ALL SAINTS CHURCH, KEMBLE
MONDAY 20TH MAY 2024
7.30pm: INFORMAL GATHERING – Discuss plans for the re-organising of the church and hearing peoples’ comments.
8.00pm: Meetings commence
ANNUAL VESTRY MEETING
AGENDA
- Welcome and Prayer
- Apologies for absence
- Minutes of previous meeting
- Matters Arising
- Election of Churchwardens
ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING
AGENDA
- Apologies for absence
- Minutes of previous meeting
- Matters Arising
- Treasurer’s report
- Reports: Curates Report; Churchwarden and PCC; Fabric Report; Family service & Sunday school; Cirencester Deanery report; Bellringing ;Parish News; Report on Choirs; Open the Book; Eco report; Little Fishes; Safeguarding; All Saints PCC Members
- Approval of Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults Policy Statements
- Election of PCC members
- Election of Deanery Synod members
- Any other Business
Minutes of Kemble All Saints Church
Annual Vestry and Parochial Church Meetings
Sunday 14th May 2023
Annual Vestry Meeting
1. Welcome and Prayer
The meeting was held in church after the 10.00 am service. The Revd Trevor Kemp welcomed everyone, present and absent, thanking Jill Kingston and Mark Wilton for all their support and all they do to support the church community.
The opening prayer was led by Rev Trevor Kemp.
2. Attendance and Apologies for Absence
In addition to The Revd Trevor Kemp, Mark Wilton (Chair)) Tony Ferris (Treasurer), 15 members of the church were present. Apologies from, Jean Whitehead (Secretary),and Cadie Aspray.
3. Minutes of previous meeting on 29th May 2022
The minutes were accepted unanimously as a true record of the meeting. Proposed Tony Ferris and seconded Jill Kingston
4. Matters Arising
There were no matters arising.
5. Election of Churchwardens
Mark Wilton was willing to carry on for a further year. Jill Kingston was also willing to carry on for the coming year. Rev Trevor Kemp thanked them both for their work during the year.
They were both appointed unanimously by a show of hands of church members present.
The meeting closed at 11.00 am.
Annual Parochial Church Meeting
1. Attendance and Apologies for Absence
Mark Wilton chaired the meeting. Attendance and apologies as per the Annual Vestry Meeting. Juliette Jago agreed to take the minutes of the meeting on Jean’s behalf.
2. Minutes of the Previous Meeting
These were accepted as a true record of the previous meeting on 29th May 2022. Proposed Juliette Jago seconded Judith Miles.
Agreed unanimously by a show of hands.
3.Matters arising
There were no matters arising
4.Treasurer’s report and Appointment of Independent Examiner
Treasurer’s report
The financial outcome for 2022 showed a fund decrease of £3.1k. The main reason for this was the normally very successful Fete having not been held in 2022 due to the death of the Queen and other reasons. We were still able to maintain and distribute a full Charity account and contribution to the Youth account, plus our agreed Parish Share Contribution.
Total funds on 31 December 2022 were £122.1k, including a balance on the Legacy account of £81.97k.
Future costs and Budget. Tony explained that a fixed agreed contract for electricity with Scottish Power had helped keep our costs in check and with the Fete being held in September 2023 this will increase our receipts in the coming year.
Tony expressed his thanks to everyone for their giving and generosity throughout what has been a difficult period for most people.
The internal Annual Accounts for the year 2022 were approved by the PCC at the meeting on 17th January 2023 for verification by the Independent Examiner. The Audited Accounts are now complete in line with the Internal Accounts.
Church members were asked to approve the Audited accounts, proposed by Judith Miles seconded by Keith Miles. The accounts were duly signed by the chairman of the meeting.
Approval for Ruth Herbert of Wenn Townsend as our independent examiner for 2023 was proposed by Tony Ferris and seconded by Trevor Kemp. Carried unanimously on a show of hands.
Revd Trevor Kemp expressed his sincere thanks to Tony for his continuing, dedicated hard work, and excellent financial advice and stewardship as Treasurer. This was agreed unanimously by all those present.
5. Reports
The following reports have been approved by the PCC:
- Rectors report
- Churchwarden and PCC
- Fabric report
- Open the Book
- Cirencester Deanery Synod
- Family Service and Sunday School
- Little Fishes
- Report on Choirs
- Bellringing
- Parish News
- All Saints PCC Members
- Number on Electoral Roll - 100
Discussion about reports:
Rector’s Report
Trevor stated that he will be sad to leave the Benefice. After some challenging years we have established a rota of services that support the Benefice as a worshipping community along with 6 qualified lay worship leaders to help out.
