Committee members:
Gill Price - Chairman
 
Our role is fairly self explanatory; that is to say we are tasked to seek ways in which, as a community, our church can extend the love and fellowship of Christ practically. We look at how we might meet needs for practical assistance of any kind which may arise locally. We also seek to promote a sense of community and friendship.
We have instigated a Register of Skills – list of various kinds of practical help offered by members of our congregation. These range from visiting the ill and housebound to debt advice and mending clothes. Anyone can offer or request assistance.
Our committee has also been instrumental in the establishment of the weekly Wednesday Cuppa – an opportunity to meet and chat; and the "Coping with Loss" teas for the bereaved which are held monthly.
We initiated the use of name labels at the Pentecost service in May to help us to get to know one another in our large congregation and hope to repeat this at some point in 2013.
If you have any questions or are interested in any of the above please do contact Gill Price who is the chair of this committee – tel 884093 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Annual Report - April 2013

The purpose of this committee has continued to be to facilitate the provision of practical care and support in the church and wider community.
 
To this end we have met as a committee on 3 occasions since the last APCC (May, Oct and Feb) with regular support from around 6 lay members and the Rector and Sandy. Gill Price, as Chair, has reported regularly to PCC.
 
We have continued to try to promote the use of our Register of Skills and Practical Support, with articles in the Parish Magazine and a poster in church. This has been successful to a degree with visiting, the provision of meals and sewing tasks being examples of the help given. We strongly feel that the onus is on the offering of assistance, as people maybe reluctant to request it.
 
The Wednesday Cuppa continues to thrive and having set this in motion this now runs quite independently of this committee, being very capably organised by Sylvie Thomas and Susan Houlding.
 
A number of Bereavement Support Teas were hosted by the clergy on the Sunday afternoons. These were becoming less well attended and it is now hoped to move forward with support to the clergy being provided by lay members with some training in this role.
 
We will be providing name labels for all members of the congregation as last year on Pentecost Sunday, 19th May. The feedback from this was sufficiently encouraging for us to feel it was worth repeating as a small way of fostering our sense of friendship a community.
 
We await the outcome of the Parish Away Day to take forward our remit.
Gill Price