Snippets from the PCC Meeting – 17th June 2025
Among the matters discussed at the PCC meeting on 17th June were:
Carbon footprint
The Church of England has a commitment to reach net carbon zero by 2030 and one of the 1 O goals in the diocese’s strategy for 2025-2030 is “to have made substantial progress … with a clear and achievable plan of how any shortfall will be resolved in the following few years”.
We have a silver Eco Church award and are working towards gold. The church provides a carbon footprint tool which enables us to calculate our carbon footprint from our energy use each year, which we have now been using for three years. Over those three years our net CO2 emissions (in tonnes) reduced from 19.7 in 2022 to 15.9 in 2023 and 12.1 in 2024. This may simply because the weather has allowed us to use less gas in each of those years but it does at least show that we are on the right trajectory.
As part of our Eco Church commitment we will continue to try to find ways to reduce our carbon footprint and continue to embed environmental thinking into our everyday practice.
Fabric matters
Applications have been made to the diocesan authorities for permission to carry out various works on the church building. These include relaying some of the floor tiles, additional outside lights and repairing loose plaster in the Lady Chapel. We have been asked for further information, which we are in the process of providing, It is likely that there will be a delay before permission is granted.
A few years ago we started to look at how to improve the paths in the churchyard, either by repairing or relaying them, or replacing them with a different material. There was a delay in getting advice following comments made by the Diocesan Advisory Committee (DAC) when it considered our proposals. We are now trying to move forward with that and asking our architect for advice so that we can make progress as soon as possible.
When the DAC considered our proposal for the North Aisle in April last year, it raised a number of matters which the architect addressed. Revised proposals were submitted and considered by the DAC in June. It was then happy with everything except the heaters, which it considered to have an industrial/commercial aesthetic, not sufficiently in keeping with the setting.
The committee suggested we take advice from the DAC heating adviser, via the DAC secretary. Our architect has been attempting to do that but it seems that due to the workload in the DAC secretariat it may take a little while. We hope that this can be sorted out in time for further revised proposals to be submitted in time to be considered at the next DAC meeting in September.
PCC members
The members of the PCC are: Philip Sims (Chairman), Tony Ainsworth, lain Coleman, Milly Colin-Stokes, Geoffrey Dann, Barbara Dias, Henry lbberson, Steve Jones, Clive Pendrell, Alan Smith, Dorothy Steel, Graham Tritton and Tracey Williams.