Dear Friends and NeighboursAs we approach the end of a remarkable year, Save Our Church would like to extend its heartfelt thanks for your support. Your enthusiasm, attendance and generosity at the various events we have organised have not only provided fun opportunities to get together but have played a vital role in keeping Holy Trinity open.Quite simply, without your involvement, we would not have been able to stop the closure process. However, there is still more work to do to grow the regular contributions that will sustain Holy Trinity and ensure it stays open for the long-term.We are delighted to announce that since the formation of Save Our Church in January 2025, income from events and one-off donations has increased by 60% to £8,025 from £5,000 last year. This money is vital for topping up the funds for running costs, repairs and maintenance.In addition, regular donations have doubled from £2,000 last year to £4,000 this year from 20% of East Grimstead households. This is fantastic but falls short of the target for regular contributions of £6,000 that is needed to cover many of the annual running costs.So looking ahead to 2026, we will still need your financial support to pay for Holy Trinity’s upkeep and for it to remain open and active at the heart of our community. While the events have been fun to organise, they require a considerable amount of time, effort and expense from a small group of volunteers which can be difficult to maintain year in, year out.Therefore, as Christmas approaches, a season of reflection and generosity, we kindly ask you to consider setting up a regular donation to the Parish Giving Scheme (PGS) or increasing your existing contribution. You can choose to set up a monthly, quarterly, annual or one-off gift via the PGS website: https://www.parishgiving.org.uk/donors/find-your-parish/east-grimstead-holy-trinity-east-grimstead. Or please speak to a SOC member and we can arrange for a paper form to be sent to you.The committee is working on a programme of events for next year and hopes to use Holy Trinity as a venue for more evening talks, an art exhibition and social gatherings. If you have any other ideas or indeed would like to join Save Our Church, please get in touch with one of the members.Thank you again for everything you have done this year. We are deeply grateful for the kindness and community spirit that make East Grimstead such a special place.Wishing you a peaceful Christmas and a very happy New Year.Save Our Church
We were thrilled to welcome Salisbury Cathedral's effervescent Revd Ross Meikle to lead this year's Harvest service on Saturday 27th September.It was a lively and joyful service which included props and a Harvest story written by Revd Ross himself. The hymn 'If I were a butterfly' was sung with gusto...and actions! We also enjoyed tea and homemade cake afterwards.Thank you to everyone who donated gifts to the Trussell Trust harvest appeal, to Andy for playing the organ so beautifully and, of course, Revd Ross for leading such a memorable service.
