Current Situation
The PCC and the Treasurer are very dedicated to the challenging task of ensuring that there is sufficient income from a variety of sources to meet the considerable cost of running and maintaining the church, amounting to about £250 per day. The parish has a policy of encouraging individual planned giving through stewardship. There is an envelope scheme, a gift aid scheme and the facility for payment by banker’s order. In addition to regular giving, the parish uses its active social life to raise funds for a variety of projects.
For more details, please contact the Treasurer (see CONTACT US).
Major Ongoing Projects
Although a substantial building, our medieval church is in constant need of attention and the Fabric Committee invests a considerable amount of time and effort in assessing the current needs and allocating priorities in the light of funds available.
The most significant work undertaken in recent years has been the repair of the roof of the north aisle in 2010 at a cost of £64,320. The fund raising was completed in October 2015 and many other projects are now being considered, including the development of the west end of the church to improve the facilities and hence increase the potential use of the building
The Friends of St Mary’s
The Friends of St Mary’s group was founded in 1998, initially to raise funds for a new heating system. The current objectives of the Society are to maintain, repair, renew, preserve and improve, for the benefit of the public, the fabric of the church, including fixtures, fittings, furniture and equipment. Their significant help in recent years has included the following donations:
· £ 1000 for general repairs
· £ 2500 towards the new roof security system
· £ 4739 towards new lighting in the chancel and nave
· £ 1030.06 for repair of the church notice boards
· £ 463.69 for a new radio microphone for the lectern
Membership is open to all who have an interest in preserving and enhancing the church, both as a place of worship and as an amenity for the whole community. The affairs of The Friends are the responsibility of a Council of Trustees whose members are elected at the Annual General Meeting. A membership application form with further information can be found in the display board inside the south door internal entrance.
Charities
The church has always given a high priority to its support of charities and over the years has donated considerable sums to a variety of causes. Such donations were originally paid from general funds, but, following a re-appraisal of the management of the church’s cash flow, it was agreed in early 2014 to change to a system whereby money for charities would be raised through special events organised by different church groups.
Easy Fundraising and Easy Searching Schemes
There are now two new and easy ways for you to help us raise funds for the church, simply by shopping online and by searching the internet. Do please consider joining in with these fundraising schemes, and maybe ask friends and family to do so as well. It really is a procedure by which we can raise funds by carrying on doing what we already do; just in a slightly different way.
Easy Fundraising is a shopping directory that features some of your favourite online stores, including Amazon, NEXT, Debenhams, John Lewis, Toys’R’Us, HMV and over 400 others. All you have to do is use the links on the easyfundraising site whenever you shop online and, at no extra cost to you, we will receive a free donation of up to 5% from every purchase you make. It really is that simple!
It’s completely FREE to register and use, and you still shop with each retailer in exactly the same way as before. Many retailers even offer additional discounts and money saving e-vouchers when you shop using easyfundraising.
If you shop online anyway then why not raise valuable extra funds for us by using this fantastic scheme. All that you need to do is to visit www.easyfundraising.org.uk/stmarysgodmanchester and when you register, select St Mary the Virgin, Godmanchester, as the organisation you wish to support.
Easysearch is a new charity search engine where you can raise funds for your cause, simply by surfing the web. Powered by Yahoo, the world’s second largest search provider, easysearch works just like Google giving you fast, accurate search results every time you search online. But unlike Google, easysearch gives you something back!
When you search using easysearch your cause will receive half a penny for every search you make. It does not sound like much, but the pennies soon mount up and a keen searcher can raise £25 a year – or more – just through their normal online searching.
Easysearch is completely free to use, and so this is a great way to support your cause – just by surfing the web as you do already. Just visit www.easysearch.org.uk and on your first visit enter St Mary the Virgin Godmanchester as the cause you are supporting. Once there, you will be able to see that you are supporting the church — no need to register for this one. You will also see that there are several options available to you to make it easier to search through easysearch — such as a link to add it to your favourites