Church congregations and local fundraisers must foot the bill entirely for small parish churches
We now have a supply of the new Parish Giving Scheme Gift Forms. They are currently with Mike and will be placed in the church when it reopens, but the quickest method to set up giving is still through the link or by scanning the QR code below.
Did you know that whenever you buy anything online – from your weekly shop to your annual holiday – you could be raising free donations for our church with easyfundraising?
There are over 8,000 retailers on board ready to make a donation – including eBay, Argos, John Lewis & Partners, ASOS, Booking.com and M&S – and it won’t cost you a penny extra to help us raise funds.
All you need to do is:
1. Go to https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/st-edmund-and-st-george/ and join for free.
2. Every time you shop online, go to easyfundraising first to find the site you want and start shopping.
3. After you’ve checked out, the retailer will make a donation to St Edmund & St George Church Hethe at no extra cost to you whatsoever!
There are no catches or hidden charges and St Edmund & St George Church Hethe will be really grateful for your donations. Thank you for your support.
The QR code for our easyfundraising page:
Takings from the raffle were £633 less £90 to print the tickets. PCC Members were thanked for contributing prizes, particularly JN for the crate of wine! It was agreed that a raffle would be held again next year.
Christmas Cards featuring St Edmund & St George Church
Thank you to Flora and Lily for the concert by Opus Sax held in the church on 6th July which raised £300 for church funds. Flora wrote:
“Saxophone fans were in for a massive treat on the weekend of July 5th and 6th with two contrasting concerts from Opus Sax, fresh from their exuberant appearance at Fringford Beer Festival a couple of weekends previously.
“The programme at Fringford ranged from JS Bach’s Little Fugue in Gminor through Piazolla’s ‘Histoire du Tango’ to some beguiling pieces by contemporary composers David Salleras, Edward McGuire and Andy Scott. They finished triumphantly with the atmospheric ‘Witch Hunt’ by Ulrich Schutlheiss, full of frantic energy and complete with witchy screams.
“At Hethe, the quartet showed off another facet of their musical prowess, bringing us some soulful sound pictures in Althea Talbot-Howard’s ‘Rievaulx’ and Ola Gjeilo’s ‘Northern Lights’. At the other end of the spectrum there was ragtime and jazz, familiar tunes to get our toes tapping, and ‘A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square’ to sing along to. They finished with an arrangement of George Michael’s ‘Careless Whisper’ before drawing to a close with a rousing ‘Cantina Band’, a favourite with Star Wars fans – what a joy!!”
And thanks to Gary for the photo.
We were blessed with a dry afternoon for the village fete in May and it was very well attended by village people and more from further afield. Many thanks to all of the church members for their generous donations to prizes for the raffle, and the Twisted Tree Brewery, Tusmore, and COGGES Heritage Trust for their contributions. And a special thankyou to everyone who helped with the raffle on the day which raised over £400 for church funds.
Fund Raising in 2024
Ride & Stride Saturday 14 September
Concert in the Village Hall 21 September
Restoration of the Church
The church is now open, with restricted access, while we try and resolve the issues which caused water to enter the building and a section of plaster to fall from above the Chancel Arch.
We don’t know at this stage what the cost will be of restoring the church (we also have an outstanding issue with the west window in the nave), but we are already heading for an in-year deficit. If you can contribute to this “Restoration Fund”, please follow this link St Edmund & St George Parish Giving Page or scan this QR Code and reference your donation as “Restoration”:
Save our Church
We know that most Hethe parishioners value the church as a historic building, a venue for those special lifetime events (such as baptisms and weddings) and the churchyard is a refuge for wildlife in the heart of the village. The visitors book in the church also shows that it is appreciated by visitors from far and wide. We were planning this year to repair the stained glass and surrounding stonework in the west window, followed by replastering and decoration, but unfortunately, we now have a damp problem which needs more urgent attention. The church is funded by the parish, therefore if you can contribute to this work and to ensure that it remains open and available, please see the opportunities for giving below.
We would like to take the opportunity to thank the sixteen local people who contribute regularly to church funds through regular giving.
It is now easy for anyone to make a one-off gift to our parish using a debit or credit card, or Apple or Google Pay, through the secure PGS website – St Edmund & St George Parish Giving Page
or by using this QR Code:
In 2025 we will need to raise additional funds to fully cover running costs, to repair a damaged coping stone and the resulting water damage and repair the stained glass and its stone surround in the west window of the nave. If you wish to contribute to this work or the running costs of the church, please see the details below for regular giving or contact hethepccsecretary@outlook.com.
