Welcome

Thank you for visiting the "Friends of Westmill Church" website. 

As you will read elsehere on this site, Friends of Westmill Church was formed in January 2011 to raise funds for the repair and maintenance of our village church, St. Mary the Virgin, Westmill.

In our first year we hoped to raise at least £20,000 from donations and fund raising activities. This of course was considered to be no mean feat for a village with just 269 residents!

We have in fact raised over £35,000 during our first year and are overwhelmed by the support we have received. Thank you so much to all who have given so generously towards this fantastic figure.

We plan to continue to develop this website to give you an insight into our challenge to keep our beautiful church open for all that wish to visit it.  Please visit us regularly to keep up to date with our progress.

We look forward to hearing from you (via our Guestbook) and seeing as many of you as possible supporting our forthcoming events!

Latest News:

 

Westmill Doubles Tennis Tournament

The Friends of Westmill Church would like to invite you to their Doubles Tennis Day on Wednesday 27th June to raise money for the Church fabric fund and repairs. 

This is a FUN TOURNAMENT - where  pairs enter into a series of short matches on private garden courts throughout the village during the morning, followed by lunch and a glass of wine, culminating in the semi-finals and final after Lunch.

For more information and an entry form, please click here!

 

FOWC Calendar 2013 Photo Exhibition

Following the success of the 2011 Photographic Exhibition and resulting calendar, Friends of Westmill Church (FOWC) are pleased to announce that we will hold another photographic exhibition again this year in the church on Saturday and Sunday the 22nd & 23rd September 2012. 

This year we would like you to capture scenes in and around Westmill with the theme of ‘Favourite Hymns’.  We will be looking for photographs that perfectly illustrate the title or the words of your chosen Hymn. 

To coincide with the Photographic Exhibition, there will be a Songs of Praise service to be held in the church on the Sunday evening.

We will be asking visitors to the exhibition and service to vote for their favourite photographs so we can produce a calendar for 2013 to be sold in aid of Friends of Westmill Church.

For more information, please click here!

 

Newsletter

Our May 2012 Newlsetter is now online...
Click here!

 

Sponsored Abseil

On Saturday 5th May, The Reverend Ian Hill completed an abseil from the Harlow Tye water tower in Church Langley to fundraise for FOWC..

Ian writes: "It was surprisingly nerve-wracking, as even climbing up the inside of the water tower is vertigo inducing!  For the abseil itself, with only the safety rope attached I had to climb over the edge and kneel down on a very small concrete block before the abseil rope could be attached.  It was an amazing experience, but I was still shaking ten minutes later!  It was however well worth it as I hope to have raised over £700 for the Friends of Westmill church.

 Although a drop in the ocean compared to the £171,000 needed, it edges us ever closer to our target, and hopefully beyond.  It is of course not too late for people to sponsor me and I would love to be able to increase my total!"

The abseil is organised every year by the Rotary Club of Harlow Tye, this being the twelfth year, with people abseiling both on Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th May, there were 40 abseilers on the Saturday alone.  If people want to follow Ian's example, they should contact the Rotary Club for further details.

 

Friends of Westmill Church Lottery

The Fourteenth draw took place on 1st May 2012 at The Sword Inn Hand.

170 numbers were sold at £2.00 each so another £170.00 has gone into the Roof Fund and ten numbers were drawn for prizes of £50.00; £30.00; £20.00 and 7 x £10.00.

The next draw will take place at 8.30pm at The Sword Inn Hand on Tuesday 5th June 2012.

Click here for details of how to join the FOWC Lottery!

 

Daffodil Picking and Coffee Morning

Our sincere thanks go to Lord and Lady Carter for very kindly invited FOWC to hold a Daffodil Picking and Coffee Morning.

The weather was glorious! 

A perfect morning, in a perfect setting and we are sure that everyone enjoyed themselves immensely.

We raised £303 to add to our funds which we consider a magnificent achievement for a mornings work!

