Holy Communion from Christ Church Swindon
churchadmin2013-12-09T17:41:17+00:00Listen to our latest broadcast
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Present : Stephen Grosvenor, Mike Palmer, Reg Hardwick, John Plaister,Lynda Fisher – Aplogies: Kevin Penfold, Daniel Pitt, Mark Antell,
Item 1. SG said a short prayer.
Lynda explained that she was attending meetings of each of the church committee groups offering support and checking that everything was working as envisioned.
Item 2. Minutes of last meeting – reviewed –
All outstanding items have been included in the agenda.
Item 3. –Budget Summary – see cumulative spend at the end of these minutes. Still well within this year’s allocation. There are some issues relating to expenditure under the CC project that may for accounting purposes be better expressed in general building costs. SG to discuss with Ian on his return from holiday.
Item 4. – Christ Church
a) West porch Project. AFK has produced a design and plans and elevations suitable for submission to the DAC for licencing purposes. We have however deferred doing this as we hope to include the new AV console position in the application. Bernard is working on a design and AFK will incorporate it for us into the Plans. We are aiming to submit an application by the October DAC meeting with a view to proceeding in Spring 2014 subject to final agreement from the PCC.
b) Action SG to discuss Roof material and light in the porch with AFK.
b) LED Lighting – The new lighting fitments are nearly ready and we hope to start the trial in the Lady Chapel in by the end of September. We will aim to get reactions from people throughout the winter months and review the position in Spring.
c) AV update – We will need to re-position the AV control console once the new porch is built. Although Bernard and Mike have done a number of new microphone installations themselves and saved a significant amount of money, we are still some way off agreeing a final specification for the AV – with particular regard to video, projection capabilities and screens. Also a possible upgrade for the organ and choir recording capabilities has yet to be agreed. JP has identified an innovative possible screen made of special glass which may obviate the need for expensive and potentially intrusive control mechanisms for the screen. ACTION: SG to investigate prices and technology further.
d). Damaged South transept window/Repointing. Dan Pitt has contacted AFK for advice and has the names of some masons to approach for quotes. Our advice is that the repair should be done in the next 18 months or so. The Friends have already offered to help to offset some of the costs for this project JP has also identified an area on the north transept wall which needs re-pointing/repair. We have a reasonable quote from Rob Flemming for this work. We will aim to get a further quote with a view to carrying out the job prior to winter.
f) Asbestos removal from old boiler room. This action is carried forward. We have already had an estimate and this work should now be done once the CC contractors have cleared the site. ACTION MP to find quote and confirm costs – proposal is to proceed to get the works completed so we can continue to safely use the storage.
Item 5. St Mary’s Church – This action carried forward again- the paintwork in St Mary’s is in a poor state of repair. We will add it to the work in progress list and review options for getting it done. ACTION MP to see if Community Service Volunteers would do it.
Item 6 Community Centre update
a) The building completion date is still on target for the end of October. There has been a robbery of copper piping from the site and the contractor has taken steps to protect the site until next week when it will be securable. Internal boarding is complete; Solar panels have been installed on the roof. We have agreed the kitchen design and will be placing an equipment order in the next few days. The Friends of Christ Church have kindly donated £4k towards it. Doors and windows will be installed next week. The underfloor heating will be installed shortly afterwards.
b) Cost updates –as a result of the building regulation inspection, we have now received a quote for the improvement of the roadways and paths around the west of the church. We are required, for fire access, to widen and improve some of our pathways. This cost has exceeded our initial estimates by a significant amount and as a result we are looking for savings in the cost scheme to offset this overspend as far as possible. On the positive side, we are hoping to receive significantly more than budgeted from the sale of the Parish office so this will further help to mitigate the costs.
c) Rubbish arrangments – The contract with Biffa seems to be working ok and the rubbish from the burial ground is under control at the moment. We will need to continue to review the situation once the centre is operational.
d) Paths & Lighting – we have received an innovative proposal from Binary electronics for path lighting in and around the Community centre. This will use LED low wattage bollard lights which will be controllable and highly cost effective to operate.
