|
drawing by the late Anthony
Hill |
The Friends of Leatherhead Parish Church - What's New?
For your 2022 Diary
Saturday 1 Oct, 7pm for a
prompt start at 7.30pm |
Sunday January 16 2022 anytime 2.30pm-4pm
in St Mary & St Nicholas
Meet the Neighbours An invitation to come along and meet your
neighbours for a cuppa and cake in the beautiful surroundings of
Leatherhead Parish Church. Now restored to the wonderful airy space
originally created by those mediaeval masons … and right on your
doorstep. For a two-minute video walkthrough of Leatherhead Parish
Church’s heritage please click here and then come along on 16th January to
explore for yourself, especially if it’s been a while.
Our last event before we went into the first Lockdown: 98 tickets were sold and the event contributed about £900 towards our work from a very enjoyable evening.
SATURDAY 7 MARCH 2020, PARISH CHURCH HALL
IT'S QUIZ TIME with Quizmaster Frank Haslam
7 pm for a prompt start at 7.30 pm - Teams of 6-8: form your own, or
join with others
Chicken alla Cacciatore - Salad and Crusty Bread - (Vegetarian
available to pre-order) - BRING YOUR OWN DRINKS AND GLASSES
If you would like further details, please telephone Chris Evans (01372
372169) - click
here for the booking form
The Friends of Leatherhead Parish Church in conjunction with Mole Valley
Arts Alive invite you to The Golden Age of Song featuring
the words and music of Richard Rodgers and Hoagy Carmichael,
presented by Pip Burley. Pip has presented two other such evenings
and they have been sell-outs. Please click here for the booking form.
Friends of Leatherhead Parish Church Chairman’s Report 2019
I am delighted to report on another successful year of fundraising. After the intensive activity of the previous twelve months this has been a more “normal” year, notwithstanding which our two flagship events, the Bridge Tea in November and Annual Quiz in March were amongst the best supported for many years, raising respectively £1,131 - a record - and £949.50.
Our fundraising is increasingly constrained by a lack of volunteer resources. To be successful we try hard to be innovative and creative. We do need however to able to draw on an enthusiastic pool of helpers to support the Committee. We also have to recognise that we are competing for money with many other charities. We are therefore keen to target new sections of our community and to programme our events so as to avoid conflict or charity “fatigue”. This issue is something we address at every meeting of the Committee and on which we would welcome additional member feedback at this year’s AGM or indeed at any time.
The continuing delay in commissioning repair and refurbishment work within the Parish Church has also been an increasing concern this year. The need to carry out investigative and archaeological research prior to completing contract negotiations and in order to reduce the risk of unexpected problems and potential cost overruns, is well appreciated. We have therefore maintained our pledge to contribute £90,000 of our reserves towards the replacement of the woodblock floor in the Aisles and Nave. There is however now some urgency to complete contract negotiations before inflation in building and construction costs widens still further the current funding gap.
Pending the results of the latest Quinquennial Review carried out in February we have also agreed not to press for any remedial or refurbishment work with the exception of tackling the recurrent problem of squirrel ingress to the Church from the trees in the graveyard. To this end we were pleased to continue our tradition of making an annual grant of £2,000 to the PCC towards graveyard maintenance. This is in addition to the efforts of the monthly working parties led by Frank Haslam.
Our Membership at 100 households is down 6 on 2018. There has also been a corresponding - and worrying -14% drop in annual subscriptions.
Overall therefore we have finished the year with net available
resources of £109,563.62, an increase of £3,124.04 over last year-end.
To finish on a more optimistic note, 2019 has started on a “high” with
two events - the Multi-Coloured Swap Shop and Race Night
- both of which were not only successful fundraisers but immensely
enjoyed by all participants.
As usual I would like to thank all our members for their support of our
fundraising and, needless to say, the Committee, together with a small
but dedicated band of helpers, who organise these events.
