The Friends of St Lawrence Church Bovingdon
Registered Charity No. 1112950
John Walker, Chair of the Friends, writes:
Dear All
Happy New Year. I hope that it turns out to be better than we are being led to expect.
2022 turned out to be a mixed bag with COVID continuing to thwart our plans:
In May we were forced to cancel our annual Coffee Morning as our hosts, David and Pauline Wright were struck down with the virus. We had better fortune in July when we opened three gardens hosted by Pauline Wright Marion Perkins and Jane Caley, raising just over £2,000. We participated in in the Jubilee celebrations on the Green where Jane Caley and Caroline Walker manned an antiques and collectibles stall, raising a further £345. Our Christmas cards produced a surplus of £374. We need to freshen up our offering for 2023 and we are already working on that. We closed the year with nearly £57,000 in the bank, from which approximately £20,000 will be required to repair part of the south wall which will be undertaken this Spring. The balance is being held towards the redecoration of the interior of the church which is overdue. This is, however, being held back until the new extension is completed. Planning approval has been obtained for the extension but there remain quite a few hoops to be jumped through before that work may commence. It is planned and hoped that the work will commence in the Spring of 224.
2023 is forecast to be a difficult year but we hope to return to some kind of normality:
On Friday, 17th February we will host a Murder Mystery in the Memorial Hall as shown in the attached flyer – “Who killed the Vicar” and notices have started to appear in the village today. We hope to be able to fill 8 tables of 10 people at £15 per head which will include a fish and chip supper. It will be a lot of fun. We have already filled 4 tables, so we are half-way there. Do contact either Pauline Wright or me if you would like to buy tickets individually or, preferably, reserve a whole table.
On Wednesday, 17th May 2023, Pauline Wright will be hosting our annual Coffee Morning at Westwinds. I say annual but we have not been able to do this for three years. Pauline’s garden will be open from 10.30 to 2.00pm and as in the past we will have a plant stall, cakes and a raffle. We will provide more details soon.
On Sunday, 2nd July we will hold an Open Gardens in and around Flaunden Lane/Chipperfield Road. We last did this in 2017 when we opened 5 gardens. It was a great success, and we reckon on having as many gardens available again. More details will follow in the coming months.
Sadly, there was little enthusiasm for a Saffari lunch and so we have decided not to attempt it this year. If we receive more interest in it, we will re-visit it for Spring or Summer 2024. It is a rather special event, and we will have to work on it and widen its appeal to a broader base of potential participants. You can help us with this by discussing it with friends and neighbours.
We welcome Beth Ponsonby and Sue Adams to our group, and we are looking forward to 2023 with renewed enthusiasm. We look forward to seeing you at the above events.
With best wishes
John Walker
Chairman
John Walker john.walker@cmwsecurities.com