e) Garden of Reflection – we have asked the winner of the garden design to extend her design to incorporate the area to the north which was previously intended to be used as storage. We are receiving invaluable help and advice from Ian Handy re the garden itself. ACTION – MP to follow up with Ian.
f) Area outside the East end of the centre. – we still don’t have a design for this space but intend to produce one in the next couple of weeks. We have agreed with the building contractor that levels can be established whilst he is preparing the ground for the paths etc ACTION – SG & DP to measure up and produce an outline plan for the garden
Item 7 Property Checks –
As a result of Annual Property check carried out on 32. Points a & b are outstanding
a) Work Outstanding – Re-plastering required following difficulties with damp and mould in the dining room. ACTION MP to recommend some plasterers to occupant so that she can arrange for them to visit and quote.
b) Work outstanding – PV Front doorshould be replaced as it doesn’t fit properly and is very drafty Karen has had details of plasterers but hasn’t acted on them yet
Item 8 Any other business
Next Meeting: 6th November 7.30 – Community Centre@Christ Church room to be confirmed.
Deferred Jobs list
| Job |
Quote |
Date |
Rated A/B/C/D |
| SW door repair and draft exclusion | Defer to D&R | 20/01/2010 |
C |
| Pressure washing the vestry steps |
C |
||
| Flooding under the clergy vestry | 25/03/2010 |
C |
|
| Cycle Racks | Defer to new hall | 27/07/2010 |
C |
| Wall mounted Notice board at West door | £95+VAT | 31/03/2011 |
C/D |
| Free standing Noticeboard at West door | £375+VAT S&I | 31/03/2011 |
C/D |
| Sign for Church Centre (maybe directional signage rather than the name) | Defer | 31/03/2011 |
D |
| New fireproof ceiling in the undercroft | Defer | 20/02/2012 |
B/C |
| Asbestos removal – church | awaiting | 14/11/12 |
B |
| South transept S &West window repairs | Seeking quotes | 14/11/12 |
C |
| Remove nave screens from the front pews to aid flow from familys and young people during services. | Defer- issues identified with H&S and costs. | 19/01/2013 |
D |
| Repainting St Marys | Reviewing options | 09/05/13 |
D |
| New smoke alarms 32 ? Carbon monoxide monitor? | Reviewing options | 09/05/13 |
C |
A- Assessed as high risk
B- Legal requirement
C- Best Practice.
D – Nice to do.
Cost Schedule 201
| Job | Date | Contractor | Sum paid |
| LC Toilet repair | Jan | D.Hobbs | £60.00 |
| Damp fix – 31 | Feb | In house | £54.00 |
| Boiler Checks | Feb | D Hobbs | £156.00 |
| Boiler replacement -32 | May | G Hall | £3,000 |
| Tree Pollarding | May | N Freshwater | £650 |
| Leaking radiator/Light 32 | July | GV | £282.00 |
| New post code for centre | July | SBC | £60.00 |

“No excuse for not having something to put in the collection!”
Our own Brian Harris recently made a trip to Glasgow where he came across the Destiny Church. They are non-denominational, and hold to traditional evangelical Christian values, but express church life in a contemporary way.
Pastor Andrew Owen describes the church as a contemporary apostolic Christian movement that thinks like social entrepreneurs.
I’m not entirely sure what that means but they are taking a very pragmatic view on servicing their congregation’s needs!
Marking time…along the Western Flyer is an exciting participatory arts project being delivered by Create Studios in its 30th anniversary year. Led by artist Scott Farlow, the project is part of the new enhancements to the Western Flyer cycle and pedestrian route, funded through Swindon Travel Choices. 
The project aims to increase the profile of the route by raising awareness of the rich heritage and social history that it passes through, and using the archive of local photographer William Hooper. …marking time…along the Western Flyer will involve three local neighbourhoods, the West Swindon, North Central and Town Centre localities throughout Autumn 2013. Residents of all ages are invited to participate in a series of imaginative activities that will explore the Western Flyer route to create and share new stories across Swindon. In Spring 2014 there will be a touring exhibition of short films, new photographs, web pages and a new app.