Chris Evans. Chairman FLPC
Friday 26th April 2019 at 7pm Parish Hall, Church Road, Leatherhead
The Leatherhead Residents Association and the Friends of Leatherhead
Parish Church hosted a RACE NIGHT in aid of thr LRA Project Fund
and to assist with the upkeep and maintenance of our Grade II* Listed
Parish Church. Tickets were £10 per person including Lasagne Supper and
there was a Cash bar for drinks and snacks.
The event was well attended and a very worthwhile fund raiser.
Saturday 6th April 7.15 pm in the Parish Hall MULTICOLOURED
SWAP SHOP
This was a relaxed evening amongst friends, with stimulating
conversation, complementary music and an opportunity for a cathartic
swap shop. It was BYO drinks and glasses with a convivial supper
provided by our marvellous team of volunteers (Chicken Pasta Bake (or
Veg alternative) & green salad & French bread. Delicious
desserts selection. Coffee & Chocolate Mints). There was a special
guest performance by Hedley Kay
Swapshop? People brought 2-4 now unwanted good-as-new items which were
swapped at intervals for £2 each.
The evening was very successful both socially and as a fun-raiser.
2018 Bridge Tea - from the December 2018 magazine
Thank you to everyone who supported this year's Bridge Tea,
organised by Fran Fleming and a group of dedicated volunteers. As a
result of your generosity, we have added over £1,000 to the Friends'
funds for maintenance of the Church and grounds.
We send you ail Seasons Greetings and look forward to welcoming you to
more events in 2019.
Friends of Leatherhead Parish Church Chairman’s Report 2018
It gives me immense pleasure to report that the amount of money raised
by the Friends in the last twelve months at £8,236 was the highest for
more than a decade. This was thanks in no small part to the success of
The Golden Age of Song a “double bill” of musical evenings in November
2017 and January 2018. We are indebted to Pip Burley not only for his
brilliant presentation and copious illustration in words and music of
the lives of four of the greatest songwriters of the 20th Century but
also his generosity in providing his services entirely free of charge
and gifting us the proceeds of sale of his book and CDs.
Our partnership with the Residents’ Association in organising
Leatherhead Open Gardens on a wonderfully sunny Sunday in July also
proved fruitful. This was followed by our annual Bridge Tea in November
which continues to attract a “full house” of ardent - and generous -
players from around the county. For the third year in a row the Arts
Society of Leatherhead (formerly NADFAS) was kind enough to nominate the
Friends as their chosen charity at their Christmas by Candlelight
concert in the Parish Church and our financial year ended as usual in
March with our ever popular Quiz Night. Our thanks to all those who
helped organise these events as well as to the many loyal and
enthusiastic participants.
At last year’s AGM, the membership approved the Committee’s
recommendation that the FLPC should support those elements of the PCC's
Making History Project which were consistent with our charitable aims
and would ensure continuing care as well as greater community use of the
building. Together with the PCC we have therefore adopted a conservative
approach to initiating or providing funds for all but essential repairs
in the Church pending Mole Valley Planning Approval and receipt of
Faculties from the Diocesan Advisory Committee. We await to see the
final plans and results of competitive tendering for the proposed works.
Meanwhile we have been pleased to pay for the whole £1,700 cost of
replacing the bell ropes in the Tower. We also took the opportunity of
the annual Quiz to present a cheque for £2,000 to the Rector to assist
the PCC with the costs of maintaining the Churchyard.
Net of these costs we now have cleared funds of £106,439 at our disposal
on which we unfortunately continue to earn only a very modest rate of
interest.
Our Membership at 106 households is slightly down on 2017, but
subscriptions have held up which is very gratifying in view of the
current economic climate and increasing competition for funds between
deserving charities.
If I have a concern it is that we continue to rely for our fundraising
on the dedication and hard work of a diminishing band of committee
members and supporters. The addition of just one or two members to the
Committee or as helpers in the organisation of fundraising events would
not merely relieve some of the strain but release us to develop and
implement new initiatives. At the same time as thanking you all for your
support I would once again call on members to contact a member of the
Committee about volunteering some of your time. We are always open to
suggestions and offers of help!
Chris Evans.
