Our plans for the new community hall involve some minor changes to monuments in the churchyard. These will not involve disruption to the graves themselves but may possibly mean moving some of the larger monuments. We are aware that this can be a sensitive subject and wish to keep potentially affected families informed of our plans.

The consultation period has now ended and we have received full permission to proceed from the Church authorities. We expect to start ground works at the site of the new centre in late February, early March 2013. You can find out more about the plans in the various documents below or you can apply to s.grosvenor@gmail.com for paper copies of any of them.

Why we need to make the changes

Plan showing the affected monuments

Plan showing the re-location sites

Details of the affected monuments

Photographs of the proposed new locations

Link to online photographic survey of the churchyard at Christ Church

If you would like to know more or talk to us about the proposals then please contact Stephen Grosvenor – s.grosvenor@gmail.com orMobile 07885 217077

Community Centre Development Manager required for our new Community Centre at Christ Church Swindon.
Salary:  £18,000 per annum – 25 hrs per week – flexible. 3 Year fixed contract.

Job to start in Spring 2013.

Position Description:

Our focus in the development of the Old Town Community Centre at Christ Church is on engaging with individuals, families, groups, local business and organisations, who are not currently directly connected to the church. By this process we hope to create a greater sense of ownership for the Church and a greater recognition of the value it has for the local community. At the same time the role will be seeking to establish a viable and sustainable business model for the future management of the centre.

The CCDM will seek to identify, create and promote links with the local community, local businesses, charities and local groups. They will work with the existing project team and will assist in the project management of the implementation of the hall’s equipment, systems and resourcing and will ensure that everything is in place for the operation of the new community hall and for the development of St Mary’s as a complementary resource. They will then manage the day to day running of the centre.

Major areas of responsibility will include:

• Managing the day to day operation of the community centres and developing local services and programmes of activities to be run from them.
• Creating links with local businesses, organisations and groups to look for opportunities to establish partnerships and service their needs.
• Creating a marketing and communication plan to promote the use of the facilities.
• Developing volunteer resource plans to assist in the operation of the community centre.

Primary Objectives:

• Provide leadership to and maintain team spirit, momentum and motivation, in the volunteer work force.
• Research and make contact with individuals, local businesses, charities, community groups or other organisations to establish and maintain links with them
• Develop external marketing materials in all media to demonstrate the facilities/services available in the halls.

Skills and abilities:

• Energetic, flexible, positive and outgoing personality
• Excellent social networker
• Able to set up and maintain operating procedures

You can download a full job description here.

Closing date for applications 28th February 2013

Letters of application and CV’s please to

CCDM Application

Parish Office

36 Cricklade Street

Swindon

SN1 3HB

For more information about the role – contact Stephen Grosvenor – s.grosvenor@gmail.com

A few car-parking spaces have just become available in the Car Park at Christ Church, Cricklade Street, Swindon

There is an annual charge of £620 (January to December),payable in advance (Adjustable pro-rata for the months remaining in the year) 

Conditions apply, a copy of which can be obtained from Angela, mob: 07850 257008, email angeruck@btinternet.com or from here,

tel: 01793 522832, email: parishoffice@christchurchswindon.co.uk

As our Community Centre project moves closer to its start, we are once again being discussed in the local press. You can read the article here.

Overview

We are building a new Community Centre in the grounds of Christ Church Swindon. Our vision is to develop our connections with the community by providing recreational and leisure resources to visitors and members of the local community.

As part of the new building, we intend to create a Garden of Reflection at the east end of the site. This will greatly improve this part of the church yard and will act as a focus to bring visitors to the church and burial ground to a new Garden Room information and refreshment area which will be open to the public.

The site of the new garden has been, for many years, a compost heap and burning pile and consequently should be fertile and well drained. As part of the demolition of the hall, the area,(as marked on the plan below) will be cleared and levelled. It is bounded on the east and south sides by a listed stone faced wall approximately 5 feet high. The west facing boundary is open and presents a view of the garden from the church yard. The north side will be bounded by a timber fence.

The Competition

We invite entries in 2 categories

• Under 18
• Over 18

An overall prize of £500 will be awarded to the best design and this will be adopted as a design for the new garden. The runner up in each class will also be awarded prizes of £50 each.

