LITTLE WASHBOURNE ST. MARY’S MARCH 2021 CHURCH PLAN Part A - Current Report Part B - Survey Results of our open survey conducted in Summer and Autumn 2020, canvassing all community contacts for their reaction to Part A. The survey remains open and available at this location. Please feel free to repeat your survey response or complete the survey for the first time. Part C - Community Recommendations Minutes of any community meetings held to discuss the information available in other parts of the Church Plan. Part D - Action Plan Details of any actions agreed through Community Recommendations, assigned to community participants, Churches Conservation Trust staff, or to the Churches Conservation Trust Local Community Officer specifically. Part A - Current Report Church Introduction & Statement of Significance St Mary's Church, Little Washbourne, is a historic Anglican church at Little Washbourne in the civil parish of Dumbleton, Gloucestershire, under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building. The church dates from the 12th century. St Mary's is constructed in limestone, with Cotswold slate roofs. Its plan is simple, consisting of a five-bay nave and a two-bay chancel with a roof at a slightly lower level. At the west end of the roof of the chancel is a bellcote with rendered walls, some weatherboarding, and a pyramidal roof. In the south wall of the nave are three buttresses, a window under a pointed arch, and a doorway also with a pointed arch. At the west end of the church are pilaster buttresses, and a window under a pointed arch. The north wall of the nave also has three buttresses. The chancel is supported by buttresses, one on both the north and south walls, and two on the east wall. Also in the east wall is a window under a pointed arch. In the north wall of the chancel is a slit window dating from the 12th century. The floor of the church is flagged, and the walls are limewashed. Inside the church are panelled box pews, an octagonal pulpit with a sounding board, communion rails, and a communion table, all dating from the 18th century. The octagonal stone font dates from a similar period. There are traces of paintings on the walls. On the north wall of the chancel is a monument in white and grey marble to the memory of William Hill who died in 1786. Current use (bookings) & voluntary activity St. Mary’s is easy to find and a popular destination for curious walkers who refer to it’s simple charm in the visitor’s book, but limited parking possibilities limit significant use by larger groups, although a society of architects have held their annual picnic at the site. In recent months, at the time of writing, one Gloucestershire volunteer has found that the church is used annually for a service. Occasional guided tours for small coach parties represent the only other 2 known use of the building, but The Churches Conservation Trust has been very grateful for voluntary help in recent years both with a Christmas wishing tree, donated by a Gloucestershire-based supporter, and with remittance of donated funds from the wall-safe. Voluntary activity undertaken by three local residents includes ● Remittance of wall safe and service funds ● Installation of a Christmas wishing tree Collection Review Open Churches Policy status: Open Local Community Officer: Patrick Joel Current project: None Cleaning schedule: None Maintains stock of current leaflets (note unavailability of future Welcome table: leaflets for re-stock) Keyholder role: Not required Key representative role: Fulfilled (remittances, CCT liaison) Area volunteer role: Surplus to requirements Fundraising roles: Vacant and necessary Stewardship roles: Surplus to requirements Research, interp & talks role: Vacant and necessary Accessibility details: Provided via website CCT silver plaque: Installed CCT information board: Not installed, overdue (for affix to noticeboard) Oak post: Not installed, not needed CCT freestanding board: Not installed Wall safe poster: Installed, current CCT A board: Not installed Gift Aid envelopes: Provided Visitor book: Installed Building services: None 3 Parking: Limited, two spaces adjacent to church yard Organ: None Churchyard: Not owned by CCT, not maintained by Local Authority Ringable bells: Yes Pews: Sound, no defects Fire rated capacity: 70 Seating capacity: 66 Site plan: Unavailable Roof alarm: Uninstalled CCTV: Uninstalled Individual item security measures: Uninstalled Sudeley Castle, Winchcombe, Beckford Silk, St. Peter’s Nearby attractions: Dumbleton, Cheltenham Social media presence: Nil Images on CCT website: One of four Regular feature parish news: No Services per year: 1 CofE support for services: Yes Christmas memory tree: Yes, unsponsored Tea Party: No Heritage Open Days: No Ride & Stride: No No. For further information, please see Champing introduction Champing: and typical church income at appendix 4. Retail: No Risk assessment general: Current Risk assessment fire: Current COSHH listing: Current Portable appliance listing: Current Security Audit: Current Children’s