Judith Miles asked about the progress on a Joint Church Council. Trevor stated that five of the parishes were in favour with the legal paperwork to be completed. The Flourish Team has started to work in a joint manner.
Binnie Rank asked when Trevor’s last service might be in the Benefice. This has not yet been decided but he will be leaving the Benefice by mid-August at the latest. The search for a new incumbent for the Benefice will be led by the Archdeacon along with the Church Wardens. Trevor will work on setting up the rota for services through to the end of November.
Church Wardens’ Report
Mark again thanked Pat and Tony Ferris for all their hard work over the years with Open The Book and Little Fishes.
Fabric report
Colin Rank reported that a meeting on the re-ordering of the church in Kemble is set for 8.30 am on 8th September this year with Matt Fulford from the Diocese.
Judith asked whether we were still planning to separate the Ewen aisle and remove the organ. Colin replied that it wasn’t planned immediately though we are looking to replace the piano.
Bellringing
The Bellringing team need new recruits to be encouraged through the Benefice website and the Parish News.
Parish News
We could do with a church member on the rota of editors. We will ask for volunteers.
Open the Book
Jill Kingston has taken over the running of it and Luke joins in regularly.
No further comments to reports
All reports were agreed and approved unanimously by those present.
6. Approval of Safeguarding - Children and Vulnerable Adults Policy Statements
The policies were unchanged from last year.
Overall Parish Safeguarding Officer and Parish Officer for Children (Rachel Jago)
Rachel outlined her annual report. Kemble are working on a Parish Dashboard currently on level two of three. The PCC has approved the required Safeguarding policies and procedures and the Risk Assessments are now in place for all functions but one. This is being addressed.
The required Safeguarding training across all functions is almost complete with more people being required to be trained in the future.
Rachel thanked George Collins for all his work and support which was heartily echoed by all present.
A vote of thanks to Rachel for her role over the past 12 months.
7.Election of PCC
All Saints have a rolling PCC membership. Only Jean Whitehead was up for re-election which she had previously stated she was willing to continue. She was elected unanimously.
This leaves us with 2 vacancies so we should approach people who might be willing to stand and encourage them to join the PCC.
Tony Ferris proposed a vote of thanks, unanimously carried, to Revd Trevor kemp for his hard work and dedication in all 6 parishes.
8. Election of Deanery Synod Members
Colin Rank and Juliette Jago are both willing to stand for the role, proposed Mark Wilton seconded Judithe Miles and confirmed unanimously.
9. Any Other Business
- Judith Cutler asked if we might make a collection around Fathers Day for the local homeless. The support we give to several local charities such as Signpost covers this.
- Tony Ferris proposed and it was agreed to thank Julia Clarke and all her flower ladies for all their continued work.
Trevor closed the meeting with a prayer and the members joined in with The Grace.
The meeting closed at 12.15pm
ALL SAINTS CHURCH KEMBLE PCC REPORTS 2024
Curate’s Report
Churchwardens
Fabric Report
Source Service & Sunday School
Cirencester Deanery Report
Bell Ringing
Parish News
Report on Choirs
Open the Book
Eco Church Report
Little Fishes
Safeguarding
All Saints PCC Members
Assistant Curate's Report 2023-2024
I’d like to start by saying thank you. Thank you for the welcome I received when I arrived in January 2023. Thank you for your support and for your challenge. Thank you for all the care and effort you all put into your church families and village communities. Thank you for your faithful witness to the Good News wherever you find yourself each day. Thank you for who, each and every one of you, for who you are and all that you give in God’s service. It really is a joy and privilege to serve as your Curate.
I’d particularly like to thank our clergy with PTO Pepita, David, and Angie, our Reader Liz, our Reader-in-training Karen, our Sportily minister Luke, our church wardens, PCC members, Lay Worship Leaders, Treasurers, musicians, magazine editors, those who clean our churches and look after our churchyards, and everyone else who gives of themselves in service of our churches and Benefice. Without each and every one of you we would not be able to be the effective and welcoming Godly presences that we are in our communities. Please know that your efforts are seen and valued.