Chairman FLPC
Friends of Leatherhead Parish Church
The Annual General Meeting of the FLPC will take place in the Reeves
Room at Leatherhead Parish Church Hall at 7.30 pm on Friday 25th May
2018.
Non-Members would be particularly welcome to attend this meeting in
order to learn more about our charitable aims and activities. Wine, soft
drinks and nibbles will be available from 7pm
AGENDA
1) Apologies for Absence
2) Minutes of the AGM held on Friday 12th May 2017
3) Matters Arising
4) Chairman's Report
5) Treasurer's Report
6) Election of Officers and the Committee
7) Prolongation of appointment of Examiner of Accounts (Roger Lynch FCA)
8) Any other business
from the May 2018 magazine
On Saturday 10th March 2018 the PCH was again full for the Friends
Annual Quiz Night. We welcomed back our regular Quizmaster, Frank
Haslam, ably supported this time by last year's host Julian Steed. As
usual competition was fierce with one team or another fighting it out
for leadership on rounds varying from "Name the Musical" to Film Titles,
the first line of text from popular Hymn Tunes, and cleverly pixellated
photos of local landmarks. Sad to say the congregation seemed to know
more about the former than the latter two! In the end only eight points
separated the top five teams and two worthy winners emerged: the top
scorers overall and the team with the smallest number of players but the
highest average score. Congratulations to both and well done!
This year the Friends wished to highlight the support they give to the
Parish Church beyond maintenance and repair of the Church Building and
in particular the work undertaken by a regular working party on each
first Saturday of the month to clear pathways, brambles and dangerous or
overhanging branches in the graveyard. We were pleased therefore at the
end of the evening to hand over a cheque to the Rector Graham Osborne,
made payable to the PCC, for £2,000 including monies raised from the
Quiz and other fund raising events during the year generously supported
by members, family and friends. A big "thank you" to you all.
Christopher Evans, Chairman
from the May 2018 magazine
A Grave Matter
The Friends of the Parish Church were recently asked by the Making
History project team if they could clear one of the few remaining railed
graves of unwanted weeds and brambles, as a precaution against
disturbance to birds nesting in a spot which might be affected by the
progress of the project. Steve Gibson, Dave Jones and Frank Haslam took
on the task during a recent Churchyard Working Party session. We were
joined by Chris Evans, Chairman of the Friends.
The Rector has given verbal consent to adding a layer of small gravel
appropriate to the period of the graves, in order to minimise further
growth and damage to the graves.
Readers are assured that care was taken that no-one was left behind the
railings ....
 before |
 after |
Incidentally, according to the January 1941 Parish Magazine "The Vicar
has been informed by the Urban District Council that the weight of metal
realised through the removal of the Churchyard railings was 4-tons 7-cwt
2-qrs." [9,940 lb, 4,509 kg]
Frank Haslam, on behalf of the Churchyard Working Party, which
welcomes new helpers bearing at least secateurs, at 9am on the first
Saturday morning of the month: info L379341
from the March 2018 magazine
"Night and Day...You are the One..."
Once again on 31st January doors closed on a "Full House" at the Parish
Church Hall for the second of Pip Burley's explorations of the "Golden
Age of Song".
This time Cole Porter and George Gershwin were "in the spotlight". What
a contrast with their contemporaries, Irving Berlin and Jerome Kern,
although all four had things in common: two of the four had Russo-Jewish
ancestry and the lives of two were marred by tragedy or circumstance.
Two died relatively young.
Their influence on popular music and in particular on the Musical during
the interwar and immediate post-war era was, however, incalculable, each
in turn being required by changes in society and public taste to
continuously adapt their compositions and style.
As during "Part One" in November Pip Burley captivated his audience with
a combination of video and audio clips and masterful demonstration on
the Grand Piano of the technical innovations in each of the four
composers' musical output.
The Friends of Leatherhead Parish Church would like to express their
gratitude to Pip for his generosity with his time and his donation of
all the proceeds from the sale of his books and CDs. Thanks too to all
who attended one or both of the evening performances for your support of
FLPC Fundraising. As a result a magnificent total of £4,500 was raised
to assist with the Friends' commitment to the maintenance of our
beautiful Church.