 Specification

The garden will be a place of quiet for those visiting both the church yard and the burial ground itself. Particular consideration should be given to the view presented by the open westerly aspect as we hope that this view of the garden will entice visitors to investigate the garden and the Garden room beyond where they will find a welcome, toilet facilities and refreshments as well as information about the burial ground and the local area.

The design should allow for placement of benches and  will accommodate the Morris Family memorial which is being re-located here from its present position to make way for improved pathways and access to the new Community Centre.

The plot will be cleared and levelled to the surrounding ground level during the demolition and clearing process for the new hall and a foundation for the memorial will be placed as indicated on the plan.

The designed garden should be easy to maintain, colourful and laid out with disabled and elderly access in mind.

The design should be submitted in sufficient detail to enable it to be judged and implemented. It can be submitted electronically or in hand drawn plans and/or sketches, etc. It will detail hard and soft landscaping, pathways and suggested plantings with full reference to use of seasonality, colour, shape and habit.  

Rules

You can submit your designs in any medium but please ensure that you provide sufficient detail to enable the judges to evaluate your design effectively.

If you are shortlisted you may be invited to discuss your design ideas in more detail with the judging panel.

An overall prize of £500 will be awarded to the best design and this will be adopted as a design for the new garden. The runner up in each class will also be awarded prizes of £50 each.

Closing date for entries is March 30^th 2013

The judges’ decision is final.

Download an application form to submit an entry.

Once again this year, Christ Church Choir has been out and about over the Christmas season. Despite a busy programme of services and concerts in the church itself, members of the choir found time to visit the Great Western Hospital where they toured wards throughout the hospital, singing carols and to the De Vere hotel where they entertained Christmas visitors with a short programme of carols. Both events have become annual fixtures over the years and help us to be more visible to the local community.

Tony Hillier, Swindon’s Community Poet Emeritus

The De Vere concert was particularly memorable this year as the choir found itself being celebrated in poetry. Tony Hillier, Swindon’s Community Poet Emeritus, was in the audience and wrote this celebration of the event.

Hotel Angels

We’re all here@the De Vere
to hear Swindon Christ Church singers
(this time minus the bell ringers) hitting notes high
to hear them Ding Dong Merrily the Sky

We welcomed large glass gratis of warmed mulled wine
plenty of surplus choir gowns made a picture fine
until we were Away, not with the fairies, but the Manager
We Harked to Heralds of bespectacled men in backrow
harked to red-lipped women in front row
each with red halo around their graceful, voiceful necks

We did wonder what yonder peasant wanted
but all was Silent on that Xmas Eve De Vere Night
though, if we listened carefully, we could just hear the cattle
lowing in the Lower Shaw Farm barn

We came, All we Faithful, to sit at large, round, white-surplassed tables.
Gathering round in Once-in-Royal-Wootton-Bassett’s-neighbour-wannabe-City-Swindon
we, wealth or rank possessing, had the chance to remember
our fellow citizens who may be little, weak and helpless
and having heard the Christ Church Singers beautifully chime
with this De Vere prime, we were ignited to have
a Simply Wonderful Christmas Time!

Our plans for the new Community Centre are in the news again. You can read about our progress in this Adver article

• 1    £50.00
• 31  £40.00
• 16 £30.00
• 29  £20.00
• 30  £10.00

Some of you may be aware that our own David Cummings decided to do a sponsored abseil from the roof of the Great Western Hospital to raise funds for them. David is a great supporter of the hospital and has sadly had recourse to its services recently. Lots of us would have gladly sponsored him not to do it but, as ever, David was unswayed and went ahead anyway. Incidentally it is his 3rd abseil so now he knows the ropes!

Cheered on by staff and supporters and buoyed up by some lovely early winter sunshine, David completed his abseil and in doing so raised £400 which he has raised from friends from Christ church and the local community. You can see a picture and read an Adver article about the event here.

Many of you will be aware that, with some regret we have been forced to dispose of the billiard table that has occupied the corner of the Church centre for many years and has provided much entertainment to the men’s group who meet there on Monday afternoons. It has also over the years served as a buffet table and generally all round useful thing. It has a long and distinguished history and as befits such a heritage, we have negotiated with the National Trust to take it to one of their properties where it will be put to use demonstrating the game of billiards to visitors at Wray Castle in Cumbria. It will be sent on its way sometime in January 2013.

You can find out about it’s next resting place here http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/wray-castle/