Abbots Bromley is a thriving community of many sorts. Local villagers, newcomers, retirees, youth, commuters and local businesses. At the heart of the village beats the grand building of St. Nicholas Church. And as is the case with many ancient buildings, maintenance is a hungry mouth to feed….
In August 2012 we set about our first fund raising event under my direction. We held a BBQ at The Bagot Arms and promptly raised £1060 via good food, raffles, auctions and putting on a fun filled evening. We had a blueprint to replicate as many times as we could without becoming repetitive, boring or burdensome. The village locals and those from nearby responded magnificently to our endeavors and by the end of the year, from events such as a Gift Aid weekend, Quiz Night hosted by the Coach & Horses, book sales from Cash Stores, Penny Jar from The Crown, Bouncy Castle from The Goats Head, Bell Ringing at all pubs, a donation from The Ruchi and culminating in a Christmas Tree Festival, we raised £5692.69.
With a full year ahead of us in 2013, we repeated the above but added a Ceilidh Evening, Indoor Picnic, Sunday Lunches and Afternoon Teas in Church House, donations from The Ladies Club and Royal British Legion, Open Gardens, Mini Music Festival and a star turn day with the famed Horn Dancers of Abbots Bromley. We raised £8431.38.
And so to 2014, where much of the above successes have been repeated, and new events added such as The Lichfield Gospel Choir in St. Nicholas Church. Our planned forthcoming events include a BBQ at The Bagot Arms on Friday 29th August (tickets £6), a Jazz Violin Concert on Saturday October 18th and the Fun Quiz Night at the Coach & Horses Wednesday November 12th. All welcome!! So far in 2014, we have raised £4945.54.
Come and join in the fun with us!! Eat, drink and be entertained!
We have our plans for 2015 too which will be much of the same (as above) with some new additions. We try to have something for someone, somewhere.
So how do we spend the monies raised. We have made a huge contribution to such projects as resurfacing the outer perimeter making it safe for walking and wheelchair friendly. Windows at the west entrance have been repaired and cleaned. Tiles at the Alter and Chancel area have been replaced, repaired and polished. The Church is very well maintained overall.
Winter heating bills are huge!
Our overriding aim has always been to try to make a difference…..
Martin Godfrey
01283 840771
More information about the project can be found on the