St Andrews Church is at risk of closure.
Due to lack of support, St Andrews Church in South Newton may close.

Dear Fellow Residents,

We hope that you and your families are well. We are writing to you to ask for your help. Members of your Parish Council have met with the Rector, the Rev’d Jonathan Plows, and Mark Pountain, Vice Chair of the Church Parish of Wylye and Till Valley and Church Warden of St Andrew’s Church to discuss the situation as set out below.

To help us develop a plan for St Andrew’s Church over the next few years, we would be very grateful if you would complete this short questionnaire.  You do not have to include your personal details and we will NOT be passing your thoughts onto anyone else.

Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey - your views are vital.

If you have any queries, please do not hesitation to contact Cllr John Derryman (jrderryman@gmail.com) or Cllr Steve Black (statmel@live.com).

Background
St Andrew's has been part of the village community for centuries. In the late 1800s it burnt down and was rebuilt, and Lady Pembroke gifted the magnificent east window.

In the late 1990s, four of our community - Raymond Blake, Henry Henstridge, and Eustice and Hugh Smith gave up their time over four years, free of charge, to repair the tower and roof.  Whilst quite a large building, with a fine organ, the fabric today is in relatively good shape. Those who know it agree that it is a lovely country church.

Many of the community have been baptised or married at St Andrew's, and of course the churchyard honours and remembers the many from this village who have gone before us.

First, although we have a wonderfully loyal congregation, the reality is that it has dwindled in number as people have aged, moved away, become infirm or died.  Numbers at our regular services have become very small, apart from times like Christmas and Harvest, and of course the church was temporarily closed because of the pandemic.

Second, thanks to a legacy from a former Rector, St Andrew’s does have funds, though reduced through recent repairs, to maintain the church fabric and churchyard. In addition, we are hugely grateful that members of the village, particularly the Blake family, kindly volunteer to help maintain the church and grounds. In the short term (2021-22) we can financially maintain the building. The situation from 2022-23 is not good, with the unfortunate risk that our Church will need to close.

The core problem are the day-to-day finances of St Andrew’s and how these can be placed on a sustained footing. The congregation contribute as much as they are able and we are very grateful to the commitment of a number from the wider community who, though not regular churchgoers, make a valued financial contribution to the life of St Andrews. The reality, however, is that there has been a significant and growing gap between income and expenditure for some time which has now become unsustainable. We also recognise that the demands on our finances will undoubtedly increase over the next few years, demands which will not be met.

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Which village do you live in? *
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What is your age? *
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Have you ever been into the church or churchyard within the last five years? *
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Is St Andrew’s Church important to you and your family? *
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Pre lock down, did you attend any services, funerals or baptisms at St Andrew’s Church? *
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Are family members buried at St Andrews Church? *
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How can St Andrews Church better serve you? *
Which of these statements about the Church do you agree with? [you can tick more than one] *
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What sort of non-religious activities might you be interested in at the Church? [you can tick more than one] *
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Who do you think pays for the upkeep of the building and grounds? [you can tick more than one] *
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Is there anything that puts you off and / or prevents you from visiting the Church and Churchyard? *
Would additional facilities of toilets, parking, heating be of use? *
How can St Andrews as a building be better used by and for our community? *
Whether you are a churchgoer or not, would you be prepared to contribute financially to keeping our Church going and serving the community?  A small monthly donation will make a significant difference. *
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