The Appeal Fund was officially launched on Thursday 29th November at a special event in All Saints Church attended by our Campaign Managers Dean Michael Bunker and Nigel Morgan, an audience of over 100 and several local and county dignatories. Canon Keith explained the importance and urgency of the Appeal which was supported by a video slide show created by Assistant Curate Rev'd Steven Bunting. Our Appeal Chairman Tyrone O'Sullivan OBE introduced the event, Organ Scholar Sean Rees played an opening fanfare and four of our young Choral Scholars sang. The evening was also the official opening of the ninth International Christmas Crib exhibition in the Church.
SEPTEMBER 2012
Our Appeal Directors, Dean Michael Bunker and Nigel Morgan have been working behind the scenes for two months now doing the necessary preparatory work for the launch of the Appeal in November.
Dean Michael has run a number of training sessions for those who will play a crucial role in overseeing the project and, hopefully, raising the £1 million we need to restore our historic Church and develop it for even greater community use.
We can now report that we have appointed the Team Leaders who are already working with our Directors to get everything in place for the Appeal Launch. We are most grateful to these key people for agreeing to commit to the project and to a considerable amount of work over the next eighteen months.
We are especially delighted to report that Tyrone O’Sullivan OBE has agreed to be Chairman of the Appeal. Tyrone is a modern Welsh hero and is greatly respected in the wider community, locally, nationally and internationally. He has a wonderful way with people, a reputation for ‘telling it as it is’ and of seeing a job through. He has already chaired the first meeting of the Appeal Executive, which he did with characteristic efficiency and humour. Tyrone will be the public face of our campaign.
We can also report that the team leaders, who will oversee the different aspects of the project, are;
CHURCH LEADERS Team: Les Harris
CHURCH Team: Alan Evans
WIDER COMMUNITY Team: John Isaac
PROJECT Team: Roger Beynon
GRANTS & TRUSTS Team: Dean Michael Bunker & Nigel Morgan
MAJOR GIFTS Team: Fr David & Merlys Watkins EVENTS Team: Yvonne Gabriel
Each team will look at different ways of raising the large amount of money we need.
The Church Leaders Group will be led by Les Harris [Subwarden at Norton] and will oversee the task of asking the clergy, Church officers and members of the Parochial Church Council to be amongst the first to donate to the project.
The Church Team leader is Alan Evans [who worships at the 10 o’clock Choral Eucharist service]. This will be the largest group because it will ask every Church member to give what they can. If we are to go out into the wider community for help then we must show that we are giving generously too!
John Isaac [who also worships at the 10 o’clock service] will oversee the Wider Community Team which will try to get financial support from local individuals and businesses in Mumbles and beyond.
Dean Michael Bunker and Nigel Morgan will be our two manGrants & Trusts Team. They will make applications for funding from the many hundreds of heritage and charitable trusts.
Fr David and Merlys Watkins will lead the Major Gifts team which will approach wealthy business people and celebrities who have a connection with Mumbles.
The Project Team is led by Roger Beynon [who usually worships at the 8 o’clock Eucharist]. This group will oversee the application to the Diocese for permission to do all the work we hope to do. It will then supervise the several phases involved in completing the restoration of our Church over the next few years. In effect, this group will determine how much money we will need to raise and be responsible for spending it.
Last, but by no means least, the Events Team will plan the special promotional and fundraising events we will need to put on, such as the official launch of the Appeal in November. The group will be led by Yvonne Gabriel [Subwarden at All Saints]
The leaders are currently recruiting others to help them and it is estimated that there will be up to thirty four people involved in the various teams.
The leaders will also be the members of the Appeal Executive, with the Vicar and Parish Wardens, Peter Rice & Basil Tavinor. The executive will have general oversight of the Appeal as a whole and will be chaired by Tyrone O’ Sullivan at its regular meetings.
Focus on the Fabric Group
This team has been the busiest so far and has met several times over the summer. It has been working in close co-operation with the Church Architect, Dewi Evans, structural engineers and others.
