9. The Char Valley Churches
9.1. The Char Valley Churches in the five parishes
of Whitchurch Canonicorum, Stanton St Gabriel, Monkton Wyld, Fishpond, and
Wootton Fitzpaine are used in many ways as well as for worship, and are
an important part of their rural communities. In places such as Fishpond
for example, the church is the only community building, there being no hall,
pub, or shop.
9.2. Although there are a relatively small number
of regular church-goers in each community, the churches are used extensively
by their communities for funerals, weddings or as social meeting places
and much is being done to encourage their use as such.
9.3. At Whitchurch, the money was finally raised
with generous bequests, to build an adjoining toilet, and an area of the
North Aisle has been fitted out as a kitchen/meeting place. The addition
of these facilities means that it is now possible to use the church for
many other activities such as concerts or drama. When thinking of using
the churches for the benefit of the wider local community, it is worth looking
at Marshwood Church which, in co-operation with the adjacent church primary
school and County Education Committee, has converted the church for use
part time, as a school hall and gym. The community can now use it for church
services and also as a hall for coffee mornings, concerts and other events.
9.4. Morcombelake Church is used not only by the
Church of England congregation but also by the URC Church under a church-sharing
agreement. The main problem there is the lack of parking on the busy and
dangerous A35. At fund-raising events, people take their lives in their
hands when they park in the lay-by opposite and have to cross the road.
9.5. One of the major problems faced by these churches
in small rural areas is the problem of upkeep. The amount of money which
is needed for repairs and improvements is often very large, so that small,
relatively poor communities consisting mainly of small farmers, retired
people living on small pensions and the self-employed, cannot find the money
required on top of the share quota levied by the Diocese. The quota goes
to pay the salaries and pensions of clergy, which are themselves very low.
On the continent, historic church buildings such as Whitchurch Canonicorum,
Wootton Fitzpaine and Monkton Wyld are funded by the government. Unless
there is more help here, then these churches will fall into disrepair.
9.6. Heritage buildings (unsupported by government
money) may not be closed or converted for other community purposes but have
to be kept open at the expense of the parish. All our churches are listed
buildings: Whitchurch is Grade 1, Wootton Fitzpaine and Monkton Wyld Grade
2*, Stanton St Gabriel and Fishpond Grade 2. As with all listed buildings
full VAT has to be paid on repairs and maintenance but not on alterations.
An exemption from VAT on repairs would enormously help our historic buildings.
9.7. We also need help with tourism such as “brown
signs” on the A35. Whitchurch has the only church in the country, apart
from Westminster Abbey, to be said to have the bones of its own saint, St
Wita. It has been a place of pilgrimage and of healing for a thousand years,
and still is. Many people come here every year from all over the world to
pray for healing at the Shrine of St Wita, as well as to look at the beautiful
building. It is tourism which could prevent the churches going bankrupt.
Whitchurch has plans to increase tourism, by providing a Heritage Exhibition
in the church. This will not only point out interesting features of the
building, but display aspects of local and natural history (particularly
relevant now with the Jurassic Coast status). We hope this will have a “pyramid
effect”, pointing the way to other churches and places of interest,
which in turn might take visitors on to the next stage of the “trail”.
9.8. This is probably the way forward for rural
communities if they are to retain all their churches, but public funds will
also be needed.
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