Greetings. As well as all the work going on on site at present, there’s plenty afoot out of sight too. Most absorbingly at present this has been and is around the setting up of a new charity to run the new premises on behalf of the parish and St Mary’s Trust and to ensure that the wider community benefits as much as possible from all we will be able to offer or host during the week. It also seems to make sense that arrangements for cleaning and security and day to day running cover the whole site rather than just the new parish room and adjacent facilities, so will include the church and the rest of the presbytery as well. Our existing parish administrator, Kathy Redington, will go from one to two days a week from June to deal with the bookings and we are looking as well to appoint a caretaker (or doubtless nowadays someone we should call an operations manager or some such!). The new charity will be a not for profit of course so any end of year surplus will be passed to the PCC, but in the early years we will only be aiming for a break even budget. Either way much legal advice is being sought and received as we navigate the technicalities - but I know our lead trustee, David Marchese, will be glad in the future not to be called on regularly to change the kitchen lightbulbs or run the weekly fire alarm tests, and the clergy similarly relieved not to be climbing ladders to shut errant windows or endlessly chase the school for not closing the south porch doors properly!

With all good wishes,
Fr Andrew Walker
Parish Priest