Our APCM was held on Sunday 28 April 2024. Many reports were presented to that meeting, and here is the one concerning St George’s Church Simister and Lady Wilton Hall
WHAT A YEAR!!!!!!
Church Building The church has never been used so much, all activities (very few) took place in the church because LWH closed due to failure of the electrics. The brass band, Teapot Time and Messy church continued to meet in church under very difficult circumstances, even voting took place in there.
In the midst of all this it was Quinquennial inspection time. It went reasonably well for St. George’s with the usual problems, gutters, trees cutting back, doors need attention and the gate needed repairing. Unfortunately, the gate was passed repair and for safety’s sake needs removing. One of the main problems was a corroded gas pipe in the cellar had to be checked by Cadent. This had been reported 12 months previous and so eventually ‘the gas man came to call’. We were told the path would have to be dug up, but eventually this didn’t happen and the job was completed with very little hindrance.
Lady Wilton Hall as stated, had to be closed for an electrical re-wiring. St. Margaret’s PCC loaned us £14,000 to get the job done quickly and so began the search for an electrician to do the job. Eventually we opened LWH on the 8th May 2023. This meant we could get the activities going and raise some money!!!.
I must thank everybody from both churches for their support during this time. Fund raising was taking place all round and donations were once more being put into the bank or through my door. We had to use some of the cash to pay bills because the utilities had to continue, especially in the winter and of course we had no rent coming in. The fund raising started and one of the highlights was Besses’ Boys Band concert in St. Margaret’s. £2,000 was generated that night and it was such a success that people were asking could we do it again next year? During the year the total income raised was £8117.38p of which at 31st December 2023 £5,000 had been paid back to the Parochial Church Council. The work continues, but unfortunately, the hall, built in 1850, needs a lot of repair in order for us to make both the Church and the Hall viable.
I want to give a big thank you to Carol Knaggs, Barbara Ashurst, both church families, Laurel Avery, David McConville, Janet Dalton, Anne Orrell, Danni Zenko, Barbara Taylor and Joan Evans, people in our village and all those who donated and supported us in getting the Hall open. We would not survive without your help.
Everybody keep well and safe in this difficult time. Joan Knott
St Margaret's Church Prestwich 