Bergh Apton Church thanks Keys Auctioneers
It was an item in the summer 2021 issue of PCC news that first sparked the idea.

Keys Auctioneers had posted an ad suggesting an Antiques Valuation Day as a church fundraiser, pledging that all funds raised could be assigned to the church or charity nominated. It was an appealing notion given the state of most church finances! As, at the time, the country was on a rollercoaster of falling and rising – and rising – Covid infection numbers, alternately in and out of lockdowns and full of uncertainty about new variants of the virus, our mental note was ‘filed’ until January this year.
Having made contact in January with David Broom, one of the valuers at Keys, we agreed a date in mid-April and discussed the way the day might be organised. David and his colleague, Roy Murphy, would attend between 10.30am and 4pm, each offering a wealth of broad experience as well as individual expertise. David agreed that a cost of £3 per item was fair and suggested that we establish a limit on the number of items per person so that queues would not build up.
In our publicity, we invited prebooking, by phone or Eventbrite, of free hourly slots, allowing a maximum 3 pre-booked items per person. More would be allowed on the day if numbers permitted. As people arrived with their treasures, they exchanged £3 for a numbered ticket for each item. The amount of time taken for each valuation varied wildly between about 3 and 10 minutes, and during the 5-and-a-half hours that they were with us, David and Roy valued about 130 items.
Books, ceramics, pictures, jewellery and a whole raft of miscellaneous items were brought for inspection, explanation and valuation. Some owners were disappointed; others pleasantly surprised, and at least one was absolutely delighted to be told that the sampler which had almost been consigned to the bonfire might actually fetch several hundred pounds at auction! Having an internet connection in the church helped. When it was working (!), it gave our valuers a chance to access wider auction records.
To make the occasion an all-round event for those attending, we offered plants and refreshments for sale, and second-hand books for browsing and purchase. The fine April day encouraged people to linger to chat and enjoy the company, the church and our lovely churchyard. Those sales plus donations and payments for valuations contributed over £500 to our fundraising, and Bergh Apton Church is hugely grateful to the generosity in time, effort and expertise of David, Roy and Keys Auctioneers.
This article is from...
Articles in this issue...

Prayer, presence, proclamation and persuasion
Bacon sandwiches, time together and great input was a recipe for success as far as our PCC was concerned!
More
Eyes fixed on Jesus
A large group of us gathered from the Trunch Benefice during March in our Mundesley Community rooms to join others on Zoom for the Diocese: Leading Your Church into Growth (LYCiG) conference.
More
One Big Day 2022
“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10: 23-25
More
PCC News survey follow up
One of the outcomes of the PCC News survey was that a few people asked for reports from parishes already using The Parish Giving Scheme (PGS) in our Diocese.
More
Avoid bank charges
I am treasurer of Cromer and also Sheringham PCCs and I became aware that at Cromer we are being charged over £100 a month in bank charges.
More
The legacy lives on
Legacies are a lifeline for our parishes. Church of England parishes receive over 4,000 legacies each year – gifts to finance mission projects, maintain beautiful church buildings and grow faithful and faith filled communities.
More
Consider the butterflies
Have you noticed this year’s butterflies? Since we rewilded part of our garden Helen and I have been struck by the number and variety of butterflies that visit.
More
‘Being prayerful’
As many readers will be aware, the new Diocesan vision embraces the threefold invitation to be “Prayerful, Pastoral, Prophetic”, and this year the emphasis has been on the first of those.
More
Maintenance matters
When the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) was founded, William Morris wrote of the need to “stave off decay by daily care, to prop a perilous wall or mend a leaky roof.”
More
Safeguarding training update – August 2022
Where has this year gone? Here we are entering the Autumn, and what this time last year felt like a new Training Plan to be delivered, is now well very well established, and planning for next year already well underway!
More