Case Study

Grant to St Bartholomew’s Church

Background

St Bartholomew’s Church has for many years offered community projects in the form of Tots Own Tea and Toast (Wednesdays during term time) and Saturday Coffee Morning.  These have been supplied free of charge (with small donation), both provide a useful and welcome service in the community. Church volunteers offer their time for free, and the church bears the additional costs of heating the building for these events.  

The Coffee Morning is open to everyone and provides an opportunity for local people to meet, have a coffee and a catch up with one another. It is particularly valued by those who live alone. There is a donations box for contributions towards the cost of the beverages and biscuits, but no formal charge.  

The Tots Own group is open to parents, grandparents and carers of babies, toddlers and pre-school children.  Tea and toast is provided by volunteers, and it is a place where the adults can meet and the children can play together. There is no charge, but donations may be made towards the cost of the refreshments & crafts resources for the group.  We are fortunate that people donate toys which means we don’t have to use financial resources for that.

Specific needs

The rise in gas prices and the impact of COVID on the church’s financial position means it is becoming harder to do this.  We therefore approached the Village Hall Trust for a pro-rata contribution towards our energy bills to help us continue providing these valuable services for the village.  

The Grant Process

The Village Hall Trust made the process of grant application as easy as they could, the PCC as applicant made the recognition of the local need clear and the paperwork was relatively easy.  We were asked some additional questions for clarification which we were able to provide in a timely manner and the funds were issued to the PCC in due course. 

The grant we needed fell within the £5,000 maximum and our need was clear.

Outcomes

The weather over this past winter was unseasonably cold and wet which meant the heating needed to be on for much longer than usual.  The funds provided by the Village Hall Trust mean that we could provide a warm environment for those who attended these vital groups.