Friends of St Peter's
In the first of an occasional series, we ask Peter Schmidt-Hansen what St Peter’s means to him and why he became involved in our fundraising project.
What does St Peter’s mean to you?
I’m not religious but I very much appreciate churches for a number of reasons.
Firstlly, they are often beautiful and sometimes magnificent buildings. St Peter’s is one such building and to think that its tower was built about 1000 years ago – imagine the effort and labour that went into it – it’s amazing to think it’s still here!
Secondly, they reflect the history of a place and its people. St Peter’s has been here for 1000 years and during that time thousands of people have passed through. Those people reflect life as we experience it – joy, sadness, friendship, community, solitude, hope, peace, celebration.
Thirdly, churches have a surprising range of wildlife-friendly features. Hedges, grass, flowers, trees and the buildings themselves provide habitats for all sorts of creatures – and so it is with St Peter’s. Rooks crowd the skies above, frogs hop hopefully around the headstones, seven species of bat roost in the roof and eaves, butterflies flutter through the hedgerows and owls scout the ground for mice and shrews.
Why did you become involved in the fund-raising project?
I’m lucky to live near St Peter’s and every morning when I draw our curtains I see the church tower and I can start looking forward to the day ahead – I’m very much a lark rather than an owl!
Since moving to Forncett in 2015 we have felt welcome and really sensed the community spirit that thrives here. And now that the church is under threat from the elements it feels like a travesty to let the church decay any further when it has stood for so long – we would be letting down all the people who used the church over the past 1000 years. But it’s not just about preserving the past, it’s about building the future. One of the plans is to have a dementia café, a subject close to my heart as my mother suffers from dementia. Making the church a community hub is just what is needed for many who live increasingly fragmented lives.
How are you involved in Friends of St Peter’s?
I’m helping on the Publicity Subcommittee. We meet about once a month and it’s a great chance to see people – even though it’s by Zoom at the moment! It’s a very enjoyable challenge because we have to come up with creative ideas to reach what is a wide audience with many different ages, backgrounds and interests.
I also did the Norfolk Churches Trust bike ride last September where half the money I raised goes to St Peter’s – this was very enjoyable as I like nothing more than pootling around the Norfolk Lanes on my bike!
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- Written by: Ally Rae
On 30th October St Peter’s church windows shone – inside, there were lots of people, nibbles, wine, raffle and even heating! The reason - to celebrate the launch of the ‘Friends of St Peter’s’ – a network of people willing to support the restoration and revival of the church building. While the church is loved it is desperately in need of work to save it from imminent deterioration and to secure its future. At the launch, this was the key message: the church is an architectural wonder and a witness to the past of Forncett St Peter – it is our church and it is up to us to save it. The current problems are vast and serious: daylight is visible through parts of the roof and bits of stone are about to fall off the east end of the church; gutters and downpipes are failing. An exciting project of major restoration is ahead, including plans for a kitchen, toilet and new heating to reinstate this ancient church as a focus for our vibrant community.
Photo: A Moskvina
The work will cost £450,000. It seems daunting, but with grants and the essential support of the community we can do it! That’s why the Friends’ group was created and what a start, with an outstandingly generous donation and a total of £1,125 gifted as a result of the evening. We are also delighted to announce a tremendous grant of £1000 from the Norfolk Churches Trust (NCT). A huge ‘Thank You’ to Friends and the NCT - this great boost at the start of our campaign means the emergency work, planned for this winter to make the building watertight, can get underway.
Join us as a Friend of St Peter’s. There is no membership fee; instead, Friends are invited to help the project in any way they can – volunteer at an event, offer ideas or skills for a fundraising activity, make a monetary contribution, promote the use of the church as a community space. There is no regular commitment, no contribution is too small and no location is too far – we even have a supporter in Brazil! Please talk to the Churchwarden Gilly Barnes
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- Written by: Ana Moskvina and Ally Rae