My apologies if anyone else is stepping down that I wasn’t aware of, but I’d particularly like to say thank you to Tony Ferris as he steps down as Treasurer for Kemble PCC and looks to pass on the role of Benefice Treasurer as well. Even in my short time among you Tony has been wonderful to work with – concerned to steward our finances well but also to ensure that your generous giving is put to work in service of God’s Kingdom. And this is on top of many years of faithful service leading the Open-the-book team and previously as Church Warden at Kemble. Your example of Christian service is one that I know has inspired many.
Thank you also to Mark Wilton who is stepping down as Church Warden at Kemble. Your efforts on the rotas and many other areas of church and Benefice life have been much appreciated, including your work with George, Jill, and others on the new part-time Administrator role who we hope to appoint to start after Easter. Administration is perhaps one of the less glamorous gifts of the spirit but is very much needed if everyone is to be released to serve God to the best of their abilities.
Not long after I arrived in Thameshead Benefice in January 2023 we had our Mission Week, with the theme ‘Treasuring God’s Creation’. Lots happened over the week, from a screening of ‘The Lion, The Witch, & The Wardrobe’ to Desert Island Disks with Bishop Robert, soup and chat to a walk by the Thames. On Sunday 5th February 2023 we planted trees as part of or linked to our morning services. How are those trees doing, a year on?
Much has changed for us too, both individually and as a Benefice. Some of that was part of the natural rhythm, like our monthly Benefice services which continue to be places where we meet and share time with God together as a wider church family. I’ve been impressed and inspired by the variety and creativity, and I hope they continue to be a chance for people from across the Benefice to work and worship together, expressing different facets of our rich and varied traditions.
Other events have been permanent changes, such as Trevor and Elaine leaving in the summer to lead St Michael & All Angels, Blackheath in London. The celebration of Trevor’s time with us was a special joint effort. Moving into vacancy can be a time of uncertainty, but many people have stepped up to ensure that we not only survive this season but are actually released and empowered to seize the opportunity that it places before us.
Opportunities like our House groups and our Benefice Advent and Lent series, all different but each an opportunity to grow and deepen our faith. The pre-advent retreat offered a chance for reflection and re-charging, and our Christmas services were some of the best attended for some time, whether lessons and carols, crib services, or carols in the pub.
It has also been encouraging to see the flourishing of our school engagement, including Open the Book, school worship in Sapperton, Quiz the Vicar and a transition to secondary session with Yr. 6 at Kemble, after-school engagement in Rodmarton and Sapperton, Sportily Easter, Sports days, and Sportily Christmas. There are many who put their time and effort into all these activities, and it is wonderful to see how much they are appreciated by both staff and students at our all three primary schools in our Benefice. With Little Fishes going from strength to strength, the restart of Wild & Mess Church, All-age services, the Garden service, and the start of the youth group in Kemble, engagement with children and families within our villages has continued to grow over the past year.
Looking ahead, it’s impossible to know all that the coming year will hold as we seek someone to lead us into the next season. Certainly, there are questions about how we engage with and serve everyone across our Benefice, sharing the love of God and the Good News of Jesus. If our efforts to recruit a new Benefice Administrator are successful, as I hope they will be, then this will help with communication and coordination, releasing more energy to be there for people in both the hard and good times of life.
What I do know is that we serve a God who is generous and with whom all things are possible. So, as we move forward into the future, we can be confident in recognising the signs of the Kingdom of God around us and within us, and that Jesus will walk with us as we seek to be his hands and feet in the world.
Yours in Christ,
Joe 25/02/2024
REPORT FROM THE CHURCHWARDENS FOR THE APCM APRIL 2023 - 2024
- The past year has seen major changes with Trevor leaving the Thameshead Benefice in July, but thankfully prior to that Rev Dr Joe Mottram joined the Benefice as Curate. We are now legally in what is termed a Vacancy with the Benefice Church Wardens meeting monthly to ensure that we continue with as full a service programme as possible. The lay leaders in the Benefice have stepped up to help out and are now active during most months along with the rest of the lay leader team, and it is good to see lay participation, not only in Kemble but throughout the Benefice. We are also encouraging the participation of visiting preachers and priests for services such as communion, baptisms etc. Both David and Angie Austin are willing to help out more during the Vacancy.
The Vicarage in the village has been sold and we are hoping that a replacement Rectory will be obtained in Kemble to provide a base for a new Benefice Rector.
- We have recently put forward a draft Parish Profile for Kemble which will ultimately be combined into a Benefice Profile pulled together by Martin Kingston.
- Through this period of change we have been delighted to see a strong parish community spirit in evidence and we have continued to reach out to our parishioners in a variety of ways.
