2020 Parish Share – paid in full!
We were asked how did we manage it? The answer was - comfortably!

The Upper Tas Valley All Saints parish (UTVAS) is a multi-church parish with seven churches and four Church of England primary schools. Along with Fundenhall PCC we make up the Upper Tas Valley Benefice in the south of the county. As we are formed the five original PCCs we take responsibility for a fifth to a sixth of the Benefice Parish Share.
Ever since 2003 we have traditionally only held one or sometimes two services across the Benefice on a Sunday taking it in turn to use all the churches on a rota basis. With an electoral roll of just under 50 people we still got a regular attendance of 18-24 people on a Sunday before lockdown and most people were willing to travel to whichever church was holding the service. We are a strong, united church community and work together for all the churches in our parish.
In 2003 we set up a system of monthly giving by standing order (STO) and where possible Gift Aided, which over the years has grown. We have a retiring collection at each service and some people contribute to that as well as the STO, and up until April 2020 the church members giving was very generous.
Lockdown could have been a disaster financially, but I contacted all the members on the electoral roll and other regular worshippers and invited those with STO to consider increasing them, at least until we are able to resume church services. I invited those who do not have a STO to consider taking one out or alternatively putting away the normal collection each week and then letting me have the cash periodically.
Did this work? Yes, it did! 2020 regular income from the giving by our church community was maintained to the same level as 2019.
Now all we look forward to is the day when we can be together as a worshipping, caring community face to face and not through a Zoom link to an electronic device.
The author...
This article is from...
Articles in this issue...

£15,000 raised in a day
Founded in 1993, this village organisation has truly gone from strength to strength.
More
Friends in a time of need
‘Do we carry out urgent repairs to the building or do we pay our parish share in full?’
More
Powerful friends
When the local community learnt that St Peter’s Church, Forncett, was threatened with closure, the response was immediate; their beautiful 1000-year-old Anglo Saxon church with its iconic round tower must be saved for future generations!
More
An amazing array of support
The rector and churchwardens are the Trustees of Reepham Church Charities which includes a plot of land, currently leased to Reepham Town Council for allotments, but also funds accumulated from rents which are to be used specifically for ‘the relief of the poor of Reepham’.
More
Supporting education in Brooke
Like my predecessors I am a trustee of several small village-based charities.
More
Heating cost support
The Sporle Relief in Need Charity (charity number 213063) owns Sporle’s Town Farm: a farm which nowadays is sadly separated from the village by the A47, with no bridge or easy means of crossing.
More
Curiosity into wonder
The Saxons founded Fishley in the 10th century, followed by the Normans who built the current church of St. Mary’s.
More
Honour where honour is due
The 2011 Census identified 177,918 young carers in England and Wales.
More
Please hold the line caller
Just opposite the church in Blickling, on the side of the road, is a lovely old red phone box which, a couple of years ago, was looking a bit unloved and forlorn.
More
Angels to the rescue
It is a great shame that so many events and club meetings in Knapton have had to be cancelled for such a long period because of COVID, but the Knapton Angels have done a fantastic job of supporting our parishioners through these dark times, meeting over 400 requests for support and help.
More