This year’s Autumn Fayre will be on the 14th September from midday to 4pm. Once again there will be
Free admission – a fun day out for the family. All are welcome.
Download and display a poster
Autumn Fayre Poster 2013 v1
The Community Centre @ Christ Church is due to open in Autumn 2013. We really need volunteers to help in the following areas:
Present: Philip Richmond, Ailsa Palmer, Chris Smith, Lynda Fisher
Apologies: Simon Stevenette, Francis Maples, Rod Bluh, Margaret Clarke
Due to the absence of several members of the group we will carry forward the agenda to next month’s meeting, the date of which has been changed to Tuesday, 10 September, 8.30am at the CC@CC site.
Chris took Philip on a tour of the site, which is progressing although now subject to a completion delay of several weeks until the end of October. Although the delay is disappointing it does give more time to plan the opening and have time to give more thought to policy and procedural issues.
We spent some time gaining Philip’s views on the mission statement, Chris had prepared. The revision will be presented to members by email for comment so that this can be finalised prior to the next meeting. Chris updated us all on progress to date. Chris has contacted Voluntary Action Swindon (VAS), re recruiting volunteers. He has already received two responses and found Jo Banks at Involve Swindon very helpful and a useful contact to have made. Others have also expressed interest in volunteering opportunities. Nationwide will be tackling the garden area on 20th September and should be finished by end of the month.
Chris and Stephen Grosvenor are continuing to gain sponsorship for internal furnishings; £9925 having been committed to date. This includes contributions from Richard Deacon, Hilliers, the Conservative Club, Friends of Christ Church (FOCC) and a £2000 grant from the Bernard Sunley Foundation towards the kitchen. Both Chris and Stephen have other applications in the pipeline, including Awards for All. Chris has secured office furniture already for no charge.
We discussed in some detail the access arrangements to the Centre. Chris has arranged for Rosemarie Philips to provide her insight into accessibility and it was suggested we also contact a wheelchair user about their experience too.
We talked briefly about the Communication Plan; this will need a wider discussion next time we meet. Chris is contacting Jahmene’s manager and Nick Hewer about their availability for the official opening, which is likely to be in November 2013.
Peter Ford has begun work on a logo. Philip provided comments on this. Stephen will ask his son for advice, following email correspondence. We all agreed that the logo, letterheads, and uniform approach are really important to get right so that we are communicating the message of CC@CC.
Philip invited Chris to speak at the Okus Road Residents’ Association meeting on 10 September, which will provide a good opportunity for Chris to talk about the new Community Centre, potentially find volunteers as well as spreading the word.
Our own Carol Simmons has returned from her challenging 4 day walk at the International Nijmegen Marches. Carol completed a gruelling 200km (128 mile) course over 4 days. Elise and Beth her daughters did the 160km (100 mile)route. Whilst the actual walk itself is a major achievement, it is well worth mentioning the massive commitment and discipline that all 3 put into training for the event. The highly structured programme of practice walks start back at the beginning of the year in the snow and rain and increasingly longer walks in shorter times to build up strength and fitness.
This is the 3 Nijmegen that Carol has completed so she was awarded a special medal. This year she dedicated the walk to the memory of David Cummings a former choir member and good friend to Christ Church. She walked in aid of Marie Curie Cancer Care and has so far raised over £1,065 from the generous sponsorship of our community.
You can still contribute on line via her Just Giving Page or by catching her at church on Sunday.
Well done Carol.
Although we have made some dramatic progress with the build over the past 3-4 weeks, we have just had an update from the Timberworks Project team that puts the completion date back to the end of October
.
