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Helen Hoole
(St. Mary's)

The Parish Action group co-ordinates all of the parish's social action. We raise money for five main charities and we help everyone in the parish to find a way to get involved. Our overall focus is on health, justice and poverty alleviation and we are working with Christian Aid, Newpin, Spires, Vulindlela Guardians and the Wandsworth Refugee Network. We also support a number of other campaigns, charities and good causes. For information on how to get involved please see our noticeboards in both churches,or refer to our charities page.

The Flowers Committee arranges flowers for both churches, and is always delighted to have new members. Anniversaries of baptism, weddings, deaths, and personal celebrations of any kind can be remembered by flowers on dates requested. Donations for these and any special arrangements can be made through the Parish Office.

The flower rota, with names and numbers are up on the board in the church.

The committee's work covers the following areas:
- the fabric of St Mary's and All Saints' churches and the church halls;
- maintenance of heating, lighting, water supply and drainage; and
- the grounds (where not maintained by the Borough Council) and boundaries.
The committee also maintains liaison with the appointed architect or surveyor, advises the PCC on major repairs and maintenance requirements, obtains tenders and advises the PCC on appointing contractors, recommends to the Treasurer payment to contractors and consultants, and arranges working parties.
Committee meetings are normally held at 8.00pm at St Mary's or All Saints' , on the first Wednesday of each month except August. Other meetings are as announced.
The membership of the committee is not confined to members of the PCC, but works under the umbrella of the PCC.

The committee tries to keep abreast of all the items entered into the "jobs book" in each church. If you believe something needs doing, please contact any member of the committee or one of the clergy.
The committee encourages the participation of all parish members in the upkeep of the churches and grounds, and make every effort to use the talents to be found within the congregation. However, the committee uses outside contractors when this is considered necessary or advantageous to the parish.

If you have an interest in helping in any of the following ways, please feel free to offer your services: handy work, letting contractors into the building and locking up afterwards, writing letters, cleaning and dusting, advice on building works, or even to design minor works.

The responsibilities of the committee are as follows:
1. To monitor the income and expenditure of the Parish.
2. To prepare the annual budget and present it to the PCC.
3. To encourage responsible stewardship through systematic and covenanted giving.
4. To be responsible for the management and maintenance of the parish properties, and to spend such monies for this purpose as are within the budget.
5. To be responsible for the interior decoration of the vicarage in consultation with the incumbent.
6. To make necessary recommendations to the PCC relating to the financial management of the parish and its income and properties.
7. To manage the Emily Peter Fund.
8. To take overall responsibility for the raising of capital funds for the refurbishments of St Mary' s and All Saints' churches; in practice the committee will need to delegate authority for a project of this nature to a smaller working group while retaining some measure of control of and responsibility for the activities of that group.
Committee meetings are normally held at 8.00pm at St Mary's or All Saints' , on the first Thursday of each month except August. Other meetings are as announced.
The membership of the committee is not confined to members of the PCC, but has to be approved by the PCC, to whom it reports.

Anyone interested in finance or property, or able to offer professional advice or input, is warmly welcome to contact the Chair or any other member of the committee, either to make further enquiries about its work, or to become a member of the committee.
Much of the committee's work is routine, but its members have the satisfaction of knowing that their work is vital to the efficient running of the parish.

The Activities Committee organises social events for the parish and for the well being of the congregation. The committee aims to reach out both within and beyond the congregations of St Mary's and All Saints' churches, widening contacts through events, both social and serious, through the organisation of fund-raising events for specific objects and to liaise with other groups in the church who wish to organise events. This encourages friendship between the parishioners and reaches out into the community. The Activity Committee is non-revenue making, but assists with fund-raising for special purposes.
The committee meets about four times a year, usually on Mondays at an agreed time.
The membership fo the committee is not confined to members of the PCC, but works under the umbrella of the PCC.

New members and willing hands are always welcome. A variety of skills are needed to ensure the success of the events (e.g. catering, washing-up, collecting and preparing goods for sale, staffing stalls and selling, designing posters, organising publicity, organising entertainment, making suggestions and carrying them out). Both the preparation for and the events themselves are often hard work, but the result is always enjoyable.

If you are interested in any aspect of this essentially practical committee, your help would be appreciated, either as a member of the committee or as someone willing to give an hour's help at the appropriate time or produce edible offerings for our social events.