- We have received and considered reports from all activity areas in the Parish and from the Deanery Synod.
- Our morning services have been well attended and we have continued with streaming all Sunday services from Kemble. During the year we moved over to YouTube for the streaming of our services and have been able to use music for hymns from the internet if an organist is not available. We have continued with normal communion i.e. wafers and wine if so wished, but still with the option to take a wafer only if the communicants are more comfortable with that
- Fellowship. After the morning services we have reinstated hot drinks and snacks from the Fellowship corner which has been very popular and well attended.
- The Source (family service) team have continued to produce varied and energetic services once a month and continue to bring more young people into our church.
- Other events. Little Fishes has continued plus Open the Book. More of these later. Wild and Messy Church has been a strength continuing where possible in the open air at Somerford Keynes including parents and children. We again held our Lessons and Carols service with good attendance which was also streamed live.
- We set up a number of detailed risk assessments as the rules and regulations changed, with all key functions reviewing the risks and mitigations involved in their events.
- The fabric of the church remains in good repair with repairs completed to resolve the damp in the tower. As a result of the Quinquennial Survey both the heating and key areas of wiring have been repaired/replaced.
- Organist. With the sad loss of David Stotthard, we have looked to employ new organists to enable our live singing to be enhanced. We have on occasions downloaded music onto the AV system which has worked well but we are also blessed with Edward Allen (occasionally assisted by his family) playing the organ on a more frequent basis, supported by Hedley Walls.
- The increased involvement of lay leaders means that as we move forward with fewer clergy in the future, we are utilising more lay participation in the services. Tom Barrow and Judith Cutler are both licensed as Lay Leaders and Karen Czapiewski is successfully continuing her Lay Reader’s course.
OFFICERS
Mark Wilton is standing down from the post of Church Warden at the 2024 APCM. Jill Kingston is willing to stand again as Churchwarden for the coming year.
We have put together a support system for the church wardens in terms of stand in rotas and leaders for each of the main rotas, including now the Streaming Service from All Saints with others trained up in its use.
- We continue to be delighted to have Jean Whitehead as our secretary, she has kept us all to our tasks, and we are also grateful to Juliette for continuing to produce our annual Parish statistical report.
- Tony Ferris has continued to perform exceptionally as our Treasurer. This role continues to be challenging as we further recover from the financial impact of the pandemic both in Kemble and throughout the Benefice. The increase in the number of persons who engage in The Parish Giving Scheme, primarily through Tony’s efforts, continues to be a key source of stable finance for us. We also held a Gift Day which raised £3,000 during the year, to replace the fete which was cancelled due to the death of the Queen and the timing of her funeral.
- We have again assumed that our Electoral Roll numbers have remained constant and our usual rotas for Church opening, readings, intercessions, sidesmen, sacristan, and flowers, have all been maintained. We are very grateful to those that put together these rotas both for us and the Parish Magazine.
- We expressed our thanks for Trevor’s leadership and care up until the time of his leaving party and sincerely thank those such as Pepita, Angie and David Austin, who continue to help where they can. We also thank our Benefice Lay Reader Liz Collins and the lay leaders who are actively involved within the Benefice and with events such as Wild and Messy church.
- A Special Mention. At the APCM Tony Ferris will be standing down as Treasurer and we are currently looking for a replacement. Tony’s contribution to the Parish and the Benefice throughout his time as Treasurer to both has been immense.
Quite simply thank you and God Bless.
Finally, We are very grateful to Rev Dr Joe Mottram, our Benefice Curate, for all he has done throughout the last year. He has fully participated in our Mission and Worship, contributing greatly to both and throughout the Vacancy, and we wish him and his family well for the future.
Our blessings go to all our congregation and community.
Jill Kingston and Mark Wilton Churchwardens March 2024
FABRIC REPORT 2023
ALL SAINTS CHURCH KEMBLE
Quinquennial Report
The Quinquennial report was carried out in 2022 and highlighted several routine maintenance items to be addressed over the next five years. These include some pointing on the exterior and repainting on the interior some of which has already been addressed. Nothing serious was thrown up. A copy was circulated to the Church Wardens.
The Architect’s summary was as follows:
“The building is considered to be in fair condition overall. There are some missing and cracked slates which should be replaced. Parts of the rainwater disposal system require overhaul and redecoration. There are defects in the masonry walls which need to be repaired and some cracks which should be monitored.”
Electrical Quinquennial Report
An Electrical Survey which was carried out in September of 2022 highlighted several non-urgent items that have largely been addressed during the year. One outstanding item concerned the cabling supplying the church, which is the responsibility of SSE.
