Registered Charity Number 1197524
ABOUT US
WHO ARE WE?
Friends of Bude Haven Parish Church (FoBPC) was formed in 2019 because St Michael’s was facing an uncertain future due to a significant lack of income. This is a common threat to Church of England churches – in fact, 20 to 25 of them have to be closed annually¹. The aim of FoBPC is to preserve and maintain the building as a unique part of our local heritage.
The FoBPC committee consists of trustees and volunteers, some of whom are church members and some who are not but all of whom value the church’s presence as part of the community. One trustee is appointed by the Parochial Church Council (PCC) and advises the rest of the committee on the fabric needs of the church and churchyard. You can read further details about us by clicking on the Governance link below.
The committee is still quite small at this stage and would always welcome offers of help!
THE FINANCE PROBLEM
The 25 to 30 people who make up the church congregation pay £25,000 annually for their share of the cost of a priest, who also
covers five other parishes. But they also have to pay for building repairs, maintenance, utilities and insurance – and this is a heavy burden (about £12,000 per year). On top of this, structural weaknesses keep appearing in the ageing building, requiring yet more funds to be needed for restoration. The PCC is responsible for repairs and maintenance to the church. FoBPC assists with finance when required. None of the funds raised by FoBPC goes to the diocese or for religious purposes – it is all for spending on the building.
FUNDS FROM OUR MEMBERS
Approximately 80 people have signed up as Friends, donating at least £10 per year. However, the bulk of the money raised comes from business Sponsors, local firms which kindly purchase advertising space in our annual magazine. We also have occasional fundraising events to supplement our income. The money raised makes a significant difference to what can be spent on preserving the church.
If you are interested in becoming a Friend or a Sponsor, please click on the Support Us link below.
SPENDING
In spite of FoBPC being a relatively new charity, it has already been able to help with improvements to the church and churchyard. In its first year of operation it was able to assist with the provision of a disabled access path to the church. The church had already been raising funds for several years for this purpose so, when a suitable route for the path became possible, it was able to pay for it to be graded and tarmacked. FoBPC supplied a handrail for the walking disabled, lighting for night use and power assistance so that wheelchair users can operate the heavy side door to the church.
At the end of 2019 and the start of 2020 vandals were causing increasing amounts of damage and FoBPC paid for CCTV to be installed.
As with all old buildings, unexpected structural problems crop up which have to take priority over planned future projects. In summer 2020, a drone flyer spotted that the bell tower was in need of urgent repairs and contacted the PCC. You can read about it in Update 2021. The work was completed in February 2021 and was mainly funded by the PCC and grants but FoBPC made a small contribution.
A small but important project in 2022 was the building of a storage shed to replace the old dilapidated one.
The old and new sheds
FUTURE PROJECTS
The focus of our fundraising in 2021-2022 has been for the provision of a toilet which will be for both general and disbled use. Plans for this have been drawn up and permission is currently being sought.
As you would expect, there is a long list of future plans. The work to be done includes:
Urgent re-pointing of stonework in the south transept, east gables and north wall to prevent further water damage.
Re-modelling the lychgate and very steep steps at the main entrance to improve access.
In common with all Anglican churches, the building and churchyard are inspected and reported on once every 5 years by a professionally qualified architect. This is known as the Quinquennial Report. The Parochial Church Council (PCC) uses this report to set its priorities for fabric spending and then shares these with our committee.
Whenever a change is made to the church or its grounds, permission has to be sought from the Diocese of Truro, a process which can take a long while, so time has to be allowed for this and planning has to be detailed and accurate.
Steep steps leading up from the lych gate
The new footpath and handrail
Water ingress in the south transept
Cracks appeared in the bellcote in 2020
The restored bellcote
1. https://www.churchofengland.org/more/parish-reorganisation-and-closed-church-buildings/closed-churches