The Friends of St Mary’s was established in 1974 to foster interest in this ancient parish and civic church of Nottingham and to bring together all who support it. The Friends also seek to assist the vicar, churchwardens and Parochial Church Council in improving the church and its environment.
Sunday 3 July, 5.15pm: Friends’ AGM
46th ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
on Sunday 3 July 2022 at 5.15pm in the Chapter House, tea will be served from 5pm
Members of the Friends of St Mary’s are invited to attend the Annual General Meeting which will be followed by Evensong at 6.30pm, should Friends wish to attend both.
At the meeting a report and accounts will be presented for the year to the end of March 2022.
We experienced a second year of limited activities as the country dealt with the COVID virus and the restrictions imposed by it. The Friends contributed to the cost of restoring and re-siting the fine painting of the Virgin and Child from the workshop of Fra Bartolomeo, gifted to St Mary’s in 1839.
There has been encouraging progress in our project to gild ten wooden angels sited high up in the nave. A new application for a faculty asks for permission to fully gild the angels (the first attempt foundered on the proposal to partially gild them). We know that many Friends live at some distance from Nottingham; you might be prompted to look out for gilded angels in your local churches.
At Easter time local Friends and supporters were able to resume serving refreshments at concerts to raise funds for the church and this activity will continue provided that we can recruit sufficient helpers.
New members of the Friends are very welcome, details of membership can be found on the church website, see About Us/ Friends of St Mary’s.
Friends’ Projects
The Friends of St Mary’s support a variety of projects.
The Friends have purchased lightweight folding tables, electric urns, vestments, information and display boards and window protection for use in the church. The Friends also made a donation of £5,000 toward the cost of a new floor for the nave. To mark their fortieth anniversary in 2014 the Friends donated two seats for the churchyard which have been placed near the south porch.
The Friends have launched a special appeal to gild the angels on the roof of the nave in time for the Friends’ golden jubilee in 2024.
Activities
The Friends organise an annual visit to a cathedral or church of historic interest. In recent years the Friends have enjoyed guided tours of the cathedrals in Ely, Leeds, Sheffield and Leicester.
A lecture is given annually on a subject related to St Mary’s or the parish. In 2016 a member of NADFAS spoke about its project to restore the church’s fabrics and vestments. Speakers in previous years have included Peter Eugene Ball, sculptor and art advisor to the Southwell and Nottingham Diocese, and Canon Jack Higham who has researched the lives of notable clergy connected with St Mary’s.
Additional events are held to mark special occasions and in 2014 the Friends celebrated their 40th anniversary with a ‘bring and share’ lunch complete with birthday cake and champagne.
The Friends publish three magazines a year which are free to members. Copies of the current magazine are available to non-members, price £2 (including postage). Contact the secretary via the website.
Joining the Friends
Joining the Friends is easy: just download this PDF form, fill it in and send it to the address below.
You can also make enquiries about joining the Friends via the parish office, at:
The Parish Office
St Mary’s in the Lace Market
High Pavement
Nottingham NG1 1HN
Membership fees are as follows:
- Individual Membership £10
- Family Membership £12
- Corporate Membership £50
You are most welcome to make an additional donation, above and beyond the basic membership fee.
Please make all cheques payable to Friends of St Mary’s Nottingham.
Friends of St Mary’s Privacy Policy
The Friends of St. Mary’s takes privacy matters seriously and complies with all relevant legislation -including the new “General Data Protection Regulation” which came into force on May 25th, 2018.
The short version of our privacy policy is that:
- we collect the minimum information about you
- we store what data we do collect securely
- we prevent misuse and unauthorized access to your data
- we don’t share your data with third parties
- we only use your data for matters directly related to Friends’ activities and fundraising
If you have any queries about the policy and how it applies to you (and how you can exercise the rights the policy recognises you possess), please contact:
The Friends of St Mary’s,
The Parish Office,
St Mary’s Church,
High Pavement,
Nottingham
NG11HN
The Friends of St Mary’s is a charity which provides financial support for church projects. The Charities’ Commission Registered Charity Number is 1066583.