SSE have now been and replaced the under sized cables supplying the church with the correct specification and colour.
RE-ORDERING
Further discussions regarding the re-ordering project have taken place during the year and following a visit by Matt Fulford from the Gloucester Diocese in September 2023, further consideration of the plan was carried out by Toby Falconer prior to obtaining costings by the QS.
The current plans involve raising the floor level in the Nave to match the level in the Chancel but retaining the present floor level in the Ewen Aisle. The proposal is to install an air to water underfloor system to provide background low level heat to keep the interior dry and to enable the present heating to raise the temperature for Sunday worship.
There is an area of the roof that is not visible from the ground, and this is a potential site for some PV panels which would assist the background heat during the week.
Much debate has taken place over exactly how the new levels can be achieved and this is ongoing with the Architect.
However, he is meeting shortly with the QS and some cost estimates are hopefully going to be forthcoming for the various options.
When these are available the Legacy Committee will reconvene to make recommendations to the PCC.
Wi-Fi
The streaming of services has proved difficult using the installed system of sending and receiving our Wi-Fi from the Tower to the receiving Mast near the station. This system was prone to dropping out occasionally on a Sunday Morning when Vodafone seemed unable to cope and this resulted in failed transmissions. As a result, we have changed from Vodafone to Daisy and installed a hard wire connection directly back to the BT Exchange in the village. This has seemingly cured the problem. In so doing a duct was installed for the new cable which can be replaced by a fiber optic cable as and when it becomes available.
Windows
At some stage during last summer a stone was thought to have flicked up possibly by a strimmer and which damaged the south window in the Nave. This has now been expertly repaired by Shima Hayashi for a cost of £35. Her expertise will no doubt be useful in the future.
Asbestos Survey
An asbestos survey was carried out in August/September of 2023. No signs of Asbestos were found in the church except for a redundant Fuse Box in the pit in front of the main door. This pit used to house the heating for the church and the fuse box is of a type thought to possibly contain asbestos internally. Access was not sought to clarify the matter. However, should a time come when the Fuse Box might need to be removed it should be extracted intact and treated accordingly. While untouched and unopened, the fuse box is not considered a threat.
There are no other relevant matters to report.
CRHR
22/2/24
Family Services (Morning Source)
These services happen on the 2nd Sunday of the month at 10am, unless the calendar dictates a change, such as Mothering Sunday, Easter and Remembrance, etc.
Service highlights for this period include Garden praise with thanks to Colin and Binnie, our Harvest service held at the Tavern, innovative services around Creation tide and Safeguarding, the Christmas Crib service and Mothering Sunday as well as a few baptisms. The ‘outside’ services drawer significant numbers and this is something the team wish to create more opportunities for.
A special thanks must go Judith Cutler for her work liaising with GDASS and arranging the collections of toiletries and gifts and to Karen and Ian for helping with this and their monthly delivery of items to the food bank.
Last year we were conscious of using more live worship in our services, this has happened but with the screening of services we have been limited in using on-line content which is something to be debated. Puppet sketches remain a staple in most of our services and these are mainly pre-recorded.
Attendance is steady at our services, with a growing group of families becoming actively involved. Families increasingly sit in the pews during these services which is to be encouraged and fosters participation. The fellowship corner by the refreshments is not always the safest and while offering space to play it is set apart and not easy to hear or engage in what is going on. The idea of using the Ewen aisle more has been suggested.
We seek this year to further promote the significant services that are held, either online or with posters. There is a WhatsApp group where regular families are notified of services.
We endeavour to keep mindful of growing our team and including more people in the running of services and engaging outside speakers to add interest and variety.
Sunday School (Source Seekers)
This runs on the first Sunday of the month, during the Communion service. Children, and parents, if they wish, come to the Ark, by kind permission of Jill and Martin, where we focus on one of the readings of the day. There will be interactive discussion, activity, craft and prayer. Attendance varies with anything from one family to five but small or large it is always special in its own way. Once back in the service we are occasionally asked what we have been doing and while this is often not easy to articulate it does serve to consolidate our learning and is beneficial in engaging the rest of the church family in what we have been up to.
Cadie Aspray
March 2024
CIRENCESTER DEANERY SYNOD: year ended 31 December 2023
Back in 2021 Synod agreed these Deanery Strategic Priorities
- Stay connected to our local communities.
- Develop Lay ministry and leadership.
