ASK Friends AGM Report May 2025
Our Cons)tu)on states that the aim of ASK Friends is:
“The preserva)on and conserva)on of the Grade 1 Listed All Saints Church, Kenton for the public benefit by providing support to maintaining, preserving and improving the historic church building, it’s churchyard and its contents.”
I’d like to emphasize the words ‘providing support’. We share the task of maintaining and preserving the building with the PCC and the congrega)on. It is the PCC which ul)mately has responsibility for decisions on repairs and spending.
Our Vice-Chair Rob Rand gives a huge amount of his )me to building maQers: geRng quota)ons, liaising with contractors, overseeing works, and liaising with Rev Julia Hocking, the PCC and the DCC. It may seem that liQle has happened this year but there is much going on behind the scenes, thanks to Rob.
Let’s look at our achievements! The church is open to the public for 7 days a week and used for many different purposes besides worship, including the wonderful Easter Cra[ Fair and the concerts put on by Rachael and Richard. None of this seemed possible five years ago when the church had been closed for 18 months and was looking very neglected a[er plaster had fallen from the ceiling.
ASK Friends holds fundraising events to support the building needs and also to raise the profile of the church in the local community.
As you have heard, we have around £10,000 in our funds.
During the year we hosted 2 fund-raising Art History talks in the church by Dr Chris Davies. Three further informal art conversa)ons are planned for May, June and July. We are most grateful to Chris who so generously gives his )me to do this.
There have been two quizzes in November and March, and we thank MaQhew Williams for ac)ng as our brilliant quizmaster. MaQhew has now stood down as quizmaster and the role will be shared jointly by Chris BriQon and Laurence Foster when quizzes resume in the Autumn.
In July, a concert by the Ashburton Singers raised over £500 and was a wonderful occasion. The singers highlighted the need to improve the ligh)ng in the church as it was difficult to read the music.
The Easter Cra[ Fayre, led jointly by the church, ASK Friends and the village cra[ group raised over £1000, of which ASK Friends received a half share.
We recognize that our fundraising enterprises raise small amounts and that, for major building works, we will need to apply for grants. If anyone has exper)se in this, we would be pleased to receive your advice.
So, what is happening with the church building?
The September flood in 2023 damaged the South Aisle ceiling and caused water ingress on the South Wall adjacent to the ceiling fall. At the same )me, an electrical wiring fault occurred in the vestry, not considered to be due to the flood. The electrical repair was completed in December 2023 but, despite significant correspondence with the loss adjusters, an agreement about the ceiling repair has not been reached. However, recent exchanges have been promising and it is hoped that the South Aisle will soon be reopened.
The blocked tower drainpipe, in risk of collapse, was resolved by West Access who abseiled down the tower to test and refix the pipe, clear the blockage and temporarily repair splits and holes in the upper lead sec)on. This removed the danger of the pipe falling and the path was reopened.
Further work to remove all the plant growth on the tower, to repoint and replace the lead is necessary to complete a permanent repair cos)ng c £6,000. ASK Friends has offered to provide 50% of the cost.
The 2024 quinquennial report iden)fied a number of minor repairs to be completed within one year. These have been completed along with the roof/guQer cleaning at the end of April. A[er the quinquennial report, a hole developed in the storeroom floor, thought to be due to a flood down the North Aisle steps, due to a blocked drainpipe two years ago. At the same )me, a so[ patch was noted in the kitchen floor. These were repaired by local builder Kevin Alford and his team, at a cost of £1,690.
Last summer, the stained-glass windows were repaired as a result of the very successful Give to Go Green scheme. Funds were raised by both ASK Friends and the church and we thank you all for your contribu)ons. The planned repairs have been completed. As the £5,000 target was exceeded (with the help of Gi[ Aid claimed) the remainder can be spent on more minor repair needs no)ced during the planned work.
There are other building repairs, judged in the quinquennial to be necessary within the next five years. One of these is a crack in the crenela)on above the porch. Es)mates have been requested for this.
We are awai)ng a date for the reposi)oning of the WWII memorial from the kitchen to the North wall. £200 has been received from Kenton Past and Present group plus some extra dona)ons.
