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I recently received a very interesting letter by way of a receipt for our donation of £217.40 to the Arthur Rank Centre Addington Fund for the farmers. The centre has been working on behalf of the churches and the Royal Agricultural Society of England for 28 years on a wide range of issues which affect agriculture, the environment and rural life. The appeal has raised over £3 million so far, and as at April 19th over 2,000 farmers had contacted the fund for help and £1.2 million of grants have already been paid out. The Trustees meet three times a week to consider individual cases and to get money to those who need it as quickly as possible. Recent requests have included a young farmer in a restricted area who has been unable to sell cattle and sheep - the fund paid for fodder and feed; and elsewhere in South West England another farmer served with a restriction notice had sheep breaking through fences as all grass had gone - the fund paid £450 for electric sheep netting to keep them in. Grateful thanks are due to everyone who so generously contributed to help those affected by the Foot-and-Mouth outbreak. The retiring collection for April raised a further £120.63 for our link parish St Mary Axim, Ghana, the Lent Group raised £30 for Bible Lands (not the figure quoted in the Bulletin), and Lent boxes contained £8.99 for USPG and £23.72 for the Society of the Holy Cross Mission Direct. The Inter-Church Quiz raised £39 for the Rowans Hospice. The collection amongst the congregation for Colin Towner's leaving present reached £136. The St George's Day Gift Day envelopes to date contained £362.50 and as £322 was given under the Gift Aid Scheme this realises another £90 by way of a tax refund for general church funds. So please make sure if you are a taxpayer the church is aware of that fact so all your contributions to St George's can be increased by 28p in the £ courtesy of the tax man! I make no apologies for continually repeating this important message because it is vital income for St George's at no cost to yourselves.And indeed a cheque for £1,407.65 has just been received from the Inland Revenue, the tax refund due for the first quarter of 2001, and of that £18.33 belongs to the flower fund and £31.73 to the Eucharistic Gifts Fund. Some disquiet has recently been expressed about displaying details of the weekly planned giving envelopes on the noticeboard at the back of the church. The PCC duly discussed this on April 26th and concluded the information should remain on display as no identity details are shown and it is a security measure enabling contributors to check the money they are paying is correctly recorded thus safeguarding the people who count those monies. If anyone is unhappy with this procedure continuing then a standing order paid through the bank would resolve the problem and cut down on administration work. [John Millard has the necessary form.] The Plant Sale on April 27th raised £304.68 and money from further sales is continuing to come in. £21.40 was contributed for Easter bulbs for the churchyard, and I should clarify the total money raised by David Palmer's sale of bulbs was £55.80. Profit from the sale of pantomime videos was £56 and the coffee morning at the Vicarage on May 12th raised £62.50. On the administration side the Performing Rights Society Licence cost £129.25, Phonographic Performance Ltd Licence £49.35, various reusable posters £78, photocopier paper £132.17 and a year's supply of green planned giving envelopes £119.06. Following various meetings and discussions with Deanery and Diocesan representatives it is quite clear we are expected and indeed required to pay our full quota of £38,890 for 2001, which the PCC have undertaken to do by the end of the year. We have dispensation to raise the shortfall and pay off the debt later in the year. Even so I have sent a cheque for £3,100 on May 14th and a further £2825 will be due before May 31st. Linda Wainwright, Hon Treasurer to the PCC STOP PRESS: The "Loo in the Vestry Fund" Concert raised £235.85, plus £47.82 recoverable under the Gift Aid Scheme as a tax refund, total £283.67. |
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page last updated 1 JUNE 2001 |