- Outward focus on mission, meeting people where they are.
- Define the role of clergy in this new landscape.
These priorities have evolved into The Deanery Strategic Plan (DSP) which is now moving into implementation phase. Synod would appreciate any help that parishioners can offer.
Owing to retirements and ‘moving on’ there are now vacancies in: Thameshead, Cirencester and Ermine West. The Archdeacon is keen to get the process of appointments going by April 2024.
Mr. Michael Spittle retired as Secretary and Apportionment Officer after ten years of service.
The role of Area Dean is now split between three joint Area Deans: Rev. Andrew Cinnamond, Rev Canon Graham Morris, and Rev Canon John Swanton.
The following were elected in June:
Lay Chair: George Collins
Secretary: Claire Pearson supported by Maggie Dennis
Safeguarding: Jackie Colburn
Re-appointment of General Synod member: Lay Canon Karen Czapiewski
The office of the Apportionment Officer remains vacant.
Peter Moore and Rosemary Bailey joined the Standing Committee as additional members.
Rev Jim Caldwell chaplain to The Gloucester’s is now in Cirencester Deanery.
Rev Catie Watson has joined the South Cotswold team in Kempsford with Whelford, The Meyseys and Castle Eaton.
In October Bishop Rachel sent word that she plans to spend some time in Cirencester Deanery in 2024 hoping to meet a cross section of people from the farming community
Note: This has been scheduled for Thursday 1 August 2024.
13 March 2024 Synod plans a discussion on Stewardship and Christian Giving to be led by Lisa Gardner Diocesan Director of Finance, Property and Giving.
Attendance at Deanery Synod averages about 30 of the potential 70+ representatives and clergy.
Dates and topics for Cirencester Deanery Synod 2024
13 March Stewardship and Christian Giving
19 September Ministry
21 November Spiritual and Pastoral
Claire Pearson
Secretary
Kemble Ringers and Ringing at All Saints, Kemble.
2023
Kemble Ringers are currently a band of 8 Ringers, with a regular but infrequently attending old friend as number 9. Very friendly and welcoming with many, many stories of life in Kemble since the 1950’s.
The average age of the band is well into the 70’s so some additional resource over the coming months is sorely needed.
As a group, Kemble Ringers are competent for weddings and celebrations but they’re always up for a challenge or two to advance their ringing skills.
Since September we have also had a regular visitor (Richard) from Cirencester on practice nights and often two. A welcome addition to practice.
This year John Griffin decided to hang up his Tower Captain’s hat after many years’ services in the role. Many thanks to John for all the effort that he’s put in over the years managing this band (should one say herding?) and we hope that he will continue to help us as a ringer for many years to come. As a result, there’s a new tower captain, Rick Applegate. Only 1.5 years in the band so he’s a lot more to learn!
Thanks to Everitt for again being tower Contact and secretary.
Activities
There were no weddings in 2023 and no funerals so Kemble’s ringing was restricted to ringing for the more special services.
December saw the annual Ringer’s Dinner at the Thames Head.
The year finished with ringing in the New Year at 12:00 on New Year’s Day!! and a short celebration afterwards. Unfortunately, there were a few members absent on the day but reportedly it was a good event.
Tower
The Tower and Bells are still in good condition. Some minor maintenance was performed on the bells in the Autumn and a general inspection performed.
Building work does seem to impact on the ringing chamber from time to time with various things being left in there. Generally, the space is OK, but there are a couple of bells that the taller of us can’t comfortably ring due to the low overhang of some of the electrical units & cabinets. When the next work is done in there it would be good to revisit the positioning of these.
Visiting Bands
As all towers do, we welcome visiting bands that wish to ring here for whatever reason. In 2023 we had 3 bands
August 16th Cirencester Band rang a quarter peal.
September 30th Cirencester Ringers used the Tower.
November 18th Reading University “on tour”
Plans for 2024
Practice night is still Monday but this may change as Monday precludes the monthly social after ringing now the pub is shut on Mondays.
The Band as alluded to is ageing and we need to get new and hopefully some younger ringers interested in ringing in Kemble. There are several challenges to achieving this, all around providing an environment that will be able to engage new ringers when they are with us and allow us to train them quickly and well in all the necessary skills. Essentially, we need to learn to be able to teach according to the currently accepted teaching methods and we need to get external resource lined up to help us with some aspects of group ringing before we start recruitment. This way we can train new recruits correctly and hopefully produce enough ringers to form the core of a band that will last for another couple of decades.
