Purpose

This report presents
an application for funding under the Council’s Community Funding
Programme.  

 

An
application to the Community Fund has been received from St Paul’s Church in
Sarisbury Green for £1,000 towards the replacement of their oven which is
currently out of commission.

 

St
Paul’s Church use their oven to provide bakes and meals for a variety of
groups, services and wider community events. These
include:

 

·        
Weekly community café – 25 attendees

·        
Monthly seniors’ lunch – 25 attendees

·        
Community breakfasts – ad hoc with 40 attendees

·        
Church community meals – ad hoc with 50-60 attendees

·        
Two-weekly craft and a cuppa group – 20 attendees

·        
Meals for fundraising events, big band bangers and mash evening,
community events – ad hoc with 80 attendees

·        
Seasonal community services – ad hoc with 150 attendees

·        
Meals for 10 weeklong courses – twice yearly with 25-30 attendees

·        
Funeral wakes – ad hoc with up to 50 attendees

·        
Remembrance Services – 200+ attendees

·        
Baking for fundraising cake stalls

 

 

With it currently only providing
very limited use due to a broken glass door making it too dangerous to be used,
a replacement is desperately needed. A fix for the current oven has been looked
at but unfortunately the parts are obsolete and cannot be replaced.

 

The
oven is used to provide baked goods and meals for a wide range of groups,
benefitting hundreds of the local community throughout the year. It is used to
make goods for fundraising, making the church and its activities more
sustainable.

 

The replacement oven has
been chosen considering the longevity of the manufacturer for availability of
parts, has a larger capacity allowing catering for larger groups and reduction
of risk of damage due to the oven design.

 

The total cost for replacing
the oven is £2,849. St Paul’s Church are looking for £1,000 from the Community
Fund, with the remainder being funded by the church reserves.

 

As of 31 December, St Paul’s
Church held £35,825.91 in their accounts. In the accounting year 1 January – 31
December 2023 there was an income of £66,061 and expenditure of £79,985.

 

Both Ward Councillors, Councillor Burton
and Councillor Foot support the St Paul’s Church funding application.

Decision

RESOLVED that the
application be approved.