The Friends of the City Churches

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2019 YEAR-END REVIEW

1 April 2018 – 31 March 2019 On the platform today

Oliver Leigh-Wood, Chairman John Reynolds (City Events) & Acting Honorary Treasurer Tony Tucker (City Guides) David Jessop, Vice-Chairman Judy Guy-Briscoe, Honorary Judy Stephenson (Skyline) Secretary elect John Wilson (book-keeper) Brian Evans (former Watchers’ co-ordinator) Karen Hearn (administrator) Signe Hoffos (members’ events) Aims & objectives

To preserve & protect for the public benefit: § Churches & chapels of architectural and/or historic interest § Their monuments, fittings, fixtures, organs, stained glass, furniture, ornaments & chattels § Their churchyards & burial grounds To encourage ’s residents, workers & visitors to visit, use & enjoy the City churches

St Lawrence Jewry (Christopher Webb) Administration

FCC Office § Karen Hearn, administrator § Janyce Rogers & Jennifer Sharpley, admin volunteers § Sue-Anne James & Lynette Millson. volunteer church cleaners Membership

Membership from 31 March 2019 § Membership Administration database (MADS) § 1035 subscriptions: 862 single, 173 joint, plus 22 Life Members § 2019: annual subscription £20 single, £25 joint, £450 / £550 Life § Accounts in limbo no longer receive Skyline c1941 Communications: Skyline

§ Quarterly members’ magazine § Judy Stephenson, editor § Editorial advisors: Nancy Branson, Brian Evans & Paul Simmons § Carol Stanley, assistant sub-editor § John Finn, design § Distributed to members & ~70 churches & honorary members § Posted 2nd Class or e-mailed PDF § Compostable wrappers? § Advertising manager wanted Communications: City Events

City Events § John Reynolds & Ingrid Slaughter § Services, concerts, events § 10 issues p.a. § Small subscription fee; distributed throughout the City § Searchable app or online database?

Social media § Twitter: 1678 followers § Facebook: 263 likes, 261 followers

Members’ events

• Talks: ‘How to be Lord Mayor’ (Jill Finch) & ‘Medieval Church Graffiti’ (Crystal Hollis) • Visits: Merchant Taylors’ & Stationers’ Halls, London Archaeological Archive & Research Centre (LAARC), Painted Hall (Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich), ‘Roman Dead’ (Museum of London Docklands), London Gin Distillery Members’ events

• 13 walks led by City Guides • Covent Garden Churches to London Docklands, Roman London to The Legal City • Awayday: Coventry Cathedral tour with lunch in their enterprise café • Chairman’s Outing: Tenterden, Kent • Suggestions welcome Members’ events: ticketing

• Average of 145 tickets per quarter for walks, talks & visits • ~300 ticket requests per quarter • Lectures flexible, walks finite • Tickets by ballot where oversubscribed • Events repeated where possible • Online booking? E-tickets? Church Watching

§ Lesley Thrift succeeds Brian Evans as Watching Co-ordinator § Rota managers Trevor Bates, Peter Eaton, Judy Guy-Briscoe, Amanda Kuijvenhoven, Mary Ann Tarver, Marion Watson, Steve Welsh § John Reynolds, rota sheets Church Watching

20 Churches, four hours a day § 16 churches, one day a week § 3 churches, once or twice a month § every weekday Watchers’ sign-up meetings § St Mary-at-Hill § April, July 24, December Outreach

§ Small Grants programme (2019: ) § Open House Weekend § Music Festival § Catherine Cartwright’s ‘London Undone’ podcasts (soundcloud.com/londonundone) § Tony Tucker lectures St Mary Abchurch

St Mary Abchurch § Wednesday communion (Fr David Goodburn) § Tuesday organ concert (Ian Shaw) § Sunday service by the Chaplaincy to Russian Speakers in the St Mary Abchurch

Special Services § Harvest Festival, 26 Sept. 2018, donations to St Mungo’s § Friends’ Carol Service, 13 Dec. 2018 (Haberdashers’ Aske’s Hatcham College Consort) § Melba Coombs’ memorial service, 12 Oct. 2018 § Melba Coombs endowment fund, £50,000 St Mary Abchurch

Special Services § Dedication of the Travers’ War Memorial, 14 Nov. 2018, with the Rt Revd and Rt Hon Dame Sarah Mullally DBE, Bishop of London (St John’s Wood Church Chamber Choir) § Unforgotten: Lives from a Rediscovered War Memorial (Elaine Edge, Ian Parrott, Mark Williams) St Mary Abchurch

St Mary Abchurch management & hire (David Jessop) § Fruiterers’ service 25 Jan. 2018: new Master, Cheryl Roux § AA, Orlando Choir, Magnificat Choir, Chinese Philharmonic Choir, Stile Antico Merchandise

§ Visitors’ Guide & Sword Rests (Tony Tucker) § Christmas cards, greetings cards, St Mary Abchurch postcards § Shopping bag § Folding & crook-handled umbrellas § Silk ties § Ceramic mug § Pencils Archives

§ Donations & purchases § Books, guides, notes § St Mary Abchurch BCP & Bibles § FCC & SMAb documents § One or two copies maximum § Duplicates to Watchers’ Handbooks, churches, for sale to members § Growing e-library § Access? Finance: St Mary Abchurch

• FCC since May 2013 • Fabric & maintenance: Diocese • Initial five-year agreement, now expired, rent £18,000 p.a. • New five-year agreement now awaiting signature • Commencing 1 June 2019, rent £15,000 p.a. TfL Bank & Monument capacity upgrade

§ Third-busiest interchange 120m journeys p.a. § New southbound platform for the Northern Line beneath St Mary Abchurch § Tunnelling now complete, monitoring continues § No major work within St Mary Abchurch until upgrade complete, scheduled 2022 § Statutory compensation negotiated by the Diocese of London entrance 2022 FCC Financial Report

— Revenue £34,342 — £253,000 unrestricted reserve in — Subscriptions, donations, Gift Aid, keeping with FCC Reserves & Risk bank interest Management Policies

— Further £4,585 from members’ — A small deficit in our General Fund events is consistent with the Charity Commission’s view that non- — Nominal loss on merchandise endowed funds should be spent in following stock-taking accordance with the charity’s — No legacies in 2018-19 objectives

— Small reserved fund for the Arts Society (formerly NADFAS) City Church Recording Fund Trustees & Officers

Trustees 2019-20 Observers 2019-20

Oliver Leigh-Wood, Chairman Judy Stephenson (Skyline) & Acting Honorary Treasurer John Wilson (book-keeper) * David Jessop, Vice-Chairman ** Judy Guy-Briscoe, Honorary * Retiring by three-year rotation Secretary & standing for re-election Nancy Branson (carol service) Brian Evans (former Watchers’ ** Standing for election for the first co-ordinator) time Signe Hoffos (members’ events) * Alexey Moskvin (Web site) * John Reynolds (City Events) Lesley Thrift (Church Watchers) Tony Tucker (City Guides)