This news is rather disappointing but cannot be helped. It is largely due to the very difficult nature of our site – between 2 conservation listed walls and in the middle of a burial ground. In normal circumstances the wall panels are pre-constructed in the factory and thus the build can be very quick. We have provided some especially challenging conditions for the team and they have been forced to re-evaluate their timetable. They will, of course, do all they can to recover some time if possible.
Expect to see a roof appearing in the next 2-3 weeks and do keep an eye on our photo gallery of the build progress here.
Listen again to Choral evensong from last Sunday
Swindon families are being invited to mark the end of the first ‘Tour de Swindon’ with a Grand Finale cycling fun day at Coate Water Park on Sunday 21st July.
‘Tour de Swindon’ has seen a series of free walking and cycling events put on by Sustrans and Swindon Travel Choices, to celebrate the Tour de France locally.
Coate Water Park will host the final event, with a range of activities for all the family, including a chance to make your own pedal-powered fresh fruit smoothie, family cycle orienteering, ‘Bike Doctor’ checks and bicycle security marking. All activities are free.
Festivities will be held near the café, close to the car park, from 10am. The day’s events will draw to a close at 3pm with a prize giving ceremony for winners of the day’s events, and the ‘Active Swindon Challenge,’ which started during Bike Week.
Full details of the all the events during ‘Tour de Swindon’ can be found at: www.sustrans.org.uk/events/
For more information email amy.martin@sustrans.org.uk or call 01793 600772.
Present : Stephen Grosvenor, Mike Palmer, Reg Hardwick, John Plaister,
Aplogies: Kevin Penfold, Daniel Pitt, Mark Antell,
Item 1. SG said a short prayer.
Item 2. Minutes of last meeting – reviewed –
All outstanding items have been included in the agenda.
Item 3. –Budget Summary – see cumulative spend at the end of these minutes
Item 4. – Christ Church
a) West porch Project. AFK has now been to measure up and has started to design the porch. We will produce a plan that we can use to submit to the DAC for a faculty application. This will include the removal of some of the pews at the rear of the church to create a better circulation space. We aim to submit a DAC application in September/October.
b) LED Lighting – We have awarded a contract to Binary electronics and have paid a deposit and officially commissioned the new lighting scheme for the Lady Chapel trial. The work is due for completion sometime in September. We will seek the opinions of the congregation and interested parties over the winter and consider our options early in the new year.
c) AV update – Various trials have been carried out to optimise the microphone placement in the choir area. These have been largely inconclusive –more tests will be done in due course although this is not currently a priority.
d). Damaged South transept window/Repointing. Dan Pitt has contacted AFK for advice and has the names of some masons to approach for quotes. Our advice is that the repair should be done in the next 18 months or so. The Friends have already offered to help to offset some of the costs for this project but this is subject to ratification from the new chair of the Friends. JP has also identified an area on the north transept wall which needs re-pointing/repair. We intend to approach Rob Flemming to quote for this work with a view to carrying it out prior to winter.
f) Asbestos removal from old boiler room. This action is carried forward. We have already had an estimate and this work should now be done as soon as possible. ACTION MP to find quote and confirm costs – proposal is to proceed to get the works completed so we can continue to safely use the storage.
Item 5. St Mary’s Church – This action carried forward – the paintwork in St Mary’s is in a poor state of repair. We will add it to the work in progress list and review options for getting it done. ACTION MP to see if Community Service Volunteers would do it also discuss options with Dan re using students from the college.
Item 6 Community Centre update
a) Foundations were completed at the end of June and the building arrived in storage just outside Swindon. The East end of the car park has been sectioned off to accommodate the building materials for the next 6-8 weeks. Despite some delays, the building skeleton is now up and the new opening for the main entrance has been cut. We have applied for some amendments to the faculty as the entrance is further east than expected. This involves relocating the Keylock memorial – an enquiry has already been made to the diocese for this. It will cost extra. The Morris memorial has been successfully moved to its new location in the garden of reflection.
