The total cost of running St Margaret’s West Hoathly is about £90,000. We are very grateful for the support we receive from members of the community and beyond.
This concise leaflet explains the shortfall.
St. Margaret’s Church and Churchyard is a special place and is the focal point of our community. We worship God together Sunday by Sunday, but as well as that we serve our communities in so many ways. Parishioners come to St Margaret’s to celebrate life’s great events. We are full at Christmas and Easter, and we celebrate with friends the birth of children and when they are being married. We are also there for them in bereavement, and we are the natural place for Remembrance Sunday. The Village School regularly worships at St Margaret’s. A special place indeed.
Expenditure
Our expenditure is made up of 2 parts:
- The Parish Share: which pays for our Vicar, their housing, pension, future training, advisors supporting the clergy, building and our village schools. This costs around £70,000.
- Running and maintaining the Church Building: including, heating, lighting, electricity, water, servicing, safety checks, maintaining the Churchyard, insurance premiums and all necessary licenses.
Income
Financially, St. Margaret’s Church receives no outside funding except for a small grant from the Parish Council which goes towards maintaining the extensive Churchyard. Money is generously and lovingly donated by members of the St Margaret’s congregation and other supporters of St Margaret’s Church, plus a modest income from fees from the conducting of weddings and funerals, (baptisms are free).
How can you help?
We are asking you to consider giving regularly to St. Margaret’s Church please. This will enable us to not only maintain this beautiful Norman church and its unique churchyard, but also ensure that the Ministry of this church in the parish and community it is called to serve continues, with weekly worship, the celebration of Christian festivals, and the conducting of those special ‘Life Events’ of Baptisms, Weddings and Funerals always being able to be offered.
As a guide, a household say giving £30 / month which is then Gift Aided (which adds 25% extra without any extra cost to the giver) will gross £450 per year. And if 50 household were to give this amount it would gross £22,500. How good that would be!
Sign up with the Parish Giving Scheme here.
However, obviously any amount given regularly will be much appreciated, as all contributions will help meet our rising costs. Please be assured that all donations will be treated anonymously and will only be known by our Church Treasurer.
How are we working to fill this gap?
With your help and us all working together in the following ways…
- Praying that the necessary additional income will be donated.
- With Fundraising events.
- Spring Fairs / Street Fairs.
- Encouraging you to sign up to support us at no extra cost to you by registering with the Easyfundraising website. We have our very own cause page where you can signup today! Simply follow the link here:https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/stmargaretswesthoathly/
- Encouraging you to give through the Parish Giving Scheme: see below:
You can register with the Parish Giving Scheme (PGS) at our parish giving page. This is a charity which collects donations and claims Gift Aid on behalf of individual parishes, saving much administration time and effort.
Why give via the PGS?
PGS says “A unique feature of the scheme is the option for each giver to commit in principle to increase their gift annually in line with inflation. While this is a voluntary decision, it is one that could potentially have a huge impact on the life and future of the church. If you manage your giving online, you can easily change the amount you give at any time. Alternatively, you can contact PGS, and we will adjust the gift for you.”
Alternatively, you might like to make a one-off donation to St Margaret’s Church, consider leaving a legacy to St. Margaret’s Church in your will, or perhaps make a one-off donation/leave a legacy to The Friends of West Hoathly, St. Margaret’s Churchyard Trust, which give grants for work in the Churchyard.
- Encouraging us all to communicate to the wider community the situation we are in and encourage everyone to do their bit.
- Actively encouraging members of the Parish to donate regularly to the life of the Church.
Thank you for taking the trouble to read this.
If you have any questions or would like to talk about this subject further, please contact Derek Shurvell, or our Churchwardens, Ann Hutchings and Tim Baker churchwardenstmargarets@outlook.com
We are sure you can appreciate the necessity for us to have a sustainable financial situation. However, we feel it should be possible to achieve our goals and pay our running costs for our special Church and Churchyard, St Margaret’s West Hoathly, with your help and us working together.
With our grateful thanks,
God Bless,
Rev’d Heather Wilkin (Vicar), St Margaret’s Churchwardens, PCC & the Fundraising Team.
To sign up for the Parish Giving Scheme to make a monthly donation, or to make a one-off donation. Click here.
If you would like to pay by cheque or bank transfer, please see below. If you use either of these methods and wish to Gift Aid your donation please use the following form:
If you would like to make a one off donation by cheque, please make your cheque payable to St. Margaret’s PCC and return with the Gift Aid form to:
Tina Allen (Treasurer)
c/o West Hoathly Primary School,
North Lane,
West Hoathly,
West Sussex RH19 4QG
Telephone 01342 810 302
Or please hand your donation to either Churchwarden or a member of the PCC.
If you would like to make your one off donation by bank transfer,
our bank details are:
Account name: St. Margaret’s PCC
Account number 00017455. Sort code 40-52-40
We are most grateful for your support.