THE FRIENDS OF ST MARY'S
The Friends of St Mary's Church, Cricklade, was launched
on 10th October 1998.
The objects of the Friends (Extract from the Constitution)
are:
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1.
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In conjunction with the Parish of St Thomas of
Canterbury, Fairford and its Parish Priest, to care for and
maintain St Mary's Catholic Church, Cricklade, and associated land
as well as they can, with a view to eventual full restoration ....
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2.
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To raise funds to be used exclusively for the
benefit of the Church and associated land and for this purpose to
issue such publicity materials as they see fit.
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We have a steadily growing membership which extends beyond the parish
to the Cricklade community, to individuals the length and breadth of the
country and as far afield as Canada.
Since our inauguration we have raised £20,929. Of that, £6,000 has
come to us in the form of donations, and £5,000 from Gift Aid. Our
expenditure so far has been modest. We have renewed guttering, padded the
kneelers and introduced an enhancement to comfort in the pews in the form
of carpeting to the seats. We have agreed to fund the overhaul of the 1863
clock which includes the introduction of an automatic winding mechanism
and the reinstatement of the chimes. This will cost £4,500. A grant will
pay for the restoration of the dial.
The Catholic Diocese of Clifton and our Insurers will meet the costs
arising from the subsidence of the North wall. The Parish of St Thomas of
Canterbury has designated funds for the introduction of a heating system.
The funding of these two costly items by Diocese and Parish will allow the
Friends to channel their resources to other matters. For example:- Grills
are being made to protect those stained glass windows which require them,
and the grill to the East window is to be renewed as the rust is impacting
upon the stonework. The wooden ceiling in the chapel requires attention
and this will necessitate the removal of the organ for access. Lastly, the
boundary wall must be repaired at a cost of £18,500 + VAT.
Maintaining a listed building requires expertise, skills and materials
which are expensive, and input from numerous expert bodies which can cause
tedious delays. If you think we are slow to act, it may be because of
constraints beyond our resolution.
Chairman, September 2001
