Amport Church News - April 2005

Donation Policy.

The PCC has re-defined its donation policy as follows:

"Donations to outside bodies would include the ongoing annual gifts from the Harvest Festival to Water Aid, Remembrance Sunday to the Royal British Legion and Christingle to the Children's Society. Beyond this, the Family Service of the second Sunday each month would provide funds for charities to be recommended by the Charity sub-Committee, and when there was a fete the organisers would propose a charity for the PCC's approval. Lists of the charities benefiting would be announced, and results posted and published, and it would be made clear that donors could give to the Church rather than the named charity if they so wished. The guide to be used by the Finance sub­Committee, would be to donate 8-10% of the annual total given voluntarily to St Mary's."

Development Plans.

The application had been sent to the Diocesan Advisory Committee who had welcomed it generally but had made two suggestions:

1. That the rectangular WC in the porch be rotated through 90 degrees to give more space to the kitchen. This was considered by the PCC who considered that the change would encroach unacceptably into the main space and be aesthetically damaging. The DAC then made a second suggestion as follows:
2. Since they felt that the kitchen as proposed is very small, it was suggested that it might be omitted entirely in favour of a cupboard style kitchenette facility situated in an accessible area within the church such as the north transept. This suggestion would be considered by the PCC as soon as possible.

When the DAC and PCC have agreed the suggestion, the DAC would reply and state that it would be necessary to first carry out archaeological investigation of the site and waste and water routes and second, to approach English Heritage, the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, the Victorian Society and the Test Valley Borough Council Planning Department, to seek their comments. This will mean several months delay before submission to the Diocesan Registrar for a Faculty and, following his permission, hopefully tenders will be sought at the end of the year. Then fundraising would start, though the Finance Committee and Fundraising Advisory Group will start drafting business and development plans mid-summer.

Sound System.

David Baugh, Barry Ricket and others had done a lot of work over many years, but the equipment was old and much of it now needed to be replaced. Furthermore, a loop induction system should be fitted to meet the conditions of the Disability Act 2004 and to prepare for wider use of St Mary's. Tenders have been sought and the permission of the DAC will be needed, all of which will take some months to effect before the work is done.