Safeguarding -
Rick is still going through DBS checks. Currently the only other plans in respect of safeguarding are to use the Gloucester & Bristol Diocesan Association resources to deliver basic awareness to all the other ringers. Should the plans for training new ringers require more of the band to carry out physical training then we will re-evaluate the need to have further safeguarding training for those individuals.
The Band has set themselves an objective to learn/relearn Grandsire Doubles as a method and hopefully get a plain course rung. This will also require external help to make the process reasonably painless!
We have discussed trying to attend some of the district ringing days – essentially free training – and hopefully will be doing some of this as Rick develops more contacts in the district.
For several reasons it might be beneficial to provide a couple of bell simulators in the tower as this provides a much safer way to teach many aspects of bell handling and method ringing on as many occasions as required. All without disturbing the neighbours unduly! It’s one thing to practice ringing once a week with reasonably competent ringers, it's quite another to have (he said hopefully) 6 or so new recruits all clashing happily for an hour 3 nights a week! This however needs some investigation as it will need to be financed. The plan is to look at this in the next couple of months and start discussions thereafter.
Known Weddings and Visits
- March 23rd, Wedding commences at 13:30
Rick Applegate
27.02.24
Parish News Report 2023 - 2024
It wouldn't be possible without the help of all those who send articles, distribute the magazines, and collect the money.
I've had some feedback that we could source more articles and make it more fun but to be honest the editors don't have much time so we can only include what arrives in the inbox. It would be lovely to have some regular news from the school or indeed just pieces of interest from the readers.
Michael and Linda are an enormous help with editing, but we would always welcome additional volunteers as it's quite a commitment when we are all busy. The more we can share out the better, whether its editing or just collecting the magazines from the printers and delivering to Julia's.
On the topic of which, I’ve moved our printing from the stationers in Cirencester to one in Love Lane which has parking right outside so much more convenient for anyone collecting and significantly cheaper. "
Nicola
21.02.24
REPORT ON KEMBLE CHURCH CHOIR FOR 2024 APCM
Following Tony Ferris’ retirement from the choir in 2022, it has been a privilege to be able to work with a dedicated and fun group of singers. Over the last year, the choir sang at both the Easter Service and the Carol Service. As always, we tend to have stronger numbers at Christmas but the lower numbers at Easter did not affect the standard of music produced! The choir has been challenged by the repertoire chosen and has risen to meet it with great success.
Due to changes in 2023, the choir did not sing for any Harvest events which I know was a disappointment for some, but it was agreed that we would gather in the autumn for rehearsals and perhaps an informal concert if the same happens in 2024.
I am delighted by all that the choir has achieved over the last year.
Finally, I would like to make special mention of Robin Bigwood who has accompanied the choir over the last year both in rehearsals and at services which has been incredibly helpful.
Zoe Wolton
11.02.24
REPORT ON KEMBLE OPEN THE BOOK FOR 2024 APCM
Open the Book continues to be as popular as ever at Kemble School and we have great support from the headmistress and staff.
The team has grown in numbers as Lucinda and Cadie have joined us. This has been important because several are unavailable each week.
The year has been a little difficult as we have been settling to using the Bible Society’s new book of Bible Stories. It has not been as easy for the team to use as the previous ones. However, the team have been very gracious about it and we understand that from the summer we will be able to use the previous ones if the team are associate members of the OTB stream of the Bible Society.
We try to involve children from the school most weeks, and are present at 8-10 assemblies a term.
Jill Kingston
18.2.24
Eco Church 2023 - 2024
In January 2023, Kemble PCC agreed that we would work towards becoming an Eco Church in line with diocesan and national church aims. We carried out an audit in each of the five areas: worship and teaching; buildings; land; lifestyle; community and global engagement. We found that we had already exceeded a bronze rating in our worship and teaching but had a bit more work to do in other areas.
We have held services throughout the year to celebrate and give thanks for God’s creation and the tree that was planted during the 2023 Benefice mission week continues to flourish.
We have avoided paper waste by using the screen for services and making the paperwork and reports for the APCMs available through the Thameshead website. Members of the church flower arranging team attended a workshop in Minchinhampton on arranging flowers more sustainably and have been using more locally sourced and seasonal flowers in their arrangements.
We have also written a monthly Eco Church report for Parish News to keep the local community informed about our progress.