Later this year we will be taking part in a second Give to Go Green fund-raising campaign over a six week period. The aim is to reduce the church’s energy use. Es)mates have been obtained to replace the high-level lights with LEDs, modernize the hea)ng control system and trial some hea)ng mats in the pews.
We will be sending out more informa)on later in the year but if anyone has good ideas about fun fundraising events, please speak to us. We need to raise another £5,000, to be match funded by the CofE.
The Churchyard
The churchyard is a work in progress. The team led by John Perkins and Cliff Tubb con)nues to manage the churchyard, keeping paths neat and )dy while allowing nature to thrive in other areas.
A huge amount of Goosegrass has been removed to prevent it from smothering other flowers.
Spring bulbs planted in Autumn 2023 failed to thrive. New team member Daisy Jones successfully applied for a grant to buy snowdrops and na)ve bluebells, which were planted in Autumn. Disappoin)ngly few came up.
Yellow RaQle which was so successful in 2024 has not reappeared this year.
Lavender plants put in by Mandy Hendley to the right of the porch did not do well. Mandy thinks the spot is too dry. Considera)on is being given to what would be best to put in that corner.
On a more posi)ve note, three small trees (Hawthorn, Rowan and Cherry) were planted in Autumn 2024 and are thriving.
The churchyard team is maintaining the Studd grave and has planted Sedum as ground cover to keep weeds at bay.
I would like to thank John, Cliff and every member of the team for their dedica)on to the constant upkeep of this lovely space.
The Swi[ project has not been forgoQen. Swi[s are currently nes)ng in the boxes in the church tower. A new cable has been put from the tower to the church room and a new TV purchased by the PCC. We s)ll aim to be able to project pictures from the nests onto the church TV for people in the village to observe. A HiFi/WiFi expert has been to visit and iden)fied exactly what is needed. We were not able to arrange this before David Day, the ‘Swi[ Man’ went travelling for 6 weeks. We will look at it again in September, once the swi[s have flown.
All Saints Church remains a vital landmark in Kenton. Whatever our religious beliefs, it is vital that this church stands firm at the heart of our village. This is a long-held belief. In 1766, in the )me of George III, the Parish Lands Trust was set up as a permanent endowment to provide support for the parishioners of Kenton to maintain the church building. The school pays rent to the Parish Lands Trust, which in turn gives the church the money to maintain the building. Since the school was flooded and has been relocated to the playing field, this support has ceased. Unless another tenant can be found for the school building, this source of income will be lost permanently.
If we do not con)nue to act, the church will fall down, as Britain’s medieval castles and monasteries did centuries ago. As I said last year, a derelict ruin at the centre of our village is not a fun prospect.
As you will be aware, there is a new, enthusias)c, dynamic group working to raise funds to re-open The Dolphin as a pub and community hub. Kenton has many needs! However, let’s ascribe to Abundance Theory – that there is enough for all!
Lastly, )me for some thank yous:
Our commiQee is small. Huge thanks to Rob who has worked so hard this year. Also to Julia (Cox) who joined us as Treasurer last year and has diligently managed our finances. Also to David (Guthrie) who joined also the commiQee last year – he is a great asset with his pragma)c approach and ability to see all sides of an issue. Recently, Mandy Hendley stepped down from the commiQee and we thank her for her contribu)on to ASK Friends, par)cularly her energy, enthusiasm and hard work to make the Easter Cra[ Fayre happen.
We would love some new commiQee members. Could it be you? Come and join us!
Jane Perkins (Chair ASK Friends)
| Income | Expenditure | £ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank Balance B/F 31/03/2024 | £7513.54 | ||
| Inc/Payments 24/25 | |||
| Membership | £285.00 | ||
| Donations | £170.64 | ||
| Events | £1,830.13 | £284.83 | |
| Other income | £71.00 | ||
| Admin expenses | £163.91 | ||
| Restricted Funds - Memorial | £434.92 | ||
| Restricted Funds - Churchyard | £160.00 | £182.50 | |
| Totals 2024/2025 | £2,951.69 | £631.24 | £2,320.45 |
| Bank balance as at 31/03/2025 | £9833.99 | ||
| Amount held in Restricted Funds | |||
| Churchyard | £327.54 | ||
| Memorial | £434.92 |
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