Present :  Stephen Grosvenor, Mike Palmer, Daniel Pitt, Mark Antell, Reg Hardwick

Item 1. MP said a short prayer.

Item 2. Minutes of last meeting – reviewed – apologies due to Reg who, despite providing valuable input to the March meeting, got missed off the present list due to the chair’s poor counting skills.

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. Following the communication exercise to demonstrate the church plans for the porch there have been no particular objections or indeed feedback of either flavour. SG proposes that we proceed to getting a more detailed proposal from Antony our architect – this will form the basis of a submission for faculty permission from the diocese and will provide more detailed information on the advantages and benefits of the proposal. AFK has provided a quote of £1,600 ex vat to supply the necessary designs – his estimate of the cost for the porch is in the region £10-£15k – this will include the remodelling of the rear space to improve flow and a new position for the audio/visual control board.We will aim to complete this work prior to this winter. ACTION:SG to accept fee proposal from Antony Feltham King.

b) LED Lighting –  We have had some positive reactions to the lighting proposal. We have now been given a temporary licence to proceed with the trial in the Lady Chapel – this will allow us to see how the LED lights perform over time – under the licence we have until August 2014 if necessary ACTION: MP to contact Binary electronics and get final current cost proposal for the trial and give the go ahead.

 c) AV update – Considerable progress has been made due to the hard work of Bernard, supported by Mike to install a set of new compliant (and working) wireless microphones. We now have 4 new wireless mikes and 1 new Handheld. These are fully compliant with latest legislation and have much better controls and displays which allow their battery and other information to be more easily monitored. The Church has saved a substantial sum for installation costs due to Bernard and Mike’s intervention so many thanks to them both for their care and professionalism.

 MP has also made contact with a local sound recordist who has offered to help us trial some different recording microphones for the choir and organ. This should help us get a better idea of what to buy and where to position any new static microphones.

 d). Damaged South transept window. Dan Pitt has offered to take this forward as it has not been receiving the attention it requires recently. The Friends have already offered to help to offset some of the costs for this project which is gratefully accepted. Dan will seek some quotes and work with John Plaister who has some experience  in this area. ACTION – DP to get quotes for repair

 f) Asbestos removal from old boiler room. 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 – 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)   Ground source heat pump bore holes have caused a small delay of a week due to geological factors. Foundation work is due to start in the next few days.

 b)   Works timetable – Despite the small delays we are still on target for September completion. There are a number of things to do involving groundworks and foundations as well as the relocation of the Morris memorial. This will happen in the next 3-4 weeks. The building should arrive in June.

c)    Rubbish arrangements –The burning pile has been cleared ready for the new Garden. We have entered into a joint contract with the burial board for a Biffa waste disposal service. The new regime for rubbish and recycling in the burial ground and church is now underway. The winner of the garden design competition has been announced and MP and SG will discuss with Ian Handy our advisor and the winner to work out how the design can be realised.

 d)   Kitchen Design – We are in consultation with external caterers and equipment suppliers to confirm the specification of the kitchen equipment. The intention is that it should be commercial quality, capable of supporting significant catering events in the new hall.

 e)   Archaeology – As part of our planning permissions we are required to hire 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.

f)    Cost Updates – It is important to keep a close eye on the costs to ensure that we can get the best possible results for our limited budget. Where relevant we have added some items into the contract cost to reduce our liability to pay VAT.

 Current Contract cost –                                                         £629,861

                   Repair of existing paths & lighting  (est.)                    £6,000

Garden of reflection         (est.)                                      £4,000

                   Community Artwork                                                         £4,000

                   Addition of commercial kitchen facilities                    £8,000

Total costs                                                                                £652,831                                               

 Funding sources

        Devizes Road hall sale funds                                   £247,000

       D&R funds                                                              £23,000

              SBC grant                                                               £230,000

              LCF grant                                                               £46,000

              Garfield Weston grant                                             £5,000

              Sale of Parish office   (est)                                        £105,000

Total funding                                                              £656,500

The above illustration assumes that we “loan” £105k from the general funds until such time as the parish office can be sold. It also shows that the funds allowed for contingencies are almost exhausted. We are continuing to make grant applications towards securing Kitchen equipment, new chairs and tables for the hall and are considering local targeted appeals to businesses and individuals for specific items such as the artwork, garden costs and kitchen facilities

Item 7 Property Checks –

As a  result of Annual Property check carried out on 32. Points a & b & c are outstanding

a)   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)   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 to be passed on to Karen at the same time as MP recommends plasterers – Double Glazing doctor   01793 431788.

c)    The light fitting over the stairs is broken and cannot safely be replaced due to its position.Also radiator leaking ACTION: MP to get quote from Gary Hall for both jobs.

Item 8 Any other business

Next Meeting: 17^th July 7.30 – 51a Broome Manor Lane, SN3 1NB

 Deferred Jobs list

A- Assessed as high risk

B- Legal requirement

C- Best Practice.

D – Nice to do.