explorer cart: No, surplus to requirements Children’s trail: No 4 Conservation reports Annualised maintenance costs (Exclusive of VAT): Annualised maintenance costs express the total costs of church maintenance divided by 25 years. Every cost which relates to maintenance is included except the twice-yearly maintenance visit. Any anticipated repairs are also excluded. A list of typical maintenance tasks for any historic church, forecast over the period, is available to view at appendix 2. £2,812.44 Routine maintenance costs: (Per annum and exclusive of VAT): Total cost of two maintenance visits per year exclusive of any additional maintenance items included above. A list of the maintenance tasks included in the twice-annual maintenance visits is available to view at appendix 3. £522.00 Other maintenance costs (Exclusive of VAT): Additional maintenance needs discovered during twice-yearly maintenance visits, costed and listed individually below. £925.00 Rainwater goods redecoration £750.00 Damaged church sign £25.00 Main door binding on the floor £150.00 Total short term repairs: Small scale items of limited cost which could be fulfilled with minimal fundraising. £5,500 Install Lightning conductor £2,000.00 Repoint hairline cracks £750.00 Patch repointing in various areas £2,750.00 Total medium term repairs: ££6,000.00 5 More expensive needs such as roof repairs and tower repairs which may require more involved fundraising and grant applications. Remove concrete apron to church and replace with a french drain: £6,000.00 Total long term repairs: Items which are known to require works in the longer term but which are not essential in the near future. £0.00 Total desirable repairs: Repairs which are not essential to the conservation health of the church but which might improve aesthetics or usability of the building. £0.00 All cost figures are estimates, exclusive of VAT and professional fees VAT is charged at 20% of the total costs and can sometimes be recovered. Professional fees vary, but are either charged at an hourly rate or as a percentage of the total project cost. These are usually charged only on larger or more complex projects. Income, Expenditure & Balances Income Wall Safe Total Income 2019/20 £15 £65 2018/19 £5 £5 2017/18 £37 £37 2016/17 £268 £268 2015/16 £196 £196 2014/15 £282 £282 Visitors 6 Wall safe income per visitor 2019-20 2501 £0.01 2018-19 3458 £0.00 2017-18 1431 £0.03 2016-17 4984 £0.05 2015-16 3255 £0.06 2014-15 1156 £0.24 Expenditure Total spend since vesting 17th March 1976 (non maintenance): £47,043 Conservation (repair) expenditure Maintenance expenditure 2019-20 £0 £552 2018-19 £0 £846 2017-18 £0 £486 2016-17 £0 £781 2015-16 £696 £696 2014-15 £979 £979 Balances The restricted balance is the amount of money which has been covenanted or restricted for expenditure at the church. Any expenditure needs to match the terms of the covenant under which the money was donated, for example, a term expressing that a donation is intended for roof repairs only. 7 Restricted Balance Report Jul 19 £843.89 Income less expenditure 2019/20 -£487 Income less annualised maintenance 2019/20 -£2,747.44 Local Community Officer’s Summary An attractive and popular church, St. Mary’s Little Washbourne is accessible to visitors from Cheltenham or Evesham, or for inbound and domestic tourists exploring The Cotswolds, perhaps as part of a church tour including St. Nicholas’ Saintbury, St. Lawrence’s Evesham and St. Mary’s Shipton Sollars. The relatively high number of visitors express keen interest in the building through their comments in the visitors’ book, but this sense of interest is not reflected in wall-safe donations, which are low. As a result, plans might initially focus on interpretation of maintenance and repair costs for visitors to review, so as to support their decisions regarding gifts towards church upkeep. These materials could be supplemented with information describing the means for digital donations. The Trust is extremely grateful for the emergence of voluntary support from one Cheltenham resident in recent years, who has initiated contact with the church group holding an annual service at the church, resulting thereby in their kind contribution to running costs through a collection donated to The Trust. Her care for the church has extended also to include installation of a Christmas wishing tree to encourage donations. Additional proposals and options for maintaining and repairing the church should derive from community consultation through the church planning process, inviting the maximum response towards creative solutions for the future of this attractive building. 8 Part B - September 2020 Survey Summary of consultation responses received by end August 2020 Following distribution of fifteen questions through our standard church plan questionnaire in summer 2020 to existing Churches Conservation Trust correspondents, (together with an invitation for correspondents to share the survey and associated Church Plan Part A), one response was received for St.