FUNDING FABRIC REPAIRS

The costs of maintaining, repairing, and improving our parish churches is one of the most substantial financial items to be dealt with by PCCs. It is recommended that a policy be adopted whereby the bulk of these costs are raised from the community as a whole, and do not fall wholly upon the regular churchgoers.

LOCAL INCOME

In villages in particular, there is often a general sense of goodwill towards the parish church even from those who do not normally worship in the building. Quite a number of parishes have raised considerable sums of money towards repairs in this way. Some parishes have set up independent bodies frequently called ‘the Friends of …’; others have set up within the context of PCC income a separate ‘building fund’ to which everyone may subscribe. Other PCCs prefer to keep immediate control of the income raised. A leaflet describing a possible constitution for a Friends’ Scheme can be found in Archdeacon’s paper no 20, available from the Diocesan Office or download from www.ely.anglican.org/about/archdeacons_pages/archdeacons_papers.html

Whichever method is used, it has been found to be helpful if the Parish Priest and Churchwardens can be ex-officio members of the group set up, in order to ensure that the purposes of the fund-raising coincide with the priorities for repair and maintenance perceived by the PCC as a result of the architect’s Quinquennial Inspection Report. At the same time, many parishes have welcomed the chairmanship of a non-PCC member to this group; this can bring the individual’s skills, drive, and energy to the task, as well as enabling the community to perceive that the fund-raising is genuinely a village affair, and not simply the PCC in a different guise.

There are many different ways in which funds may be raised. Direct giving in the form of tax-efficient Gift Aid remains the most financially effective method. In addition, sums may be raised from fêtes, concerts, exhibitions, auctions both of goods and promises, talks on local history or other topics of genuine interest, parish suppers, strawberry teas, open gardens, flower festivals, sponsored activities – to name but a few well-tried activities. If a parish has deposited ancient registers and documents in the County Record Office, the Office is usually delighted to allow a parish to have such documents back for display at a festival, and often these will be mounted helpfully for display purposes.

Two books offering a general guide to fundraising are ‘Fundraising for Churches’ by Jane Grieve, published by SPCK, and the UK Church Fundraising Handbook by Maggie Durran, published by Canterbury Press.