be replaced by an environmentally-friendly option at an horrendous cost. We still haven’t forgotten the desperate need for a toilet for use by the congregation and visitors to the cemetery and the management of the churchyard now that the large conifers have been removed.

HOW TO BECOME A FRIEND OF ST MARY’S

Please join the Friends of St Mary’s if you are not already a member and support a dedicated group of people determined that this beautiful church should not fall into decay. Details of membership can be found here. If you are already a member, don’t forget to renew your membership for 2022.

NEW VICE PRESIDENTS

The Friends of St Mary’s has The Right Honorable The Earl of Liverpool as President and His Grace The Duke of Beaufort as Patron. We also had one Honorary Vice President in Sir George White, one of the original founders of the Friends.

However, in the past year it has been our great pleasure to elect three new Honorary Vice Presidents. This honour goes to people who have given outstanding service to The Friends of St Mary’s and to the church. The new Honorary Vice Presidents are:

  • Mr John Appleby
  • Mr William Fairney
  • Sir Ian Macfadyen

The first two were presented with their scrolls at the Service of Nine Lessons and Carols, and Sir Ian, who was on holiday at the time, received his scroll at the St Wulfstan Service on 19th January.

PLEASE HELP US TIDY THE CHURCHYARD

We are planning a number of maintenance forays into the churchyard this year to see if we can at last get it under control. The first will be Saturday 12th February at 10.30am. Please do come and help – no experience necessary, just enthusiasm and whatever tools you have to hand.

NEW FUNDRAISING EVENT: Bristol Male Voice Choir (14th May)

To end on a brighter note, as we see the light at the end of the Covid tunnel, we are beginning to plan new fundraising events for the coming year. The first of these is the Bristol Male Voice Choir singing in the church on Saturday 14th May. Don’t forget to put it in your diaries.

Best wishes to all Friends and potential Friends.

Colin Dixon
Chairman

FEBRUARY SERVICES

Sunday 6th February Holy Communion (9.30am)

Sunday 13th February Evensong (6pm)

Sunday 20th February Matins (9.30am)

Sunday 27th February Evensong (6pm)

Online video services will continued to be streamed at 10am on the first and third Sundays and live-streamed from Hawkesbury on second and fourth Sundays at www/youtube.com/c/badmintonbenefice.

Beautiful 2022 Calendar Supports Badminton Benefice

Now available in a strictly limited edition of just 100 is the perfect Christmas present for anyone who loves the beautiful Cotswold churches in the Badminton Benefice.

The Benefice’s music director and videographer Ben Humphries has captured twelve stunning seasonal images while filming our services at St Mary’s Hawkesbury and the seven other parish churches within the Benefice throughout lockdown. (For more stunning images on video, subscribe to the Benefice’s Youtube channel here.)

Like so many organisations, the Badminton Benefice has suffered from being unable to hold fundraising events since the outbreak of Covid. Ben’s generous donation to its cause of all profits from calendar sales will make a real difference to the work of the Benefice.

Printed on high-quality, silken stock, this exclusive calendar is now available to order in three ways:

The £10 price includes a sturdy white cardboard envelope, enabling you to post it to friends and relations anywhere in the world – the perfect gift for anyone who has moved away from the Benefice or who loves to visit it.

LIMITED EDITION OF 100 – so buy yours now to avoid disappointment!

April 2021 News

Lisa Overton, Secretary of the Friends of St Mary’s, provides our latest news round-up:

Eastertime, spring on its way and winter behind us, all the conservation work of the church completed, the new bells soon to be hung and start ringing, this is surely a time of hope and celebration for the Friends of St Mary’s.

We hope that the ending of the lockdown will allow us to plan events for the summer and autumn, including a performance by the Bristol Male Voice Choir, so please keep an eye on our website, our Facebook page and the Hawkesbury Parish News.

We hope to hold the Friends of St Mary’s AGM on Sunday 25th July in the church, followed by choral evensong, so please keep the date free.

THANK YOU TO DONORS AND GRANT-GIVERS

At the end of our successful project on the tower, we would like to thank the following for their wonderful financial support:

  • The Friends of St Mary’s, who raised and donated £55,000
  • The Enovert Trust (£20,000)
  • Gloucester Historic Churches Trust (£8,000)
  • The Sandra Trust (£8,000)
  • The Headley Trust (£5,000)
  • The Cottam Trust (£4,000)
  • The All Churches Trust (£2,300)
  • South Gloucestershire Council (£500)
  • The Renishaw Trust (£1,500)
  • The Langtree Trust (£500)
  • The Rausing Trust (£8,000)

I must add John and Stephanie Appleby and many other individuals who have been so generous. Many thanks too must go to the energetic fundraisers, especially Peter Setterfield, who organised the highly successful Waterloo Ball in 2015, to our Chairman Sir Ian Macfadyen and to Colin Dixon.

LIKE TO BECOME A FRIEND OF ST MARY’S?

The Friends of St Mary’s, founded in 1980, exists to raise funds for the fabric and preservation of St Mary’s church, and is open to anyone to join (you don’t have to be a church-goer, though you would be very welcome!)

We have members from far afield who have particular affection for this special building and its history, and who value its place in the fabric of our village and community.

For details of membership, click here. 

APRIL SERVICES

Due to lockdown, all services will be online this month, hosted on the Badminton Benefice’s YouTube account here.

4th – 10am – Easter Sunday (from Hawkesbury)
11h – 10am – Easter 2 (from Leighterton)
18th – 10am – Easter 3 (from Didmarton)
26th – 10am – St Mark the Evangelist (from Lasborough)

PLUS Midweek services on Zoom – every Wednesday at 9.30am
(Please contact the Vicar if you would like to attend)