 

BBC Look East Report

Following the fantastic news (see below) that St. Mary's Church has secured a Heritage Lottery Fund grant, the Press Releases have generated interest from the local press and television news.

You can find the Buntingford and Royston Mercury article of 1st March within the Press Cuttings section of the Photo Gallery.

The following clip is from BBC Look East on Tuesday 13th March:

 

Friends of Westmill Church are delighted to report the following annoucements:

News Release: English Heritage

 

 

 

 

 

VITAL £2.8M FOR EAST OF ENGLAND’S MOST IMPORTANT PLACES OF WORSHIP

 

Monday 27th February 2012  

Today, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) announced more than £2.8million of Lottery funding to support urgent repairs to 28 of East of England’s most important Grade I and II* listed churches and chapels.  The money comes from the Repair Grants for Places of Worship scheme*, which is funded by HLF and administered by English Heritage.

Across Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk these vital grants will help repair places of worship at risk including St Mary Roman Catholic Church in Great Yarmouth and St Mary the Virgin’s Church in Westmill, Hertfordshire.

Robin Llewellyn, Head of HLF East of England, said; “Historic places of worship are an irreplaceable part of our heritage that continues to play a vital role within local communities today.  In the last ten years, the Heritage Lottery Fund has invested £155million into these wonderful buildings and I am delighted we are able to continue supporting congregations across the East of England to safeguard them for future generations.”

Greg Luton, Planning Director for the East of England, English Heritage, said “We are pleased that these important buildings will benefit from HLF funding and English Heritage’s expert advice.  We know that maintaining places of worship and developing them sensitively is a major challenge and we are glad to work with the inspiring volunteers who make repairs and enhancements happen.  Such fine buildings are a great resource, as places of spiritual discovery, landmarks, events venues, places of solace and architectural treasures. These grants celebrate both what they are and can be, whilst supporting the people who care for them on behalf of us all.”

St Mary Roman Catholic Church, Great Yarmouth Grant:  £130,000 A knapped flint Grade II* listed church built between 1848 and 1850, internally St Mary Roman Catholic Church is little altered.  It was designed by John Scoles, who was one of the Jesuits’ favoured architects.  Notably the church has more than 800 carved wooden bosses, beautiful stained glass in the Lady Chapel and a 112 year old organ with 1032 pipes.  The upper levels of the church are in a very poor condition and this great will enable significant repair works to falling flints from the tower and clerestorey, and address leaking roofs.

St Mary the Virgin’s Church, Westmill, Hertfordshire.  Grant:  £99,000 This Grade II* church is of Saxon origins. It has a long history of subsequent additions and alterations including an impressive 15th century tower.  This grant will enable urgent repairs and re-tiling of the nave roof and north aisle roof, which will prevent further water ingress and deterioration.

*The Repair Grants for Places of Worship in England Scheme is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and administered by English Heritage on behalf of both organisations.

Until 2010, the scheme was jointly funded by HLF and EH. Since then, HLF has provided the majority of the funding to ensure that the scheme continues in its current form until 2013.

Listed places of worship in England of all denominations and faiths are eligible for grants which support urgent repairs to the fabric of the building with a focus on projects costing less than £250,000. There is a two-stage application process with development funding available at Stage One to help work up proposals.   

Heritage Lottery Fund

Using money raised through the National Lottery, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) sustains and transforms a wide range of heritage for present and future generations to take part in, learn from and enjoy. From museums, parks and historic places to archaeology, natural environment and cultural traditions, we invest in every part of our diverse heritage.  HLF has supported over 30,000 projects, allocating £4.5billion across the UK.  Website: www.hlf.org.uk.

English Heritage

English Heritage is the Government’s statutory advisor on the historic environment.  It provides advice on how best to conserve England’s heritage for the benefit of everyone.  While most of England’s heritage is in private hands, it works with all who come into contact with it - landowners, businesses, planners and developers, national, regional and local government, the Third Sector, local communities and the general public -  to help them understand, value, care for and enjoy England’s historic environment.