The group comprises of Roger Beynon [Leader], Nigel Morgan [Director], Peter Rice [Vicar’s Warden], Yvonne Gabriel [All Saints Subwarden] and the Vicar. It is not directly involved in fundraising but in overseeing all the practical sides of the project itself. So far, it has been looking at the plans for the new porch; making good the 13th century tower; installation of a digital ‘Bells of Santiago’ ringing system; a dividing screen to the tower; new electrical and lighting scheme; strengthening the north wall; re-roofing the nave and repairing the rainwater goods; cleaning the internal bath stone and redecorating the south aisle; and the replacement of the existing chairs with upholstered seating.
The team met with the Archdeacon and representatives from the Diocesan Advisory Committee [DAC] at the end of July to look at the project before we submit the application to them. The representatives were very supportive of what we plan to do. We are on target to make an application to the DAC early in September and in plenty of time before they meet on 1st October. We then hope to be given the green light to begin the Appeal in earnest.
Roger Beynon has overseen much of the work so far, especially the inspection of the north wall and the drainage system around the Church. We are most grateful to him, his team and the architect for the speedy and efficient way they have put the scheme together.
The Appeal currently stands at £250,000
- just £750,000 to go!
JUNE 2012
At a special meeting held on 11th May the Parochial Church Council made the unanimous decision to launch an ambitious £1 million Restoration Appeal for All Saints.
£750,000 will be needed to do necessary repairs and to rebuild the Church porch, another £250,000 will hopefully be raised for ongoing repairs and projects.
This will help to secure the future of our ancient and modern Church and develop its dual purpose as a place of worship and for community use.
At the meeting a presentation was made by the Very Revd. Michael Bunker, who will act as our fundraising and project consultant for the year long appeal.
Dean Michael is one of the most experienced fundraisers for Church appeals in the U.K.. During his time as Dean of Peterborough he oversaw a £7.3 million project to restore the Cathedral Church there. He also had to raise a further £1.5 million following an arson attack towards the end of the project. Since retiring he has acted as a consultant to a number of Church and Cathedral projects, including at St. David’s, Newport and Burry Port.
Dean Michael spent a week at the beginning of May interviewing over twenty people from the Church and local community. He believes that the ambitious target is achievable, given the enthusiasm and support he has found for the project at Oystermouth.
At his presentation Dean Michael outlined how the necessary funds will be raised. Much will come in through heritage funding and grants from charitable trusts. But it is also hoped that people within the community will respond by giving donations ranging from £5,000, £1,000, £500, £250 and £100
The project and heritage architect, Dewi Evans, has outlined the twofold purpose of the work we plan to do.
The first part is necessary repair and restoration to the fabric of the Church. This will include re-roofing the 13th century tower and other repairs. The nave also has to be re-roofed and the rainwater goods replaced. The north wall needs some structural repairs and the internal stonework of the nave and north aisle will be cleaned.
Alteration works will include the construction of a new west porch [which will complete the enlargement of the Church begun in 1915]. There are to be a new electrical and lighting installations; new screen to the tower; kitchen facilities; new seating and storage facilities and a digital ‘Bells of Santiago’ installation.
All this, together with a contingency fund and relevant fees, will mean a target of:
£1,000,000
Below: the architect’s design of the new porch
- which will complete our historic Church
MUSIC ENDOWMENT
Some of the young choristers
Dean Michael has also suggested that we look into the possibility of establishing a Music Endowment for the Parish. This would run alongside the Restoration Appeal and be open for a few years. The Endowment will be launched if we are confident that it will attract grant funding. If successful it will help secure the future of Church music making at All Saints.
SITE MENU
fundraisers for Church appeals in the U.K.. During his time as Dean of Peterborough he oversaw a £7.3 million project to restore the Cathedral Church there. He also had to raise a further £1.5 million following an arson attack towards the end of the project. Since retiring he has acted as a consultant to a number of Church and Cathedral projects, including at St. David’s, Newport and Burry Port.
