December 2021
from the St Peter & St Paul magazine
What a month!
The good news is that support remains strong and we now have over £60,000 in the bank.
The online auction, which continued until 10 December, will add more than £4000 to this sum. Our thanks to Tony and Penny Ross for organising this.
The less good news is that we felt fundraising events had to be called off as Covid numbers in Somerset rose and people naturally became more nervous about mingling too closely. The Bluebirds’ Musicians of Bremen has been cancelled, and Julian Comrie’s talk and Jenny Satchwell’s quiz have been postponed until the spring.
All tickets that were booked for those two events will be valid on the new dates.
And the least good news is that we have to delay naming a contractor. It was all going so well (as we said to the public meeting in October). We had consulted technical experts and advisers at every step. The companies that were bidding for work had gone through a detailed process of comparison. Everyone who needed to be on board said they were indeed on board. We had booked one more meeting with a contractor before making a recommendation to the Parochial Church Council ...
... and then the diocese unexpectedly required us to gather more information about the building work that is necessary to instal the new bell frame.
This was (to use the ecclesiastical jargon) something of a reverse ferret. It means we have to bring in another surveyor, who will produce another technical report, which will lead to another discussion with the contractors. And maybe then – some time in the first months of the new year, all being well – we can confirm who will carry out the renovation.
Prints of this drawing of North Curry church (A3, black on white) are on sale to support the Appeal of Bells: £20. To buy, email m@martinhorrox.co.uk
In the story of renewing the bells this is not a full stop but – frustrating though it is – no more than a comma or semi-colon: a brief pause along the way. Applications to grant-giving bodies will have to wait; all other fundraising continues.
In the next few months the focus will be on satisfying the new requirements of the diocese on all aspects of the proposed works, then appointing the supplier and applying for the faculty (ie permission from the diocese to proceed). Grants will be a priority alongside this and of course a full programme of activities as life returns to normal (yet again).
Steve Jackson has joined the team to deal with the expert advice and supplier choice, Penny Ross will take on fundraising activities and Rowena Jackson will work with her on fundraising and also share the work on grant applications.
We want to be able to place an order for the new bells as soon as we reach £90,000. We’re getting closer – but there’s still more to do!