Fundraising

The Westbourne Church community is involved in a number of fundraising initiatives. These include raising funds for the ongoing running of the church's ministry in the parish, the maintenance of the building, and specific projects. In addition, There are also fundraising events held throughout the year for local, national and international charities.

Join us for these exciting events and help our fundraising

Contact details for the events can be found in the pew sheets available in the church. If you want to find out more but are unable to collect a pew sheet, in the first instance, please email the Parish Office.

If you are organising a fundraising event on behalf of Westbourne Church and want it to appear on this page, contact the Parish Webmaster.

Coffee Mornings - these are held throughout the year for different causes.
On Mondays and Thursdays from 10am to 12pm in the Churchill Room at the Parish Hall, come and join us for teas, coffees, cakes, biscuits and a good chat at the regular drop-in. There is no coffee drop-in held on the first Thursday of the month.

Knit and Natter - If you are a novice or experienced knitter, come along to the Thursday coffee mornings (except 1st Thursdays in the month) to share your projects and queries about knitting while enjoying cake and coffee.
First Friday lunches are held in aid of a range of charities at home and abroad. These take place in the Parish Hall at 12.30pm. on the first Friday of every month (not including August) and every Friday during Advent and Lent. These events are organised through the Home and Overseas Support Group. Please check notices in the pew sheet and the parish magazine for more details.

2019 Fundraising

If you have any ideas or would like to volunteer to help with church fundraising, please contact the Treasurer. The Treasurer and the Fundraising Co-ordinator warmly welcome both suggestions and volunteers for our programme.

Thanks to everyone for their generosity and support of these events and to the organisers for all their efforts.

Future events

This is a list of fundraising and general events, being held in the parish. Any events which are raising funds for the church or other charities are listed with the relevant charity's details. As dates are confirmed they will be addded here.

Saturday 13 July 2019, 7pm - Mark Jennings classical guitar recital, at St John the Baptist Church, Westbourne. £10 entrance
Saturday 21 September 2019, 6pm (times tbc) - Talk by William McVicker, followed by refreshments and organ recital at 7.30pm at at St John the Baptist Church, Westbourne. £10 entrance (Portsmouth and District Organists' Association event)

Previous events

June 2019

Sunday 16 June 2019, 7pm - More than 80 people came to hear the organ recital by Callum Alger at St John the Baptist Church, Westbourne. Callum Alger at Westbourne poster (PDF - opens in a new window). This was part of the Church's organ recital series to raise awareness of organ music and the church organ at St John the Baptist Church.
Leprosy Mission Coffee Morning - Thanks to everyone who supported this event which raised £258.75. Special thanks to the Home & Overseas Group members, without whom such fundraising for good causes would not happen!
Christian Aid successes. We raised a grand total of £2,633. A huge thank you to everyone involved in so many ways, making this wonderful sum possible. This is in addition to money raised at the Chilli Supper. Robina Richter

May 2019

Saturday 25 May 2019, Cake Tasting, thanks to everyone who supported this, made a cake and provided the recipe. Lynda M.

Sunday 26 May 2019, 7pm - Gilbert and Sullivan 'Gondoliers' concert to be held at St John the Baptist Church, Westbourne. Retiring collection raised funds for Christian Aid. Gondoliers concert fundraiser (PDF - opens in a new window)

Christian Aid in Westbourne

Christian Aid update, June 2019 - We raised £2,170 in the house to house collection, £313 at the Gondoliers concert and received a donation of £150 from a recent community breakfast in the Parish Hall – a grand total of £2,633. A huge thank you to everyone involved in so many ways, making this wonderful sum possible. This is in addition to money raised at the Chilli Supper. Robina Richter

Christian Aid Chilli Supper, Saturday 11 May 2019 - The evening raised more than £800 from ticket sales and raffle, and with Gift Aid this takes it to more than £1,000 for Christian Aid. The funds will go towards maternity support in Sierra Leone - training for midwives, improving health clinics and supporting mothers. The country presently has the lowest child and mother survival rate in childbirth. Our efforts will help to make the difference between life and death for mothers.

Last year the Christian Aid charity raised more than £8 million. For more than 70 years the charity has been standing with the poorest of our neighbours. It works in 37 countries with people of all faiths and none, to stand up for dignity, equality and justice. Christian Aid helps in practical ways to end poverty throughout the world; also to highlight, challenge and change structures and systems that favour the rich and powerful over the poor and marginalised.

Christian Aid week ran from Sunday 12 May to Saturday 18 May with house-to-house collections throughout the village.

Fundraising started on Friday 3 May with the monthly First Friday lunch at 12.30pm in the Parish Hall.

Giving at the beginning of 2019

Revd Andrew Doye said: "I thank those who have supported the work of our churches by regular giving in the year past: some 85 of us through the Parish Giving Scheme (PGS) and a further 23 by means of the coloured envelopes or standing orders. Although details are unknown to me, this generous support goes a great way to allowing our churches to flourish and serve their community. For others wanting to join the giving scheme please take a leaflet at the back of church or speak with our Treasurer and Churchwardens"

If you are able to make a regular contribution to the Church, the preferred method of giving is using the Parish Giving Scheme. Leaflets are at the back of our churches or contact a Churchwarden.

“In December 2018, we passed £1/4M donated to our parish via the Parish Giving Scheme. This includes nearly £50k in Gift Aid and more than £15k in inflationary and voluntary increases in giving. Thank you all”, Jonathan Kipling, Churchwarden.

Plastic Milk Bottle Tops

We currently have a Charity outlet for clean, plastic milk bottle tops for recycling. Please do not leave any other types of bottle tops as they are not recyclable in WestSussex.Thank you.

50/50 Club

For details of how you can join the 50/50 Club, contact the organisers via the Parish Office.

News from previous fundraising events

Friday 8 March 2019 - Another superb Westbourne Supper Lecture
Tracy Borman, Palace Historian, introduced her first novel “The King’s Witch: James 1 & the Gunpowder Plot” in the Parish Hall. Supper at 7.00 pm. Supper Lecture. A huge thankyou to everyone involved in making the evening such a successful one - Tracy even offered to return again! £815 was raised.
Saturday 2 March 2019 - Marmalade Festival - this year £511 was raised for church funds, with grateful thanks to everyone who supported the event - making, buying or eating marmalade.
Saturday 19 January 2019, Community Pancake Breakfast. Another opportunity to support the young people from The Bourne volunteering in Ghana in February.
Friday 4 January 2019, Twelfth Night Food and Fizz. Paula and Russell would like to thank all those who attended the Food and Fizz evening, more than £300 was raised for church funds along with lots of laughter!

What is the Parish Giving Scheme?

If you wish to make a regular contribution to the Church the preferred method of giving is using the Parish Giving Scheme (PGS). Leaflets are at the back of the church or contact our Treasurer Nigel Browning.

In response to enquiries, if you give via the Parish Giving Scheme (PGS), you can ring PGS on 01452 835595 should you wish to increase your giving. You will need your 'PGS contact ID' (which is on the letter/email the PGS sent to you) and advise what you would like to give. If you can not find your contact ID or to find out more about using PGS, speak to Nigel Browning.

Westbourne Church Restoration Trust (WCRT)

The church has stood for centuries at the centre of our village. It is a lovely building, which exists for everybody in the parish whether they attend church or not. For the church to continue to serve and to be enjoyed by village generations to come, a Trust was created in 1992 to assist financially with its restoration and repair. More details about the WCRT charity.

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