How to donate to our work
We struggle to find enough money to maintain the parish Church, which is there for all 7,000 residents in the parish. There’s been a church in Worplesdon for over 1,000 years and we ask you to help make sure it will be there for generations to come.Planned Giving
Our parish Church is mostly funded on a Planned Giving basis through the generosity of some 150 parishioners and supplemented by funds from the recently formed Friends of Worplesdon (plus some recovery of income tax via Gift Aid). We get occasional grants for specific purposes from outside bodies (e.g. SITA Trust grant towards the restoration of the Tower). We also get a regular contribution from the civil parish council towards the maintenance of the churchyard which is still open for the burial of any who live in the parish. There is some fee income from weddings and funerals but most of this goes out to cover costs or is paid to the diocese.
Apart from that, nothing. No tidy sum from the central Church of England or the Diocese of Guildford (we fund them through Parish Share), no government grants and there’s no ‘they’ who should pay for this or that – it’s just ‘us’.
The PCC Treasurer publishes detailed accounts every year – available to view online here and usually on display in the churches from mid to late April.
Although there are a lot of costs of buildings and services, your church makes a little go a long way.
Please be one of ‘us’. To play your part in helping the Church maintain its buildings and grow its mission in Worplesdon, you can take part in Planned Giving too.
We would encourage anyone wishing to donate funds either as a one off gift or on a regular basis, be that monthly, quarterly or annually to use the Parish Giving Scheme. This scheme is administered centrally and greatly reduces the burden of work on our finance volunteers. The service provided by the PGS is free to use both for individual donors and on receipt at a Parish level. We receive all donations in the month they are donated and the Gift Aid is also administered free of charge. We receive the tax refund from HMRC on a monthly basis. Please use the link provided to find our parish on the PGS website.
Of course if you really feel you are not able to use this service please to feel free to make donations by whatever method suits you best. Your donations will be very welcome and will be put to use for the work of God in the Parish of Worplesdon.
Whatever method suits you, it is your church and it needs your support just as your family, house or car also need looking after. The only people who will know how much you decide to give are the Planned Giving Officers, the Gift Aid Secretary, the Treasurer and, in certain cases, a Church Warden.
Please return forms via the Church Office marked ‘Confidential – Planned Giving’.
If you need to change the amount at any time, just get in touch with the Planned Giving Officers, c/o the Church Office.
Online Donation
Use the QR code on your smartphone to donate by “GiveALittle” or follow this link.
Friends of Worplesdon
Whether you’re a regular attendee or going to church means weddings and funerals, Christmas or Easter, St Mary’s and St Alban’s play an important part in local life and are part of our heritage. From providing a place for celebrations, meetings and events to a place of quiet reflection, these two churches fulfil vital roles. The church hall at St Alban’s is a community venue which is in constant use by different groups, and St Mary’s (parts of which date back to 1086) is a special place for many life event ceremonies, yet neither of these buildings receives any government funding.
In both cases, the very fabric of the building is under threat from the ravages of time and significant sums are required for their upkeep. We are hoping to meet part of the shortfall through small, regular donations from a wide base in the community, thus enabling the church to continue to be at the centre of our parish. Friends of Worplesdon Parish will be non-religious.
If you would like our churches to continue to be an important part of your community, please consider joining the Friends and for a minimum of £10 a year, you could help ensure the continuation of your local churches for today, tomorrow and the years to come. Please note that any funds donated to the Friends are placed into a restricted account solely for the purpose of the upkeep of our church buildings.
Please consider making this one of your charities of choice. Please do get in touch using the button below if you would like to contribute.
If you would like to discuss the Friends further, please use the button below or contact the church office on 01483 233091.
Other Supported Charities
We are generous to a range of charities chosen by our members, both through events during the year and giving from our regular income.
As a Parish we currently support one national and one local charity:
'Reflecting the love of God in all we say and do'