b) Parish office & Kitchen designs – We are in consultation with all interested parties to confirm the final designs and specification of the office and kitchen. A change to the existing plan has been proposed to move the ante-room to the east so that it is adjacent to the main entrance. Plans are being prepared to create an office layout and Chris Smith and Mike have been to the council resources department and identified some desks that can be used. Particular attention will be paid to ensuring that parish office activities can be properly supported in the new facility.
c) Rubbish arrangments – The contract with Biffa seems to be working ok and the rubbish from the burial ground is under control at the moment. We will need to review the situation once the centre is operational.
d) Paths & Lighting – we await a quote for the restoration of the roadways and paths ( the main path from the car park and the front path). We have approached Binary Electronics for ideas for low level lighting for the paths – ACTION – MP to follow up with Colin to remind him
e) Garden of Reflection – we need to confirm with the burial board if they require the area to the north of the Garden of Reflection for their purposes – if not we should consider using it to erect a shed to act as a supplementary store. Also we need to liaise with Ian Handy re the garden itself. ACTION – MP to discuss with Bernard Oxborrow and follow up with Ian Handy – budget >4k.
f) Area outside the East end of the centre. – we don’t have a plan for this space but it does need to be thought about and planned as it will be a major part of the garden room/public entrance. ACTION – MP to discuss options with Ian Handy
g) Archaeology – As part of our planning permissions we hired an archaeologist to complete a watching brief as we start foundation digging – this contract has been subsumed into the Timberworks project to save VAT costs. The work has been completed and billed at £2,600.
Item 7 Property Checks –
As a result of Annual Property check carried out on 32. Points a & b & c are outstanding
a) Work Outstanding – Re-plastering required following difficulties with damp and mould in the dining room. ACTION MP to recommend some plasterers to occupant so that she can arrange for them to visit and quote.
b) Work outstanding – PV Front door may need replacing as it doesn’t fit properly and is very drafty – SG suggested it might be fixable – details of the Double Glazing doctor have been passed on to Karen at the same time as MP recommends plasterers – Double Glazing doctor 01793 431788.
c) The light fitting over the stairs has been repaired as has the leaking radioator – COMPLETE.
Item 8 Any other business
Next Meeting: 4th Sept 7.30 – 51a Broome Manor Lane, SN3 1NB
Deferred Jobs list
| Job |
Quote |
Date |
Rated A/B/C/D |
| SW door repair and draft exclusion | Defer to D&R | 20/01/2010 |
C |
| Pressure washing the vestry steps |
C |
||
| Flooding under the clergy vestry | 25/03/2010 |
C |
|
| Cycle Racks | Defer to new hall | 27/07/2010 |
C |
| Wall mounted Notice board at West door | £95+VAT | 31/03/2011 |
C/D |
| Free standing Noticeboard at West door | £375+VAT S&I | 31/03/2011 |
C/D |
| Sign for Church Centre (maybe directional signage rather than the name) | Defer | 31/03/2011 |
D |
| New fireproof ceiling in the undercroft | Defer | 20/02/2012 |
B/C |
| Asbestos removal – church | awaiting | 14/11/12 |
B |
| South transept S &West window repairs | Seeking quotes | 14/11/12 |
C |
| Remove nave screens from the front pews to aid flow from familys and young people during services. | Defer- issues identified with H&S and costs. | 19/01/2013 |
D |
| Repainting St Marys | Reviewing options | 09/05/13 |
D |
| New smoke alarms 32 ? Carbon monoxide monitor? | Reviewing options | 09/05/13 |
C |
A- Assessed as high risk
B- Legal requirement
C- Best Practice.
D – Nice to do.
Cost Schedule 2013
| Job | Date | Contractor | Sum paid |
| LC Toilet repair | Jan | D.Hobbs | £60.00 |
| Damp fix – 31 | Feb | In house | £54.00 |
| Boiler Checks | Feb | D Hobbs | £156.00 |
| Boiler replacement -32 | May | G Hall | £3,000 |
| Tree Pollarding | May | N Freshwater | £650 |
| Leaking radiator/Light 32 | July | GV | £282.00 |
| New post code for centre | July | SBC | £60.00 |