John and Jackie Hampton
from the October 2017 magazine
In conjunction with the Friends of Leatherhead Parish Church
Pip Burley presents "The Golden Age of Song"
Celebrating the lives and work of the four greatest songwriters who
ever lived
WEDNESDAY 22nd NOVEMBER & WEDNESDAY 31st JANUARY 2018
Parish Church Hall Leatherhead at 7.30pm
Pip Burley pays tribute to the lives, words and music of Jerome Kern,
Irving Berlin, Cole Porter and George Gershwin - four men who defined
popular music during the first half of the last century.
Come and enjoy their beautiful songs - as fresh and inspiring today as
when they were first written - and hear about the triumphs and tragedies
of these musical geniuses who cast their spell on us all.
Lavishly accompanied with slides and videos of their lives and music,
with occasional illustrations on the piano.
Wednesday 22nd November 2017 - Jerome Kern & Irving Berlin Wednesday
31st January 2018 - Cole Porter & George Gershwin Tickets: £15pp for
each Concert. All proceeds to the Parish Church
Wine and Nibbles included in the ticket price and served during the
interval
PIP BURLEY
Instead of spending life as an engineer, Pip chose the world of music
and the media. His colourful career has included performing with The
Beatles, working in cabaret in the West End and on cruise ships with Joe
Loss, as well as composing for commercials on radio and TV. He was also
artistic director for the National Trust at Polesden Lacey.
In the 1980s he devised and produced hit TV shows such as A Touch of
Frost and The Darling Buds of May, for which he also composed much of
the music, winning an Ivor Novello Award.
Pip has been a featured lecturer onboard The Queen Elizabeth and The
Queen Victoria presenting his series of lectures entitled "The Golden
Age of Song". He enjoys putting his audience at ease with talks that are
informative and informal -and, above all, highly entertaining!
Pip was honoured to be appointed Chief Barker of Variety Club of Great
Britain in its 50th Anniversary year. He lives in Headley and is married
with three daughters and five grandchildren (soon to be six!).
Telephone bookings - phone L376640
VINTAGE BUS RALLY AND
LEATHERHEAD OPEN GARDENS SUNDAY 9th JULY 2017 - from the August 2017
Parish magazine
Is it surprising that the weather is such a constant topic of
conversation in this country? Last year on Leatherhead Open Gardens Day
we endured rain and record low temperatures, this year it was quite the
reverse, sunshine from dawn to dusk and temperatures which made
Leatherhead hotter than Southern Spain. That of course came after every
gardener's nightmare: no rain apart from the odd shower for almost two
months. But that is why we love our country, our gardens...and our
constantly unpredictable weather.
Superlatives were the order of the day on Sunday 9th July. Spectacular
garden design and some unique locations; a colossal range of perfect
roses, dahlias, hollyhocks, pelargoniums, petunias, phlox, verbena and
grasses; sculpture and formality combined with flower meadows and
cottage garden bedding which would have challenged even Gertrude Jekyll
to improve upon; expert use of space and productive vegetable and fruit
plots squeezed into the tiniest of plots....visitors to Leatherhead
Gardens were spoilt for choice. This and the fact that, in combination
with a Vintage Bus Running Day, nearly all the gardens were linked via a
regular bus service...and just when during the afternoon it began to get
altogether too hot the combined FLPC and Church Catering Team were able
to offer hot and cold drinks and a delicious selection of homemade
cakes, flapjacks and biscuits in the comparative cool of the Parish
Church.
The Friends and our co-sponsors the Leatherhead Residents
Association thank all our local garden owners for their amazing
hard work in trying circumstances, their helpers on the day, and all the
members of the Church family who contributed their time, and sales and
marketing skills to make this year's Open Gardens not just a financial
success but such an enjoyable experience for the hundred plus visitors.
We are already making plans for 2018. Will you join in next year?
Chris Evans, Chairman FLPC.