Cost Schedule 2013 Year to date

Keith a National Trust conservator gets the table ready for its trip to Cumbria and its new home in Wray Castle

The committee met for the first time this year. You can read the full minutes of the meeting here. We are now only weeks away from the start of the Community Centre build project.

If you would like to comment or offer practical help to the Community Centre project then please contact Stephen Grosvenor (s.grosvenor@gmail.com) or Mike Palmer (michaelailsa@o2.co.uk)

As part of our research and selection process we have visited a number of existing centres including this one in Upper Seagry near Chippenham. We have learnt a lot from these visits and are grateful to the, often, volunteer helpers and project managers who have delivered these excellent community resources. Our new centre will start to be built in Spring 2013.

Entrance Hall

Main Hall

Disabled Toilet

Heat Pump

Kitchen

Kitchen Cooker

 Q. Why are we doing all this? Can’t things just stay as they are?

A. Our vision is that Christ Church, its community centre and the grounds welcome growing numbers of people throughout the week. The renewal work that we undertake will be guided by an overall strategy of creating sustainable, energy efficient, environmentally responsible buildings that will be more cost effective to run. In the church, we will preserve and restore the original features of the building and enhance its capabilities to deliver excellent sound, lighting and visual experiences to both church goers and other visitors. It will provide a warm and adaptable space for worship, exhibitions, meetings and concerts but always retain its original role and character as a place of peace and reflection. We believe that we have a responsibility to preserve it; not simply as a monument, but as a working, vibrant, educational and useful place – at the centre of the community.

At the same time, we are replacing and extending our current leisure centre to provide more flexible, cost effective and improved facilities to the local community. Our new community centre will put excellent meeting, leisure and refreshment amenities into the heart of Old Town. Like the thousands of people who raised the £8,500 it took to build the original Christ church 160 years ago, we would love you to support us to attain this vision of growth and development – so that we, like them, can keep Christ Church and its work, at the heart of Swindon.

 In the Church

Q. Are the pews going to go?

A. As part of the interior works to the church itself, we intend to level the floor and install under-floor heating supplemented by new, energy efficient conventional wall mounted radiators. This means that we will need to replace our existing, platform mounted pews with new free-standing pews in the centre of the church. The remaining pews in the side aisles will be replaced by our existing chairs. We are currently looking to retain the existing historic pews and will search for ways to make them more comfortable and secure.

Q. What are the plans for the Lady chapel?

A. We intend to leave the Lady Chapel as it is.

Q. Our existing lighting is not very energy efficient or particularly effective – are we planning to do something about them?

A. We are looking into new lighting schemes for the church and are interested in LED lights as a very energy efficient and cost effective solution. We will be seeking quotations during 2013 for lighting solutions that will enhance the ambience of the church, cost less to run and maintain and provide more effective lighting.

Q.What surface will the new flat floor have?

 A. We anticipate creating a stone or tiled hard floor. This will improve the thermal efficiency of the under floor heating as well as the acoustics in the church.

Q. One of the reasons the church is so cold in winter is that there are drafts from the doors at the South & West end. What are you doing to improve that problem?

A. We originally investigated a large glass screen at the rear of the church but have now discounted this for cost reasons. Our current plan is to reinstate the interior porches to provide a draft screen for both South & West doors. We will be seeking designs and quotations for this work in early 2103.

Q. Will the Chancel and choir stalls remain as they are?

A. We have no plans to change the choir stalls or chancel area.

Q. This project has been going on for a long time. When will it be all done?

A. We have consulted and researched carefully as this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Our current timeline is for the new community hall to be completed in mid 2013 and provided that our fund raising and grant applications progress well, we would hope to start work on the church interior during 2014.

Q. Why aren’t we repairing the roof first?

A. We have received estimates of over half a million pounds to renovate the whole roof and have so far, been unsuccessful in getting grant assistance on the grounds that it is not bad enough. We felt that hard earned funds would be better deployed in the short term to deliver a warmer, more comfortable, efficient and better equipped church. In the meantime we are making annual accruals for on-going roof repair and patching in our buildings budget to ensure that the building remains dry.

Q. Who makes all these decisions?

A. The P.C.C. authorised a group of church members to create a Buildings and Site Development Group. This group has continued to develop the excellent work of the Development and Renewal group and has consulted widely and conducted a full review of our current situation and made recommendations as to how we can create and develop a sustainable presence in Swindon for the next 160 years. These plans have been presented to the PCC for agreement and approval. They also manage the day to day maintenance and management of all the parish’s properties.

