Article from ‘The Bridge’ October 2017

Sponsor a Slate!

You’ve been sponsoring! We’ve not had a “mega-launch” of this scheme, but the total has just been quietly climbing. It is an idea that appeals to visitors, too. Their visit to our fine old church turns into a pilgrimage as they leave behind them a firm and solid mark of their visit and their appreciation of the peace and prayerfulness of the building.

One visitor has travelled all the way from Maryland in the USA (he is, in fact, a Canadian!) One of the main purposes of his trip was to look up evidence of his ancestor, one William Cockshott. William was a churchwarden and his name was inscribed on the treble of the old ring of six bells, cast in 1780. This inscription has been copied onto the 2nd bell of our current “new” ring (cast in 1914) and so we were able to take him up to the bell chamber to see the bell and photograph the inscription. His name will now join that of his ancestor in the fabric of St Andrew’s.

So far, we’ve raised nearly £2,000 – and quite a lot of that comes from the Government! Many of the donations are Gift-Aided, so some £340 is “free cash”!

What’s not to like?