The Annual General Meeting of the Friends of Leatherhead Parish
Church took place in the Parish Church Hall on the evening of Friday
12th May - from the July 2017 parish magazine
An enthusiastic audience of members heard the Committee report on a highly successful twelve months of fundraising for the Church (see below for Chairman's Report to Members). Support was expressed for a number of specific elements within the Church Project "Making History for the next 1000 years" which will address current problems within the Church building of unstable and rotting flooring, poor and inefficient heating and unreliable and potentially dangerous electrical circuitry. The committee will therefore consider favourably any requests from the PCC for assistance in these areas.
The focus then shifted towards marketing the FLPC more effectively as a fundraising charity and increasing the current membership. Whereas the issue in 2016 of the new explanatory leaflet and application form for membership was a step in the right direction, members felt that more could be done. Summing up the discussion the Chairman stressed how much of current fundraising success was dependent on the dedication and efforts of a tiny number of committee and helpers. More volunteers were therefore needed from the membership to supplement their efforts. Our thanks to Sonia Grove for the refreshments which then ensured a lively ongoing debate on the issues raised during the meeting!
Friends of Leatherhead Parish Church - Chairman’s Report 2017
I am delighted to report on another highly successful year of
fundraising. Annual events such as the Quiz and Bridge Tea continue to
be well attended and enthusiastic support of the raffles more than made
up for a slight drop in ticket sales and an increase in costs. We were
very unfortunate that Open Gardens in June coincided with an
unseasonably cold and wet spell of weather. This was however more than
compensated later in the year by the exceptional generosity of the
Leatherhead DFAS. A massive £1,800 was gifted by LeDFAS from the sale of
tickets to their Christmas by Candlelight concert in the Parish
Church and a retiring collection.
By the end of our financial year we had raised a total of £6,099
excluding interest and legacies compared with £5,679 in the comparable
period last year.
There is never any lack of projects in and around the Church which call
for financial assistance. This is in addition to the sterling work
carried out in the Graveyard on the first Saturday of every month by
Frank Haslam and his team. As reported in my Januaiy letter, water
leaking into the void between the boiler room and the lower vestry floor
resulted in rotting of the supporting timbers and flooring over a wide
area and ultimately to its collapse. The PCC commissioned repairs and
submitted a claim on their insurance, the outcome of which is still
unknown. We were pleased to be in a position this year to respond to
another request from the PCC to assist with the costs of renewing the
boundary fencing between the Graveyard and Worple Road. Apart from any
danger to the public, the overgrown and unstable fencing was a permanent
source of complaint by local residents and impeded our efforts to
maintain the area surrounding the Church to a high standard. The
Committee therefore approved a grant of £4,676 to cover the total cost
of the work inclusive of the removal of a number of yew trees which for
years have hidden from view the North Porch and Transept of the Church.
Meanwhile, progress continues to be made on plans by the PCC to re-order the interior of the Church building. FLPC members were invited to join the Congregation at presentations in the Church at the beginning of March. They were shown how it is intended to restore many of the architectural features of the mediaeval Church by freeing up space for a wider series of community activities; also how, using modem technology, the story of its heritage can be better told. An important objective will be to attract more visitors to the Church and to Leatherhead.
Following these presentations the Committee met to discuss and to agree principles and guidelines governing both future grants to the Church and fundraising which could then be submitted for discussion and approval by members at the Annual General Meeting.
The FLPC is bound by its constitution and charitable status to assist with the maintenance of the Church and its surroundings, ensuring it is passed on to future generations to use and enjoy as much as we do today. The Committee sees no reason to diverge from these aims. Indeed they are not incompatible with being willing to contribute towards any work inside the Church which guarantees or extends the life of the existing structure and addresses long standing issues of maintenance, repair, replacement or restoration. Thus any approach by the PCC for assistance for help with, for example, replacement of the current dangerous or unstable flooring, inefficient heating system or outdated electrical circuitry could be viewed favourably.
I cannot end my report without once again thanking you, our loyal membership base, for your continued support.
We have worked hard this year to increase our profile as a Charity and I would therefore be grateful of any assistance you could give us in increasing our membership. Additional copies of the new membership leaflet are available from any member of the Committee for distribution to interested parties including friends and neighbours and other family members.
