Curry Evening

Another lovely social event, this time with a variety of curries! As this was the first time we had ventured into curry land we were on a learning curve! We seem to have got most things right and appreciated the constructive comments which will help us refine any repeats of the event. Thanks to the genorosity of several trustees donating the curries we were able to make a magnificent profit of £667 which will be put towards the current spiral staircase project.

The Curry Team (top) and our guests

Spiral Staircase Appeal

Spiral Staircase   After two years of meetings, planning, form filling and endless emails the PCC have been able to submit a faculty request for the installation of the spiral staircase and connected works. The staircase is to replace the existing ladder which no longer complies with health and safety rules and will be used to access the tower for maintenance work. The Friends Trustees are fully supportive of the intended work.

The intended work includes:

·       Decorating the tower area

·       Moving lighting and switches

·       Foundations for the staircase

·       Installation of the spiral staircase.

The cost of the work will be in the region of £36,750 +VAT-- yes it’s a lot of money, but working together we can make this happen. The Friends have promised a minimum of £10,000 as a grant towards this project, which we have already raised. The PCC will be initiating a fund-raising programme and applying for grants, but the Friends  will continue with a fundraising push in the hope we can add to the £10,000 so that all the work approved can be completed , including decorating the tower area. There are 5 events planned plus a Chairman’s Challenge to members. Please see events for details or the Church Room notice board. Good news on the VAT -The Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme have indicated that most of the VAT can be reclaimed.

Quiz and Ploughman's Supper 2023

Friends of St Lawrence Quiz Night. It was wonderful to see over 100 people in the Village Hall having a fun evening at our Quiz and Ploughman’s Supper last Friday evening. Thank you everyone who helped prepare for the event , especially our catering crew! Also, a big thank you to all who stayed and help tidy everything away. The event raised £1,080, which will be used for grants to St Lawrence Church to help cover the cost of on-going maintenance and repairs to our ancient village building.

Gardens Open Day

What an enjoyable day, although a few degrees cooler would have been appreciated! Lots of people of all ages creating a lovely friendly village atmosphere as they wandered from garden to garden enjoying the beautiful flowers and refreshments. See Gallery for a few photos.

On behalf of the Trustees of the Friends of St Lawrence Church Bradfield may I say a big thank you to all the Garden owners who worked so hard to make their gardens beautiful and available for visitors? My personal thanks to all the behind-the-scenes people who collected plants and cakes or made refreshments. Also, these events wouldn’t happen without the support of the volunteers who manned various places throughout the day, so again my thanks. If you would like to join this happy band of volunteers, why not join the Friends? Application form on About us tab or at back of St Lawrence Church.

The profit from this event totalled £2088. We hope to be able to tell your more about how some of the money raised will be used, when the current project being discussed with the Church Council has progressed a little further. Thanks for your continued support………..hope to see lots of you at the Quiz and Ploughman’s Supper evening in October.