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Friends of St Mary's Church

Registered Charity Number 1086788

The Friends was set up three years ago to gather together all those interested people who cared about our lovely Church. This, it should be emphasized, is a secular organization and completely non-denominational, and we would welcome even atheists. We are concerned with promoting and helping to embellish the fabric and contents of St Mary's. A few years ago we had a very erudite ex-architect living in Beverley named Mr W B Smith. He was smitten by the fabric of St Mary's and spent his retirement cataloguing and describing the entire building as it is, how it was and how it was built and evolved. He did all this for his own pleasure and it was in rough manuscript form when he died.

It was taken up as a first project by the Friends, ably organized by our first secretary Michael Mayne, and published as a well designed authoritative soft cover book.This has sold well (£8) and we have recouped the costs already. This has enabled us to donate all the remaining copies to the Church free of all ties.

In the future we hope to raise money to finance specific items in the new refurbishment of the furniture at the west end of the Church. This will be costly, as always, and so a long term ongoing commitment.

We are justly proud of our Church, which features prominently in Simon Jenkins book of the finest English Churches.

We do have a problem in that Beverley also has the magnificent, and better known Minster. However, St Mary's can compete with the Minster, it's just as marvelous and significant in it's own right.

Will you be a friend of St Mary's Church, Beverley?

A few quotations . . . .

• ". . the finest parish church in England."

  • Sir Ninian Comper (Church Architect)

• "...one of the great masterpieces of Gothic art."

  • Dr John Bilson (for many years Consultant Architect to St Mary's Church)

• "... what appeals to me and to all visitors - the perfection of its proportions. The noble simplicity of its stone mouldings, its lightness and many changing vistas as one walks around it."

  • Sir John Betjaman

THE FRIENDS HOPE

• to promote public interest in St Mary's Church, its history and its work

• to act as a focus for all who have a love of St Mary's and wish to see it preserved for future generations

• where appropriate and feasible to offer financial assistance towards the funding of special projects and to make gifts to the church such as are acceptable to the Parochial Church Council

If you share these hopes - wherever you live and irrespective of whether you are a member of the church - then please play your part by joining us.

Tell your friends about us and perhaps they too will become Friends of St Mary's Church.

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION

**I/We wish to enrol as individual/joint/institutional member(s) of 'The Friends of St Mary's Church, Beverley'.

**I/We enclose a completed Direct Debit form OR cheque for £___

**delete as appropriate

Please make cheques payable to 'Friends of St Mary's Church, Beverley.'

MEMBERSHIP SUBSCRIPTIONS

Membership is for 12 months, renewable on 1st November each year.

Payment of subscriptions by Direct Debit considerably lessens the clerical work and postal expenses in collecting annual subscriptions.

Direct Debit
(details of subscriber's own bank)

Please pay to Barclays Bank, Beverley the sum of £________ for the account of The Friends of St Mary's Church, Beverley (00807842) (sort code 20-43-47) the sum of £_____ NOW and then every year on 1st November commencing 1st November 200_ until further notice.

(This form together with the membership application, should be sent to the Membership Secretary and NOT to your bankers)

The Membership Secretary
The Friends of St Mary's Church
22 Cartwright Lane
BEVERLEY
HU17 8NA

or handed to any member of the Committee.

THE COMMITTEE