Sponsor a Flint
Hurst's Own Restoration Project

Everyone can help to restore St. Nicholas Church by taking part in the Sponsor a Flint appeal, to ensure that the church will be enjoyed by generations to come.

A professional flint napper will be employed to remove, re-face and re-set each flint in the East Wall by hand. People who donate £5 towards the costs of replacing each flint will receive a badge stating ‘I have sponsored a flint for St.Nicholas’ which is written on a picture on the East Wall flints.

We can all keep track of the Sponsor a Flint appeal on the specially-designed Flintometer which is to be put up at the church. Currently the badges are available only at the church, but they will be on sale at the Christmas Fayre on 29 November, and through other outlets in the village. Contact Mary Langdown on 0118 934 xxxx for more information.

Progress on the East Wall

Further reports, required by English Heritage before their grant is made, are being prepared so that a programme of work for 2004 can be developed. Fund-raising continues to be a major project. In addition to the appeal leaflet in this Newsletter, funds have come in from local firms, the sale of produce each Sunday, and donations given to Sponsor a Flint during the Radio Berkshire day.

Extracts from Mary Langdown’s Diary

• 28 June: Gill Gatehouse hears of the appeal for anyone involved in a conservation or restoration project to contact the BBC, and we do!
• 4 July: Radio Berkshire carry out a successful signal test from the church.
• 21 July: BBC Restoration project launched. Peter (my husband) and I are interviewed ‘live’ throughout the morning, we appeal for Portaloos!
• 4 August: Final planning meeting, I have found people who are prepared to be interviewed, and we have Portaloos. During the next two weeks we arrange car parking (thank you Mr Belcher), a marquee (thank you Number One club), create posters and signs and put them up around the village. There’s just time for a quiet few moments in prayer the day before the road show.
• 15 August: It all flies by in a flash. All the interviewees turn up and are delighted to talk about their subjects, Sponsor a Flint is launched, the BBC is happy, and so are we with £440 profit from the event which with Gift Aid will grow to £495. Later: We give more interviews to Andrew Peach, and take part in the Nicole Russell ‘Lunch Time Jury’.

For more information look at the BBC Berkshire website.