Happy Birthday to us! Friends of St Gabriel’s, Heaton, was founded in October 2021, so by the time you read this, we shall be approaching our 3rd birthday. Membership is open to anyone and everyone who would like to be involved in supporting the life of our beautiful, historic church, a pivotal part of the Heaton community since 1899. Friends are invited to share in events and activities taking place at St Gabriel’s, whether or not they come to church services. Our aim is for the Friends of St Gabriel’s, currently 63 members of whom about half are regularly part of the congregation and half have an affinity with the Church in a different way, to develop its role in the community, and to care for our grade two listed buildings for current and future generations.We held a summer coffee morning, with a raffle, cake stall and summer accessories stall on Saturday 15th June, continued at Parish Breakfast the following morning. Many thanks indeed to all those who helped, baked, donated or supported this event in any way. Although the numbers of helpers and those able to come were small, those who contributed were very generous so we were able to raise £452 for St Gabriel’s maintenance and development. A happy atmosphere prevailed and it was an enjoyable morning.As I write, we are still awaiting publication of the words only, melody and words, and large print editions of the Revised English Hymnal. Friends of St Gabriel’s are buying these, primarily for use at Evensong. Following a site inspection, we were told that our church bell was in need of urgent and substantial work. We are fortunate that one of the country’s foremost experts in bell restoration is based in North Shields. The total invoice for repair work, refurbishment, new parts, descaling, cleaning and painting was £800. We were delighted that Friends were able to pay this in full; our bell is an integral part of St Gabriel’s life, linking us to the local community and signalling each approaching service; we missed hearing it so much while the work took place. It is a joy that the bell is now back in place and sounding better than ever!
Communication was the priority at our first event organised specifically for the Friends of St Gabriel’s, a Spring Coffee Morning with cake stall and raffle. It took place on Saturday 6th April and offered a chance for me to meet those Friends able to come, and to put faces to names of those who have received written communications monthly from St Gabriel’s in the form of magazines and cards posted through their letterboxes. Until then, I had not met some of our Friends face to face, and they had not enjoyed the opportunity to meet each other. It was a chance to talk informally about what everyone hoped to gain from being a Friend and what they were able to offer to St Gabriel’s, as well as to thank them for their support. The response was overwhelmingly positive with Friends appreciating the regular news from St Gabriel’s and the invitations to events which may be of interest. A happy atmosphere prevailed as everyone enjoyed refreshments, biscuits and cake while chatting. Many thanks to all those who baked, donated raffle prizes, helped set up or clear away – or all of the above! The sale of cakes, Friends pens and raffle tickets raised £239. As no expenses were taken, all of this will enable the Friends of St Gabriel’s to support more Church development and maintenance. We were also pleased to welcome a new member, bringing our total to 63 Friends. Advance notice In the light of such a successful event, please note in your diaries that we intend holding Saturday Friends’ Coffee Mornings each season, the next ones being on 14th September and, in 2025, 18th January. It would be lovely to see you there, enjoying the morning and possibly offering to help too. All are welcome! Along with the April magazine and an invitation to the Coffee Morning, Friends received an Easter card and, for local members, a small chocolate treat, as a personal thank you from me for their on-going membership. Friends were invited to Mothering Sunday and Easter services and events, Lent Lunches and the first quiz organized by our new social committee. Friends of St Gabriel’s are warmly invited to all events at St Gabriel’s – they are publicised in our magazines, on our Noticeboards and on our website. It would be lovely to see more Friends, especially at our social events.Many thanks to all of you for your on-going interest and support.Anne Pickering.
St Gabriel’s – Recent ProjectsSome very noticeable work has taken place at St Gabriel’s in recent months:The toilets have been refurbished thank to Alison and Michelle and their team of fund raisers, generous donors and grant providers.The storm damaged tower roof has been renewed thanks to our insurers, Ecclesiastical.The church has been rewired and inefficient 300 watt light fittings replaced with LED light fittings. Again we had generous donations and grants and have used the remainder of the Rudge Legacy.In the middle of all this we discovered that water was coming into the North West porch (aka the flower cupboard). What at first seemed to be a straightforward repair grew into major works costing £22,000. Fortunately Northumbria Historic Churches Trust provided us with another grant. They had supported the toilets and the lighting.But we were still struggling with cash flow. A list of grant providers caught our eye and this included the National Churches Trust.We are pleased to say that they have accepted our application set aside a grant of £4,000 pounds for us subject to us providing a Building Maintenance Plan as well as publically acknowledging their offer.They too rely on voluntary support and donations. You will find more information at https://www.nationalchurchestrust.org/friendsRobin LongMay 2024
