Thursday, 11 February 2016

CCT Bristol volunteers monthly update. Feb 2016

Dear Bristol Volunteers

I hope you are all keeping well and are looking forward to this months update…here we go!

Firstly, as always, please join me in welcoming new volunteers to the team. Eloise Cresswell has joined us as a Visitor Interpretation Assistant for St Thomas’, hurray! She’ll be looking to, as it says on the tin, develop interpretation for the church including, to start with, a new walk around guide.

Bristol St John’s Volunteer satisfaction survey. ACTION REQUIRED PLEASE
Your fellow volunteer Richard Wallace has kindly offered to once again conduct our 6 monthly (ish) volunteer survey. Please find the survey attached. Your honest input to this is deeply appreciated.

Volunteer of the Year Award Ceremony
Thanks to the small team of volunteers who trooped down to London on the 22nd January to accept the Volunteer Team of the Year award from the Marsh Christian Trust, on behalf of the St John’s Team. Some photos from the day, including a lovely line-up of all the guilty culprits on a staircase, can be found here

St John’s Gateway project update and next meeting
Please find attached an update from our Senior Management Team, regarding a change of funding to the Gateway project.
As many of you will know, were are continuing to make progress towards finalising the first round of interpretation for St John’s. If you haven’t seen the draft plans yet (shared at the Christmas lunch and at Research Team meetings) then please do feel free to come into the office St Thomas’ to have a look. We hope to  have a revised and final interpretation plan to share with the team in the next couple of weeks. If anyone would like to get involved and could help support providing content to Leach (Interpretation Consultants), please contact Emma or Keith.

The next project meeting is on Thursday 18th Feb, 11am – 3pm at Bristol St Thomas’. Please do let me know in advance if you want to attend.

Conservation Cleaning sessions at St John’s
Wonderful Visitor Welcome Volunteer Maria Fenner has decided to meet the challenge of organising monthly cleaning sessions at St John’s. She’s tried to host these across the days of the week so everyone has a chance to attend and get their hands dirty. The idea is that these sessions might also encourage visitors to get involved and who knows, maybe attract some new volunteers. Maria says…..

I’ve plumped on the following dates to see what might be the best slot for the most people.  Cake will be served at all events!
Weds 24th February        10am – 12noon
Tues 22nd March              2pm – 4pm
Thurs 28th April                10am – 12noon
Sat 21st May                     10am – 12noon

I hope at least three others can join me and have set up a doodle poll on this link for Weds 24th February so people can let me know they are coming http://doodle.com/poll/px4nz999z6zqidbx .

St John’s Research Team
I’ve attached the minutes from the last research team meeting.
The team are planning to focus on developing the key personality biographies of historical characters linked with the church. Also, Tony Valdemar has made an excellent start at cataloguing all the existing publications and research documents, which are currently being housed in the meeting room at St Thomas’.
The next meeting will take place on  Wednesday 10th February, 11am – 1pm at St Thomas the Martyr Church. Do contact Keith (keithstenner@blueyonder.co.uk)  if you’re interested in any aspect of the Research Team.

Maintenance issues at St John’s.
Thank you to the volunteer team for making us aware of the rain water coming into the spire and down into the ringing chamber. This has been reported to Corbel who will be coming out to take a look when it next rains! In the meantime please do keep monitoring the situation for us and report any maintenance issues to Emma or Ed in the office.

New CCT Conservation Project Manager for the West Region
We are delighted to announce that Meriel O’Dowd is joining the CCT as our New Conservation Project Manager commencing on the 26th Feb, She will be replacing Neil as the Project Manager on the St John’s gateway project.

Organ at St Thomas’ is working again
After a few years of being “out of order” due to crumbly asbestos in the blower box, the organ at St Thomas’ is now working again and available to be played. Please do get in touch with me if you would like to. If you are an organ player at St John’s please not to forget to complete an organ policy use form.

St John’s Volunteer training and development
As you hopefully all know, we are investigating and investing in methods to positively develop the volunteer team at St John’s and a calendar of training opportunities is one aspect of this. I would appreciate volunteer input on this and so am putting feelers out to see if any of you would like to be part of a “volunteer training advisory panel” to help me to develop ideas to realisation. Please do get in touch if of any interest.

The Conduit
We’ve received the below (potentially fruitful?) enquiry about St John’s conduit. If any of you feel you have the knowledge and time to respond please do so and copy me and Emma in.
“I sit on the Bristol Green Capital Water Group, and would love to talk to somebody about St John's conduit and other hidden watercourses”.

Architecture for the contemporary church - imagining the new in the context of the old
St Mary Redcliffe Church
Tuesday, 23 February 2016 from 10:00 to 17:00
Speakers include Loyd Grossman, Journalist, Broadcaster and Chairman of the Churches Conservation Trust. He is the keynote speaker on Increasing engagement: Reflecting on contemporary uses of church buildings beyond worship.
Cost is £20.29 including a packed lunch – CCT will happily pay this for any volunteer who is willing to write a review of the event for our blog!

Other upcoming events:
17/02/16. St John and St Thomas’      Public - tour       Group Guided tour                                                           10.30  - 12
27/02/16. St John’s.                         Private –tour                                                                                      Times TBC
28/02/16 St John’s.                          Private hire for birthday party dinner in the crypt                                             Evening


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