PROJECT MANAGER for SWINDON RESTORE – up to £22,500 p.a.

 This is a challenging full-time position with Swindon Christian Community Projects, to project manage Swindon Restore on a day-to-day basis. Swindon Restore is a community centre built round a workshop, where donated goods are restored for re-sale, a charity shop, a garden and a cafeteria. You will also need to work with social agencies in Swindon, and to represent and promote Restore with potential donors and the media.

The key skills required for this position include the ability to plan, organise and manage the centre. You will be responsible for ensuring that it is financially sustainable. You will be able to support, manage and motivate volunteers effectively, some of whom may have physical, emotional or other difficulties. Experience in dealing sympathetically with vulnerable people is therefore essential. Excellent communication skills and a strong commitment to being a team player are both critical to this role. In particular working collaboratively with the charity’s Trustees and the Restore sister charity, Swindon Foodbank, is crucial.  Some previous management experience would also be desirable.

This position requires a special kind of person who: 

• will support Christian values
• understands the importance of team working with colleagues and volunteers
• will work with honesty and integrity
• is able to work under pressure and meet deadlines
• can work unsupervised
• is physically fit
• has basic IT skills
• takes pride in paying attention to every aspect of the job
• will ‘go the extra mile’, and when necessary  work evenings or unsocial hours

 A full, clean driving licence is essential as you will have to drive the Restore van.

Appointment will be subject to a DBS check, as the job involves working with potentially vulnerable people.

To receive a copy of the job description please apply to Anna Tuersley

To apply for this position please submit the following by e‑mail:

• A letter of interest – giving insight into
  • why you want the role?
  • what you believe you will bring to the role?
• A current CV
• Two references (1 work associate and 1 personal friend).

 to  Anna Tuersley  anna.tuersley@intel.com entitling your e-mail “Restore Job Application”.

 Applications should be with Anna by Friday 20  December.

This was the culmination of the Partnership Project when we promised last February to raise £5000 to help disabled people in Palestine and Lebanon through the aid agency, Christian Aid.  If we raised £5000 then it would be matched three times over by EU funding so the challenge was set.  In the three churches, Bath Road, Christ Church and Immanuel all kinds of innovative ways of fund raising began from car boot sales to cake sales, a Ready, Steady Cook fun evening to a Pop up Italian restaurant evening and many people opened their gardens for viewing.  We worked hard and we learned a lot about the Middle East and we exceeded our target and raised the grand sum of £10,354.32p.  The photograph shows the organising group ie Margaret Williams from Christ Church, Jean Batten from Immanuel and Eric Sparkes from Bath Road  giving the cheque to Katrine Musgrave from Christian Aid

Find out about this year’s Christmas Services

Last weekend, Carol, Simon and Mark from the choir did a fun run in aid of the Wiltshire Air Ambulance – Carol writes:

Thank you to everyone that sponsored us and encouraged us for the Santa Run last Sunday.  At one point the team was 7 strong but due to illness and injury, on the day we were the Christ Church Choir 3! Those of the team that couldn’t be with us cheered us on in spirit.  See our photo to prove that we did it – we can show you our Santa medals.  If you sponsored us please could you pass your monies to Carol, Beth, Simon, Verity or Mark by Sunday 15^th December as all sponsorship has to reach Rotary by the end of the year.  Thank you again for your support.

In response to a dare, 4 members of the choir will be taking part in this year’s Santa Fun Run on Sunday 1^st December at Lydiard Park.  The course is 5km and is completed wearing a full Santa suit!  The event is organised by Phoenix Rotary Club and all monies raised will go to the Wiltshire Air Ambulance.   There will be a sponsorship form at the back of the church from this Sunday and also one at St Mary’s and we would very much appreciate your support for this worthy cause.  Thank you in hope.  Beth, Carol, Simon & Verity.

The gates are open

Following extensive works to the roadways and paths around the church which have led to the closure  of some of the usual entrances, we are now able to report that the works are completed and that normal access has been restored.  The tarmac team,were initially delayed by the bad weather which prevented the ground from being prepared but this week has been kinder and the weather has allowed them to make good progress.

The tarmac teams withdrew from site on Thursday afternoon after giving our car park a good sweep and clean up. Access to the church and burial ground are now back to normal although the contractors comfort cabin and equipment will take up a bit of space in the car park for a further few weeks as the centre’s pedestrian access paths are completed and the finishing touches are applied to the centre itself.

Sweeping the car park

Community Centre Photo Gallery

The interior of the new centre is almost finished – there was a slight delay as the floor has not dried sufficiently to allow the floorers to fit the new floor. A further inspection will be carried out next Tuesday and if successful, the floor will be laid on the following day. The underfloor heating is up and running, the solar panels are ready to be commissioned ( if the sun ever shines again). The decorators are finishing off the final touches, the hearing aid loop is fitted ready for the audio system, plumbers are ready to fit the loos as soon as the floor is fitted. The electrics are finished.

You may notice that the two large yew trees that threatened to block the access and light to the centre have now been cut down. We received permission from both the council and the Diocese on the condition that we replace them with two similar trees. We intend to reinstate two new Iberian Yews on either side of the new main entrance pathway.

The roadway works were  necessary to comply with current fire safety regulations and have caused a degree of difficulty for which we apologise. The kerbs and bases have all been finished and the levels sorted so we are ready for the tarmac team next Wednesday 30th and Thursday 31st.  The work will be noisy and dirty and for safety reasons it will be necessary to close both the church and the car park for those 2 days. Everything should be back to normal however ( with nice flat paths) by the end of next week.

We hope to be able to confirm a date for the congregation to take a first look around the centre very soon. Look at the photo gallery here.

Take an early sneak preview of our new Community Centre website