Summer 2025 Update
St George’s Ivychurch has received almost £26,000 in the year-to-date for essential repairs
A MESSAGE TO MEMBERS
Over the years we have been very fortunate to have had a magnificent range of speakers who have addressed our Annual General Meetings and never more so than this year when we hosted not one but two Palins. Sir Michael, author and broadcaster and a vice President of the National Churches Trust together with his son Will, architectural conservationist, restorer of the Dockyard Church in Sheerness and currently chief executive of Barts Heritage Trust and the massive restoration project which is underway. St Augustine, Brookland was crammed to the rafters as we listened, enthralled, as father and son talked about their interest in and involvement with old buildings and churches. We are so grateful to them both for giving up an entire day for our benefit and delighted that once again, a two-hander at our AGM proved to be such a success.
RMHCT Chairman Peter Anwyl-Harris (Centre) with Sir Michael Palin (Right) & Will Palin (Left)
Over 70 people joined the Members’ Lunch
Prior to the meeting over 70 of us enjoyed an excellent lunch in the village hall at Brookland and I was pleased that the numbers attending were back up to pre-Covid levels. Yet again the sun shone for us and altogether it was a most enjoyable occasion. However, as we all know, these days don’t organise themselves and our thanks must go to all those who worked so hard behind the scenes to make the day such a success. In particular our appreciation goes to Helen Sloman who has only recently taken on the role of secretary, who worked tirelessly in the weeks running up to our AGM. Currently, we are sounding out a prospective speaker for next year and I hope to be able to give you more information a little later in the year.
Now, to what we do: securing the future of these ancient churches. This year to date, we have committed almost £60,000 in grants across a variety of projects. Of the churches we support, the main recipient has been St George’s Ivychurch which has received almost £26,000. Repairs to the clock will account for £10,945 with the balance going towards continuing repairs and maintenance to the fabric of the building itself. Window repairs costing £5,792 have been approved for All Saints Burmarsh. Redecoration at All Saints Lydd, begun in 2024, has required additional funds and a further £4,460 has been approved to enable the work to be completed. Smaller grants to St Eanswith Brenzett (£2,080), St Peter and St Paul Dymchurch (£3,000), St Thomas Beckett Fairfield (£1,935), St Mary East Guldeford (£557), and St Clement Old Romney (£3,830) have also been approved. Graham Maple, our Grants Officer, keeps a close eye on all our applications and likewise David Williams, our Treasurer, watches our finances and my thanks go to both of them for making sure that funds are available as and when required.
675 local children have participated in our workshops with Primary Schools this year
Members will be aware that we are keen to attract the next generation of enthusiasts to look after these churches and in my annual report I mentioned the success of a couple of pilot programmes we have run for local schools where children have been able to participate in a number of activities, including painting and drawing whilst also learning something of the history of the Marsh and its churches. They have been extremely well received and we plan to roll this out to more schools and in different churches over the coming months and a sum of £10,000 has been set aside to cover the cost of organising these workshops. Once again my thanks go to Joanna Thompson and our consultant, Didier Rochard for all their hard work.
Since I last wrote to you with my annual statement, there have been a couple of changes on the Council. David Hanbury, who gave up his role as Membership Secretary two years ago has decided to retire from the Council and we thank him for his contribution to the Trust over many years. At the same time, we very much welcome Vyvienne Wade, who has agreed to join us and was appointed to the Council at our recent meeting in June.
Our 2025 Christmas Card
In the height of summer, it can be hard to get one’s head around the idea of Christmas cards but for those who like to get ahead of the game, our usual application form for cards and books is included with my Newsletter as well as being available on our website. This year we have a splendid card featuring All Saints Lydd, taken from a painting by John Doyle. Feedback from a number of members has indicated a strong preference for a choice of cards and next year we will have at least two from which to choose.
By the time this Newsletter reaches you, our annual members tour will be about to take place with Joan Campbell once again at the helm. She has been taking these tours for longer than any of us care to remember and I know we have another full house this year. The tour always gets booked up very quickly and for anyone who has an interest in the churches and the Marsh and has not been on at least one of her tours, it is an absolutely ‘must’. Make a diary note now to join Joan next year. Book early to avoid disappointment!
Peter Anwyl-Harris, Chairman
August 2025