Friday 18 July 2014

Help Wanted! It could be you!

We had a great meeting of the Core Group last week (it was Part II, as Part I was shortened because of the football world cup - remember that?). We have begun to shape our project plan - 110 tasks or so, with deadliness and dependencies and milestones. Its great to have all that needs to be done in one place. Its also daunting! We went through and assigned people responsible for lots of jobs - we have a treasurer, we have fundraisers, but there were quite a few blank spaces - a job needs doing, but we have no person!
So here is the preliminary list - please let me know if it might be you!!
a part time paid administrator
a minutes secretary for the Core Group
a Bemerton St.John school gate representative
a web site designer
someone to manage our database of supporters

Without you, it really won't happen!

Wednesday 2 July 2014

What's it all about?

Sometimes when tasks get hard (or just downright overwhelming) its good to remind yourself - why am I doing this? So as we wait for the news any moment from planning, and consider that we've not reached half way in fundraising but there's only 9 months or so until we're supposed to start building - gulp! I feel the need to ask myself - why?!
Why do we want to create St.John's Place?
1 Because if we don't, the building will be closed and left to fall down - which would be a great loss to the village, to those with memories attached. It would also be an eyesore and if anyone wanted to bring it back to use in years to come, they would have an even bigger job.
2 Because communities need places to gather in - it could be the pub - but we don't have one. It could be a village hall - but we don't have one of those either. Lower Bemerton and Quidhampton don't have a post office or village shop - so there's no place for community to grow. Here is the gift of space.
3 Because the school needs room to expand if its going to thrive. It can't expand on its current site unless they build a second storey. What folly to bus pupils to locations elsewhere for facilities which could be housed opposite.

These are the reasons I'm working for this. The honest truth is I'm not worried about the church bit of it all - theres's a good church building 100 yards down the road and another in the heart of the parish. This isn't about church, its about communities. Your community. Lets keep going, however hard it gets, because you're worth it!