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Bell
Restoration Projects - possible sources of funding
An excellent starting reference point
is the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers publication
“Organising
a Bell Restoration Project” This is advertised in the
“Ringing
World” and well worth the asking price which is currently
£2.
It can be ordered from CC PUBLICATIONS, Mrs B Wheeler, 2 Orchard
Close, Morpeth, Northumberland NE61 1XE.
Sources of funding are primarily from
either fundraising activities or from donations/grants.
Fundraising
activities
It is likely that a large proportion of
the money you need for your project, especially if it is very
expensive, you will have to get yourself. Below is a list of ideas,
techniques and events to help you reach your goal…
- Auction of
Promises – people promise to do
something and others buy what they are offering
- Waste Paper
collection
- Fill-a-can
– give participants a full can of
drink and ask them to enjoy it, wash it out and then use it as a money
collecting tin. More…
- Parish
Map/Paintings/Prints – sell special
edition copies of parish scenes. This could be extended to selling
items such as other souvenirs and heritage items, clothes, pens,
pencils etc
- Night of 1000
Suppers
- Charity
Auction – fairly self explanatory
- Plant Sale
– sell plants!
- Fete
– try to make it interesting with something
different. Similar events like a Craft Fair or Bric a Brac sale make
between £200 and £300
- Trivia/Quiz
Evening
- Village Dance
– get the residents dancing!
- Jumble Sale
- Marathon
Sponsorship – if you have a sporty
runner they could run a sponsored marathon for your cause. Other
sponsored events include walks, runs, swims and cycle rides.
- Quilt
– quite a big project involving a lot of
needle people creating a squared quilt. More…
- Sponsored
Quarter Peals – possible simultaneous
quarters to gain maximum publicity, involves people ringing quarters
for which they are sponsored. More…
- Cheese and
Wine evening – the usual idea. Could
be improved as Wine and Buffet Supper (with music?) to make more money.
- Food
– this covers a selection of ideas. A Coffee
Morning could raise around £200, Ploughman’s
Lunches a little less (however if positioned and publicised well a lot
could be made) and Cream Teas can gain about £100 for your
fund
- Christmas Draw
– Special Christmas raffle, try to
secure some good prizes
- Car Treasure
Hunt & BBQ – create clues
and a route for people to follow around your area (possibly selling the
clues off to make more profit), finishing at a location for a BBQ
supper.
- Barn Dance
Please note all incomes are estimates
from a Central Council document and the amount gained greatly depends
on the scale and organisation of each fundraiser. Some of these can
be easily implemented by individual towers; others may require the
help and advice of the BRF Fundraising Committee. See contacts
details on the BRF fundraising committee's
web page
The Central Council have a free BRF
fundraising pack, containing important information, ideas and advice.
It is available online by clicking here or
downloadable as a printer
friendly PDF file here.
Donations / grants
Your
own ringers
Unlikely but not impossible that one of
your own band may have the cash and wish it to be used to having a
bell cast in memory of a loved one.
Your
local PCC
Remember many PCCs have cashflow
difficulties already. However, PCCs do sometimes ask the relatives of
the deceased if there is any specific purpose that the funeral
collection should be put to. Why not ask your PCC to mention your
bell project?
Your
local village / town
A personal type letter, hand delivered
may be laborious but is likely to produce better results than a
general appeal on local radio, the local press, and the church
magazine. You could try all these. If the town is too large to mass
mail, consider targeting those people who may feel some affiliation
towards the church and its bells.
Your
local business community
Do you have one of two large employers
who may be sympathetic to your cause and who might be worth
approaching? Don’t forget those businesses that may need to
create
goodwill in the local community.
Grant-making
Trusts
Check with your local Reference Library
to investigate the possibility of support from philanthropic Trusts
in your area. Those Trusts known to support bell projects include:
- Leicester
Diocesan Guild of Church Bell Ringers
Speak to a member
of your district committee or BRF Allocations Committee
representative. See names and contacts for the Allocations Committee
on their page here.
Applications considered annually and needed by 31st July.
- Leicestershire
Historic Churches Preservation Trust
Apply to Mr T Y
Cocks, Hon Sec, 24 Beresford Dr, Leicester, LE2 3LA. Tel. 0116
2703424. Applications considered 6 monthly and needed by 1st Feb
&
1st Sep.
- Central
Council of Church Bell Ringers
Check the website
by clicking here,
for contact details and availability of funds.
- Barron Bell
Trust
If you are low
church and have / would like at least 6 bells then consider
contacting Mr I H Walrond, Trustee, 71 Lower Green Rd, Pembury,
Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN2 4EB. The Trustees meet twice a year.
Return to BRF Fundraising Committee page
November 2005
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