Q. How is the fund raising organised?

A. It is important that we keep clear records on giving to comply with legislation and to maximise our income from gift aid. To ensure that all gifts made to Christ Church are properly accounted for, we make it clear in all Development & renewal fund raising activities that sums raised will go to the D&R fund which is administered separately from our day to day giving. If you wish to give to the D&R fund then please make it clear when you make your gift that it for this purpose, if you do not then we will assume that your gift is for the everyday running of the church and its mission unless otherwise stated. We also actively seek grant funding from relevent trusts and foundations. We always need help in this task. If you have some spare time and would like to help us then please contact the parish office – parishoffice@christchurchswindon.co.uk

 In the Community Hall

Q. Will people come to a community centre if it is connected with a church?

A. We will simply continue the tradition and practices of the past 50 years during which time we have successfully offered our local community full access to our Leisure centre. We already welcome a wide range of local groups and organisations and the plans to extend and develop the facilities that we can offer will mean that we can cater for a wider range of activities as well as providing a more flexible, attractive and contemporary space right in the heart of Old Town.

We intend to create a modern, cost effective community hall in place of our old Leisure centre which will be owned and managed by the church community for the benefit of all. We consider this to be part of our duty as Christians to provide hospitality and a welcome to all regardless of race or creed.

 Q. How much will the hall cost?

A. The current plans are estimated at around £650,000. A large proportion of this will be met from the funds from the sale of the old church hall in Devizes Road. We also intend to integrate the parish office into the new hall which will enable us to sell the existing building. We have secured a contribution of £230,000 from the Borough Council as well as community grants of £50,778 from the Landfill Communities Trust and £5,000 from Garfield Weston Foundation. We now are in a position to start building in early 2013.

Q. Won’t the council want to control how we run the hall?

A. The council will be contributing a substantial sum towards the total required and as such will require us to comply with all planning and  legislative obligations but we would have done this anyway. Ours is the major investment and we will be in full control of the operation and management of the hall. We intend to do this as laid out in our constitution and church plan for the benefit of the wider community.

Q. What will be different in the new hall?

A. We have researched the local hire market and thought about what sort of things we as a Christian community would like to be able to offer our friends in Old Town. Overall we will have a larger building – as a modern structure it will comply with all energy efficiency regulations and, as such, it will be much more cost effective to run than our current hall. In the designs we are exploring, we are looking for greater flexibility in the use of the space available. Broadly we intend to have a large hall to accommodate up to 150 seated, a modern kitchen capable of servicing this number, meeting rooms /office areas and a self-contained public area which we hope will serve those visiting the burial ground or the church itself.

Thousands of people visit the church and burial ground each year and we hope to be able to provide them with a welcome, a friendly face and modern facilities. The flexibility of the new hall will enable us to offer more cost effective rates for smaller groups as well as provide more competitive and modern facilities to larger ones.

Q. What will happen to users when the building work starts

A. We anticipate that, on our current timetable, building work will start in Spring 2013. We have deliberately chosen a modular building style which means that build time will be much quicker than a conventional build. We have been advised that the hall will be out of action for 10-12 weeks. During this time, where appropriate and practical, we will invite users to use the church itself. We will also explore with our fellow partnership churches the use of their facilities. It is important to us that all of our faithful customers are looked after and that they can come back to a new, revitalised and usable hall when work is completed.

Q. Why do we need to spend all this on a new hall when we could use it towards the work in the church itself?

A. We had a surveyors report on the hall last year which identified that it would cost nearly £100,000 to complete the repairs necessary and this would only extend the building’s life by a relatively short period. At the same time, we had an opportunity to bid for the Borough’s Social fund (Section 106 grant). We believe that the solution to the preservation of the church lies in reaching out to our local community to encourage them to find out more about us, discover the value of our (largely hidden) work in the local area and by doing so, come to recognize the contribution that Christ Church makes to Old Town and Swindon.

We believe that a new modern hall at the heart of Old Town will create more opportunity for us to connect with our community by enabling us to better engage with visitors, local charities, organisations and families through the new hall.

Q. Will we be able to afford to run the new hall?

A. The current hall is poorly insulated and expensive to run. Our plan is to build the new hall to the latest insulation and energy efficient standards. It will have solar panels to provide free electricity and a ground source heat pump for heating. It will be designed as a highly sustainable and low maintenance building. Even though the new hall will be larger, we expect it to be cost effective to run and this, coupled with the new flexibility of space, will ensure that we are able to remain within budget in the longer term. We have been given a church commissioners grant towards the cost of employing a Community Development manager to run our halls and to actively market the facilities and seek better links with our local community.

Q. Some of the plans seem to have new paths crossing the current burial grounds – what will happen to the monuments that are currently there?

A. It is important for us to improve access to the new hall. There will be 3 access points; One at each end of the new building and a main entrance opposite our South transept door. The current slope presents difficulties for some, so we are examining ways to access the new building by minimising the slope of the paths. This may involve moving a small number of monuments. We have documented and photographed all the potentially affected stone in the area to the South of the church and have been making efforts to contact the families of those buried here. We have now made an application to the Diocesan Advisory Board to make the changes and this is currently under consideration.

We have more information and plans of the proposed works here. There is no intention to disturb any of the graves in this area – all works will affect only the surface.

If you would like to know more or help us with our church or community renewal plans then please contact the Parish office 01793 522832 or parishoffice@christchurchswindon.co.uk or see our website for more information. www.christhcurchswindon.co.uk