We are also much in need of practical support in organising fund
raising as well as ideas for increasing and diversifying the number of
events we organise each year. Please do not hold back! Any contribution
in time or support will be gratefully received and respected.
Chris Evans Chairman FLPC
"The Winning Team" - from the April 2017 magazine
After six rounds of intensive competition the Winning Team at the FLPC's
Annual Quiz Night in the Parish Church Hall showed off their Easter Egg
prizes.
A new format this year attracted a near record entry of 15 tables and
over 100 enthusiastic contestants. This was not a competition which
advantaged any section of the community or age group, with questions
ranging from the date of the Great Train Robbery to the signature tune
of the BBC's "Match of the Day" or the national flag of Greenland. As
the pace quickened and tension grew towards the end of the evening a
team with almost no incorrect answers in the first five rounds risked
forfeiting its lead in a last round worth twice as many points.
In his closing remarks Chairman Chris Evans expressed his gratitude to
Quizmaster Julian Steed and the Committee for organising such a
successful - and challenging - Quiz night. He was particularly grateful
to members, their families and friends for their continuing loyalty and
generosity in supporting FLPC fund raising events. Presenting a cheque
to the Rector for £1,000, mostly raised by the Quiz, he hoped that more
people in Leatherhead and the surrounding area with an interest in
maintaining and preserving the Church for future generations could be
encouraged to join the FLPC and lend their support to future fund
raising.
Chris Evans
| "Winning Tricks" - from the December 2016 magazine No...not a Birthday Party for two year olds but a serious business as 60 Bridge Players from North Surrey gathered at this year's annual Friends Bridge Tea in the Parish Church Hall on Wednesday 9th November. One of several objectives meriting the coveted "2" Balloon was to win their trick with the smallest numbered card in the pack. So it was "eyes down" until at the half way stage a delicious tea was served of handmade sandwiches and home-baked cakes. Thanks are due to Fran Fleming and Jackie Hampton and all members of the Friends Committee whose collective hard work made for a most enjoyable afternoon of Bridge as well as raising additional funds for repairs currently being undertaken in the Church. Chris Evans |
 |
from the November 2016 magazine
The Friends of Leatherhead Parish Church treasure Leatherhead's most
beautiful mediaeval building and are determined to follow the example of
previous generations, across the centuries, who handed it over to our
care.
We are eternally grateful for the generosity of our members who support
our efforts to maintain the Church and its surroundings.
However, sometimes nature conspires against us and the corrosive
agencies of time and weather wreak havoc with our intentions.
We are currently facing the challenges of the recent collapse of the
vestry floor and storm damage to the trees and fences in the Churchyard.
We need your help, both in gaining new members and assisting us in
organising fund-raising events.
If you are already a member we will be writing to you shortly inviting
you to renew your membership from 1st January 2017.
If you are not a member and would like to know more before joining us,
please contact our Membership Secretary, Fran Fleming, on L375957.
Similarly, if you have friends or relations living in the area who might
be interested in joining or giving of their time to assist us - in
whatever way suits them - we would be delighted to hear from them.
Chris Evans
Chairman of the FLPC (L372169
Leatherhead Open Gardens - June 2016 Sponsored by the Friends of Leatherhead Parish Church and the Leatherhead Residents' Association - from the July 2016 magazine
Sunday 12th June dawned under cloudy skies and by 10.00am it was raining hard, dampening the hopes of the fourteen garden owners participating in this year's Leatherhead Open Gardens - all of whom had worked so hard to bring their gardens to peak perfection in the weeks before.
The event had also been timed to coincide with a Vintage Bus Rally with two former London Transport Green Line buses "commandeered" to take visitors on a loop between Randalls Road,
Ashtead, and Givons Grove Estate with stops along the way at gardens on display and ending at the Parish Church where a delicious selection of sandwiches cakes and cream teas was served throughout the afternoon. Finally the clouds began to clear and the sun tempted more people out. Riding in buses last seen on routes in Surrey thirty to forty years ago also proved a great draw and just as big a surprise to those out for a Sunday stroll! Happily most of the gardens reported a steady stream of visitors, helped no doubt by the novel means of transport. We would like to express our thanks to our visitors, to all the garden owners, our team of helpers in the Parish Church and last but not least the vintage bus owners and drivers who came from all over South East England to make it such a unique day.