Scan the code below to contribute specifically to the fund raising for the west window repairs and reference your donation as “West Window” :
Fund raising events in 2019 brought church funds into modest solvency again, postponing the threat of closure for the present, but the increases in electricity charges have been a further strain on our finances. We have estimated that in the past it cost £25.00 to heat the church for a service and that this has increased to about £60.00 with the new electricity charges.
The campaign to promote regular giving of planned small donations is ongoing, and it is this source of income which will secure the building’s future for Christian worship and for community events. If you have a Parish Giving form languishing in your home in-tray, please dig it out and complete it, or you can now join through a telephone call (details below). Every little bit helps to keep the church open for you and for future generations.
The funds for repairs are held separately to the general funds which are used to pay regular outgoings. The repair funds are insufficient to pay for work identified at the latest Quinquennial Inspection – see Church Repairs.
Many thanks to Lily Skinner and her colleagues for an entertaining afternoon of music in February and thanks to Lily’s mum, Flora, for the refreshments. The concert raised a much needed £345 for St Edmund & St George Church.
Church Funds & Regular Giving
Thank you to everyone who contributed to PCC funds to meet the running costs of the church and helped to fund the porch repairs in 2020/2022. Our next priorities are to repair the stained-glass window in the west end of the nave and redecorating the nave. The work is detailed here. If you wish to donate towards the cost, please annotate any sum as “Window Repairs” or “redecorating”.
There are a variety of ways to give to our church to ensure it remains open into the future.
- For one-off and regular donations use the Parish Giving Scheme (details below).
- For one-off donations direct to the PCC or by cheque or cash, please contact the Treasurer at hethepccsecretary@outlook.com.
- Join the 100 Club – details below.
The Parish Giving Scheme
This is the preferred method of giving to the church.
Regular Donations. Through this scheme the church receives 100% of your gift and you will have options for your contribution to be gift aided and inflation proofed. If you are able to choose either or both options, it will maximise your contribution and allow your PCC to plan more confidently into the future.
There are three options to set up giving – through our on-line giving page, a telephone service or an application form.
You have the option to set up a contribution on-line using a donation button on our Parish Giving page. You may use the link St Edmund & St George Parish Giving Page or scan the code below. Further details are available here.
By telephone:
- Dedicated telephone number: 0333 002 1271
- Lines are open Monday to Friday, between 9.00am and 5.00pm.
- You will need to have your bank account details, our church/parish name (Hethe St Edmund & St George) and our PGS parish code (270627041) to hand.
- You will be able to Gift Aid your donation, if eligible, and you will also be given the option to increase your giving annually, in line with inflation.
The attached gives more details.
If you do not wish to use the telephone service, application forms are available – please contact Flora Skinner or email hethepccsecretary@outlook.com.
One-off Donations. There is now the option for anyone to make a one-off gift to our parish using a debit or credit card, or Apple or Google Pay, through the secure PGS website. Use the same on-line donation facilities outlined above for regular giving and you will be given the option for one-off or regular donations. For one-off donations, to cover the card payment processor costs and additional bank charges, PGS charges 1.5% of the gift’s value.
https://www.parishgivingscheme.org.uk/
We could not fulfil our vision, learning to love as Jesus does, without the generosity of so many people who provide their time, talents and financial support to the life and ministry of St Edmund & St George Church. Regular giving helps us to plan our mission and ministry and special appeals help us to pay for essential repairs.
100 Club
In January 2019 the PCC started a 100 Club to raise money. The club offers members an opportunity to contribute to church funds, while having the chance to win a cash prize from the monthly draws. There are still plenty of numbers if you wish to join! If you would like to join, rules and application forms are available to download, copies are in the church or email hethepccsecretary@outlook.com.
The results of the last draw and date for the next draw.
Ride & Stride
Fund Raising in 2019
Thanks also to Marak and his team for the concerts in the church and everyone who came along to the afternoon teas in February, the Evening of Cheese and Wine in March, the “Table Top Sale” in June and the Pimm’s Evening in July. Many thanks to all who contributed to these events, particularly Hamish and Mary McCorquodale for the loan of their house for the Cheese and Wine evening, Marak and Steve for organising the Table Top Sale and the use of their garden and Ben and Becks for hosting the Pimm’s Evening.
St Edmund & St George Church is funded entirely by Hethe Parish. We do not receive any funding from the central church – in fact we pay a contribution to the Oxford Diocese and towards the cost of our clergy and support.
