Welcome to the Friends of St Peter’s page!
Our story
In its forty years of existence, the Friends have been dedicated to supporting the church through fundraising and volunteering and have raised considerable amounts of money for St Peter’s.
Formed in 1982, FOSP is a registered charity (285131) and, although the legal responsibility for the church building remains with St Peter’s PCC (Parochial Church Council), the Friends’ responsibilities (according to its constitution) are:
- The preservation, repair, restoration, improvement and ornamentation of the fabric of St. Peter’s church and to provide articles for use in worship there.
- The maintenance, repair and upkeep of the churchyard and graveyard (and any extension thereof), its boundaries and accesses; the lopping, felling and planting of trees in the churchyard; the provision of lighting (including floodlighting) and the necessary cabling thereof.
However, since the fire at the church some eight years ago, it has been all hands on deck to raise the huge amount of money needed to get the building up and running again.
Fundraising
We raise money in a variety of ways, and always try to appeal to as wide a range of people as possible. Since 2020, Covid has put paid to a number or events, but the energetic and committed efforts of many in the village, including the Friends, have raised substantial funds in spite of such an uncertain climate.
Once or twice a year, we also like to hold large fundraisers, including talks, sales, dinners and our annual garden party, usually held in a beautiful village garden, and to which everyone is invited.
Please see our ‘Future Events’ section for more details of what’s coming up.
But we also very much value our smaller community events, such as the twice yearly and very popular ‘Soup and Pudding Lunch’ and the successful Christmas Carols evening, first held in 2021. These are times for the village to come together and enjoy a celebration and each other’s company.
We also like to support events held by other groups in the village – such as our cake stall at the Pram Race, Village Fete or Victorian Christmas Market.
Accounts and Funds Raised To Date
Information to be provided shortly
Join us!
We are always looking for new people with new ideas to join us on our committee or to be a ‘Friend of the Friends’ – someone we can call on when we are looking for volunteers to help with a specific event or project. You can also become a member. Just contact John Pakenham-Walsh on jpwalsh61@gmail.com for a membership form. The suggested minimum donation is £10 a year.
Who we are
Joint Chairs: Lesley Morgan and Sue Pakenham-Walsh
Secretary: Mary Flatt
Treasurer: John Pakenham-Walsh
Committee Members:
Jenny Nops (Parish Council Representative)
Julia Flory
Sarah Earthy (Church Warden)
Barbara Pettigree (Church Warden)
Revd Amber Beresford (Vicar)
Contact us on lesl@neilandlesl.force9.co.uk or suepw2@gmail.com