Chris Evans
Our 2016 Annual General Meeting took place in the Parish Church Hall on 22 May 2016. Afterwards Paul Pickering gave a talk on The Benedictines.
Friends of Leatherhead Parish Church Chairman’s Report May 2016 - from the July 2016 magazine
Many of our members reading this report will be familiar with its more regular content. Once again we have raised a significant amount of money during the last twelve months to assist in maintaining the fabric and grounds of the Parish Church. This has been the result of hard work by your Committee and continuing support of fund raising events from our members. All of this money has been used judiciously: to tackle work which we have suggested to the Parochial Church Council (PCC) as being necessary or for which they have approached us for help. Any excess has been added to our reserves in anticipation of longer term needs identified in the last Quinquennial Review. Full details are contained in the Financial Accounts.
What has changed is that we are a big step closer to knowing what the PCC would like to do to fulfil their aim of "putting the Parish Church at the centre of the Community." This includes not only their priorities but also the timescale and potential costs. As anticipated, the re-ordering will involve welcome improvements in flooring, heating and lighting. More of the pews will give way to flexible seating, enabling the Church to be used for events which it currently cannot accommodate and on more days of the week. Such investment will, in our view, enhance our chances of guaranteeing a future for this historic building and passing it on to the next generation in a state which they might consider more "fit for purpose." The active involvement of the FLPC is being sought and we will be allowed to comment in detail on changes to the fabric of this cherished building.
What is clear is that a prodigious amount of money will need to be raised and immense effort expended to deliver such a project within the planned two year timescale. Although a proportion of what will be required has been identified, the investment required would dwarf anything attempted by the FLPC in the past and would be beyond our current limited people resources. Whereas we might aim to double or even triple our annual targets the role of the FLPC will be predominantly supportive and complementary to those of the main PCC Funding Team. We believe our strength in attracting support lies in the non-denominational nature of our charity stressing our objective of assisting with the maintenance and enhancement of the building itself.
One other major development this year will greatly assist us as work
proceeds on the Church. The FLPC has been the beneficiary of two very
significant legacies. We are amazingly privileged. It is also a
tremendous tribute to the FLPC to have been chosen by people associated
with the Church in the past as a vehicle for ensuring the building and
its surroundings are adequately protected and maintained. Their legacies
will give us great flexibility both in the choice of what we can support
and how immediately.
We will do our best to meet their expectations.
Last but by no means least a word about our loyal membership base. This continues to decline for reasons over which we have no control. We need help from you in significantly re-building and extending our membership base. This means publicising the FLPC to friends, neighbours and acquaintances not currently involved and into new areas of Leatherhead and surroundings where we have no representation. We are currently putting effort into revising our publicity material. Even more pressing is the need to be able to call on resources to assist with a larger annual fundraising programme.
If you have any thoughts or ready contacts please share them with any
member of the Committee.
Thank you again for your support. We look forward to seeing you at any,
or all, of our future fundraising events.
Chris Evans Chairman FLPC
IT WAS QUIZ TIME AGAIN,
with Quizmaster Frank Haslam, on Saturday 5th March 2016. Once again
good fun appeared to be had and we raised over £600 towards the work of
the Friends
Brandenburg Choral Festival, Saturday
9th April 2016
2.30pm Guided Walk: Somerset Ho., Inns of Court, Temple, Fleet St, Drury
La, Covent Gdn
4pm Fauré Requiem, St Paul’s Covent Garden (own travel)
Part of the proceeds will be donated to the Friends of Leatherhead
Parish Church. Tickets £20. This proved to be another excellent outing.
Our guide knew her stuff, the weather was kind to us and the concert was
just the thing to end our afternoon. The choir singing all around us was
magical.