With the cooperation of the Parish Council, who manage the upkeep of our churchyard, we participated in No Mow May, Plant life’s annual campaign to rebuild biodiversity. We also took part in the Love Your Burial Ground Week with Churches Count on Nature from 3-11 June. Some 45 plant species and 11 animal species were identified and reported to Caring for God’s Acre
.Thanks to Bill Richardson of Welcome to our Future, who obtained funding from Sylvanus Trust, we have put three bird boxes in the churchyard and three more in the community gardens. We hope to expand this in 2024.
Juliette, Rachel, and Martin
Eco Church committee
Feb 2024
REPORT ON LITTLE FISHES FOR 2024 APCM
LITTLE FISHES
It has been a privilege to take over the running of Little Fishes from Pat who retired last year after 20 years of exceedingly faithful service. She left big shoes to fill but has been gracious in showing me the way while giving me freedom to explore new things and revisit old ones.
Little Fishes continues to have a good following; attracting parents, carers and young children. We saw several children going off to school in the summer and we have a predominantly larger number of babies and younger children currently. Parents enjoy a chat over tea and cake with each other and us, as helpers, while their children play with the variety of toys and equipment. We often sing songs and nursery rhymes, always finishing with the ‘Little fishes’ song. We look to explore bringing back a regular craft slot.
Part of what makes little fishes special is the time it is held, its location opposite the school and the helpers. Huge thanks to Pat, who continues behind the scenes, Anne, Linda, and Julia who all make and serve the tea to the adults and snack to the children. I am exceedingly grateful to Ian and Toto for helping me set up and David and Jane for clearing away. There are discussions with the Village Hall committee around our storage for little fishes which may streamline how we do things going forward.
The parish council funded a new banner for us this year which is tied on the railings as well as providing us with branded coffee cups with lids to save us using disposable cups. They are keen to support us further.
In association with Little Fishes is the Little Fishes Table of Love, which is situated opposite the entrance and offers baby and children’s items on a pay-as-you-can-basis. This was initiated by people offering outgrown or no longer needed items within the group. Home start and the local health visitors have been approached and it is the prayer that people from our village and surrounding areas will feel they can come and take what they might need. This will be reviewed next year.
Cadie Aspray
March 2024
Safeguarding Report for APCM
It has been a good year for safeguarding in Kemble! We have moved to Level 3 (the top level) for our safeguarding practice on the Parish Safeguarding Dashboard, and we are now in the comfortable place of working to maintain our safeguarding compliance – but as always with safeguarding, we can never be complacent about it.
A particular highlight of the year was celebrating Safeguarding Sunday for the first time in November, along with thousands of churches across the UK. This was a wonderful opportunity to reflect on what safeguarding means in our individual contexts and to raise awareness about such an important issue.
Behind the scenes, the PCC have continued to review and approve our existing policies, including our GDPR/Data Protection and Retention policies on record-keeping. Posters have been updated to reflect changing requirements, and there is a green folder in the church to provide further information, resources, and support to anyone who needs it. The PCC receives a safeguarding update at every meeting, which is especially important in our period of vacancy.
As many as 25 members of the congregation have now received, or are in the process of receiving, some level of safeguarding training, which is a testament to the care and love members of this parish have for one another. With George Collins’ support, we now have an effective monitoring system to ensure people are renewing or developing their safeguarding knowledge and skills as needed.
On a personal note, I feel very proud of the way Kemble Church has embraced the topic of safeguarding; all aspects of church life are now considered in a safeguarding context, and it feels like we have moved closer to having a true culture of safeguarding.
Thanks, as always, to Joe Mottram and George Collins for their guidance and support with safeguarding and thank you to the whole congregation for engaging with such an important issue. Remember: it is a privilege to keep one another safe.
For any further information, please contact me: rachelhjago@gmail.com.
Rachel Jago, Parish Safeguarding Officer
April 2024
ALL SAINTS KEMBLE PCC
PCC EX OFFICIO MEMBERS:
CURATE JOE MOTTRAM
CHURCHWARDENS MARK WILTON and JILL KINGSTON
SECRETARY JEAN WHITEHEAD
TREASURER TONY FERRIS
SYNOD MEMBERS COLIN RANK, KAREN CZAPIEWSKI, RACHEL JAGO, JULIETTE JAGO
PATRON BINNIE RANK
PCC ROLLING MEMBERSHIP
3 Year Membership ending 2026.
JEAN WHITEHEAD
3 Year Membership ending 2025.
MARTIN KINGSTON
CADIE ASPRAY
3 Year Membership ending 2024.
HOWARD DAVIES
TONY FERRIS