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 London’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 § St Mary Abchurch every weekday Watchers’ sign-up meetings § St Mary-at-Hill § April, July 24, December Outreach § Small Grants programme (2019: St Mary Aldermary) § Open House Weekend § St Lawrence Jewry 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 Diocese of London 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 City of London 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 Cannon Street 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) .