It is also entrusted with the custodianship of over 400 sites and monuments which together form the national collection of built and archaeological heritage. These include some of the most important monuments of human history such as Stonehenge and Hadrian’s Wall.  Website: www.english-heritage.org.uk

 

Press Release: St Mary the Virgin, Westmill

 

ENGLISH HERITAGE GRANT OF £99,000

 

Monday 27th February 2012

The church of St Mary the Virgin situated in the heart of the village of Westmill is of Saxon origin and is Grade II* listed.  Within the building are housed many fine architectural features which are worthy of preservation and protection.

Last May an investigation was carried out as to the state of the Church roof.  It was found to be in great need of repair.  The last extensive works carried out were in 1870.   The amount of money required to carry out the repairs being in the region of £150,000.

In June of last year we applied to English Heritage (who administer funds on behalf of the Heritage Lottery Fund) for a grant and are delighted to say that we have received an offer of £99,000 towards the necessary work to the roof.  We are now able to commence Stage I of the grant which is the development plan.  Stage II, the actual structural repair work, can commence once Stage 1 is complete.

Since the initial estimate last May, a more detailed costing has been calculated and our current estimate for the cost of repairs is £171,000 so we are very pleased to have received the grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund via English Heritage and are very grateful for it. 

In January of 2011 the Friends of Westmill Church was formed and they have done a marvellous job raising well over £35,000 to date.  This level of support shows how much the village community values the church, and the size of this grant shows that English Heritage was impressed by their support of and enthusiasm for the church.

However, we still have a shortfall and will be continuing our fund raising efforts.  For more information on St Mary the Virgin and how to donate to the Roof Appeal please see the Friends of Westmill Church website: www.friendsofwestmillchurch.org.uk and also through MyDonate the online fundraising service from BT.

All thanks to the Heritage Lottery Fund, English Heritage, the Friends of Westmill Church and the people of Westmill for their great support and help to preserve our beautiful church for future generations.

Sue Phipps and Hilary Harding, Churchwardens, St Mary the Virgin, Westmill.                               

 

MyDonate

As you will see from the press releases above, we are making great progress however we still have some way to go to reach our target.

Friends of Westmill Church have teamed up with BT MyDonate to make it easier for us to collect donations via this website.  If you want to organise a fundraising event on our behalf, BT MyDonate makes it easier for you to collect sponsorship money and collect GiftAid automatically as part of the process too.

If you would like to make a donation please click here to visit the FOWC page on BT MyDonate and follow the instructions.

Thank you!

 

Annual General Meeting

Our first Annual General Meeting was held on 25th January 2012 at 7.45.pm in Westmill Village Hall.

Many thanks to everyone who attended.

Please key an eye on the website for the minutes of the AGM.

 

Braughing Drama Group

What a hotbed of talent we have in Westmill!

It may be the “Braughing Drama Group”, and there’s no doubt many from that village are the hub of an extremely committed and hardworking group of people putting the show together;  BUT – up on that stage I saw “our” Di, John, Sue, Russell, Hilary, Mike, Jane and John behind the make-up, wigs and marvellous costumes. 

I’d (obviously) gone on the night that was in support of Friends of Westmill Church so we were the official Westmill Fan Club and perhaps could be accused of being slightly biased;  it was like an audience of proud parents watching their offspring and the warmth was evident. 

OK, there were one or two fluffed lines, and what if the Chairman got it wrong a couple of times? - the prompting from behind the curtains was pure comedy – and they delivered exactly what the programme said – an evening of entertainment.  Well done one and all.

Jan

Race Night

A Race Night in aid of FOWC was held in the Sword Inn Hand Public House on Friday 11th November. 

The evening was great entertainment and added a tremendous boost of over £900 to our funds!

We are very grateful to Heather and Jeff from 'The Sword', along with Nigel, Russell & Winston for making the evening such a success.

 

Hertfordshire Police Choir

"Mad about Mozart" to "When I'm 64" add in a selection of "ABBA" songs, all introduced with some extremely funny and entertaining anecdotes and you begin to get the flavour of a wonderful evenings entertainment staged by The Hertfordshire Constabulary Choir in St. Marys for the Friends of Westmill Church on Monday 10th October .