Our 2015 Annual General Meeting took place in the Reeves Room of the Parish Church Hall at 7.30pm on Friday 22nd May 2015 The Rector of Leatherhead was our speaker.
The Friends are grateful to the Brandenburg Choral Festival for enabling us to share in the proceeds from their concert at St Paul's Covent Garden on 22nd March 2015, which a large number of us attended. It was a wonderful occasion in a most interesting setting. Some of us went up earlier in the day in order to visit 2 Temple Place, not far from the concert venue to see the new exhibition Cotton to Gold: Extraordinary Collections of the Industrial North West. The magnificent mansion has been transformed into a casket for the exquisite treasures of an extraordinary group of Lancashire magnates. As the cotton mills boomed, bringing development and deprivation hand in hand, this group of prominent industrialists privately, and sometimes secretively, poured their wealth into some of the finest and most astonishing collections in the country.
We had a special bonus that day as we were able to view Bruce
Denny's statue "Conversion of Saint Paul", which had been unveiled
by Dame Judi Dench in the Church grounds the previous Friday.
June Robinson
Renewal of FLPC memberships Notices went out in November 2014 inviting renewal of FLPC memberships. We should like to encourage more people interested in maintaining our beautiful Parish Church both for this and future generations to join us and, if possible, play a role, however modest, in organising our fund raising activities.
Even if you don’t feel able to commit to a very modest annual contribution – there is no minimum although £10 is suggested – you may wish to help us with your time. We would welcome hearing from you at any time; contact numbers at the back of each month’s Parish Magazine.
Our popular Bridge Tea in the Parish Hall in November raised over £950. Many thanks to Fran Fleming and the wonderful team who put on this jewel of an event.
Our Open Gardens Day on Sunday 8 June proved a resounding success thanks to the combination of perfect weather, months of hard work by the garden owners to produce such wonderful displays of their art, and the cream teas served to garden visitors in the cool and calm of the Parish Church.
Our thanks to Nicky Osborne and the combined FLPC and Church catering
team as well as those who manned the Plant Stall outside. The grand sum
of over £1,700 raised from ticket sales, raffle, and refreshments will
be split equally between The Friends and our co-sponsors the Leatherhead
Residents Association. Plans are already in hand to open a brand new
selection of Leatherhead Gardens at the beginning of June 2015.
Chris Evans - from the August 2014 Parish Magazine
Joe Parry Remembered the Friends
Joe Parry died on 13th March this year. His father was a Master Tailor who had premises where the Edmund Tylney pub now stands. When the pub opened Joe told the manager that he had lived on the site and was presented with a complimentary pint.
Joe was a member of 1st Leatherhead Scouts. His first job was as an office boy with the Electricity Generating Company in Bridge Street. At the age of 19, finding life too quiet in Leatherhead, he moved to Battersea. Two years later, on a visit to Canada to see the Toronto Exhibition, he contracted polio and was completely paralysed for over 10 months. Recovering, albeit with the loss of the use of one hand, he retrained as a draughtsman, drawing with his good hand and positioning draughting tools with the other.
He worked for the Hydro Electric Power Commission of Ontario and in 1942 met and married Gladys. They came to England in 1946, living firstly in Copthorne Road and then Kingscroft Road. In later life, widowed, he lived at Skeet House and latterly in a nursing home in Dorking. He worked at H R Nash doing repairs and then at Ronsons. He had a keen interest in motor cycles and, with Gladys in a sidecar, travelled to the Isle of Man and all over Europe to attend events.
He was a keen member of the Local History Society and an avid film club
member, when not making beer and wine. His attachment to Leatherhead
extended to supporting the Friends of the Parish Church and some may
recall him and Brian Hennegan giving most interesting and entertaining
talks after an AGM.
Joe asked for his ashes to be placed in the Parry family grave in our
churchyard, which the Friends helped to locate. The Friends are grateful
for the just over £4,600 left to us by Joe. It is not every funeral
ceremony that concludes with the Red Flag!
Frank Haslam - from the August 2014 Parish Magazine