Well over £1,000 was raised towards the the target of £150,000 for the Church reroofing programme and with a glass of wine during the interval, all concerned felt it had been an excellent and rewarding evening.

 

Westmill Golf Society Golf Day 2011

We are pleased to report that the Golf Day in aid of FOWC, held at Barkway Park Golf Club on Thursday September 8th was a great success. Entry fees alone raised over £500. An enjoyable curry supper was provided and an auction held that evening, when all pledges have been received, will boost the total to a whopping £2000!

Our thanks go to Geoff & Heather from the Sword Inn Hand for all their efforts in organising this event.  We look forward to seeing them again in November for the Race Night. 

 

Westmill Art Exhibition 2011

Muriel Parsons & Mavis Backhouse, the organisers of the annual Bank Holiday Westmill Art Exhibition have very kindly donated £500 from this years funds to Friends of Westmill Church.

This is a very generous sum of money and we are thrilled to have received such a donation.

Many thanks Muriel and Mavis!

 

Flower & Music Festival - 9^th & 10^th July 2011

What a wonderful weekend!

On Saturday the village was buzzing with visitors to the Flower Festival and Photographic Exhibition.  Afternoon Teas were served in Sissons and a selection of other stalls kept everyone occupied.

On Saturday evening the Church played host to 'A Night On The Tiles', a musical extravaganza consisting of Classical, Opera, Jazz & Folk. A wonderful time was had by all.

On Sunday the Flower Festival and Photographic Exhibition resumed.  Afternoon Teas were served outside the Church and the weekend was brought to a successful conclusion with 'Songs of Praise'.

Friends of Westmill Church would like to thank everyone who helped in any way or attended during the course of the weekend.  We raised in excess of £2000 for which we are most grateful!

Please click here to find pictures from the weekend and entries to the photographic exhibition.

 

Marjorie Evelyn Smith

8th December 1926 - 17th June 2011

St. Mary's Church lost one of her most valued supporters last week.  Marjorie Smith sung in St. Mary's  Choir for nearly 80 years and was a much loved part of both our Church Family and the wider Westmill community.

We said goodbye to Marjorie on Friday 24th June.  Marjorie would have loved to have seen the church so full and her favourite hymns sung by so many family and friends.

Our thanks go to Sue, Alan and Sam for agreeing that Friends of Westmill Church should benefit from the retiring collection in memory of Marjorie.  We were overwhelmed by the collection of £951 taken towards our Church Roof Appeal Fund.

God Bless Marjorie.

 

Estimated Cost of Repair Received

We have just been informed of the possible cost of repair for the Church roof from our Church Architect.  This follows the detailed roof inspection took place in May (see below).

The Architect has suggested that the expected cost of repair will be in the region of £130,000 - £150,000; this figure is of course much higher than we had previously estimated.

At the first meeting of the “Friends of Westmill Church” we set ourselves a target to raise £20,000 during 2011. 

We are delighted to inform you that we have already exceeded that target. Our Bank Account as of the beginning of June shows a balance of just over £22,000. This is a tremendous effort from a small village like ours and we are most grateful to everyone that has helped us reach this figure.

It seems that we still have a huge mountain to climb. 

PLEASE continue to support us at our forthcoming fund raising events and continue to give as generously as possible.

Sponsored Cycle Ride 2011

Many congratulations to former Westmill resident Kevin Foskett (pictured left) who successfully completed a six day cycling trip from Dieppe to Paris and back.  Kevin (on the right) generously accepted sponsorship on behalf of Friends of Westmill Church and has raised over £350.  Our sincere thanks go to him for a fantastic effort!

 

Roof inspection

A thorough roof inspection took place on Monday 9th May.

You can see some of the photographs that were taken by the builder along with commentary on the Roof Inspection page. 

Alternatively you can visit out new Photo Gallery page and find an album containing many more photographs highlighting the challenge we face.

 

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