We offer our congratulations to our Bishop Andrew who is to become the new Bishop of St Albans. There will be a farewell service at evensong at Salisbury Cathedral on Thursday 30 April at 5.30pm and everyone is welcome to attend. More information can be found here
The Little Lights Stay and Play Easter Party took place on Thursday 26th March and a fun time was had by all!The Easter card craft, seed planting and games were enjoyed by the children, and the party snacks were very popular. Many thanks to the families and volunteers who made the event so enjoyable. Happy Easter to everyone connected with the group!Little Lights will take a break over the school Easter holiday and will next meet on Thursday 16th April.
All Saints’ Church, Westbury, has launched a search for a new volunteer treasurer / bookkeeper to support the parish’s financial management and help secure a sustainable future for its two congregations—All Saints’ Church and Holy Saviour Westbury. The parish, which maintains a historic Grade I listed building, is facing ongoing financial pressures and is seeking a candidate with fresh ideas and a strong sense of vision. Working closely with the Rector, the Revd Rebecca Harris, the Churchwarden and the Parochial Church Council (PCC), the treasurer will play a key role in overseeing the church’s financial reporting and helping to shape long‑term financial planning. Key responsibilities include maintaining accurate financial records, monitoring cash flow, preparing reports for bi‑monthly PCC meetings, supporting the annual accounts process, drafting the annual budget and contributing ideas to improve income generation and cost‑effectiveness. The parish uses My Finance Coordinator software, and although volunteers support the banking tasks, the role itself is largely focused on accounting. As a registered charity, the PCC must operate in line with Charity Commission and Church of England financial requirements, making accuracy and compliance essential. The church welcomes applicants from a range of backgrounds. The role may particularly appeal to early‑career accountants seeking experience in the voluntary sector or to experienced finance professionals looking to share their expertise in a meaningful community context. Fundraising experience is helpful but not essential. Most responsibilities can be managed flexibly from home in just 3–4 hours per month, with full training and ongoing support provided. The successful applicant will be appointed initially for a two‑year period, beginning in May, with a structured handover from the current postholder. Appropriate safeguarding training will be required. Applications Those interested in learning more are invited to contact Beth Thomas for an informal conversation beth@whtministry.org.uk. More information can be found on the church’s website www.achurchnearyou.com/All-Saints-Westbury.More information about what the role of the treasurer might involve can also be found here: PCC Treasurers - The Diocese of Salisbury
A message from Team Rector, the Revd Rebecca HarrisA big THANK YOU to everyone who supported the sponsored organ event last Saturday 28 February. It was wonderful to see so many people come through our doors, sponsor a hymn or two, sponsor Ian, join in with the singing, and purchase refreshments. And also to everyone who made and sold cakes and refreshments, and to the choir and all who helped to keep Ian going throughout the day. It was a wonderful community event and we are very grateful to everyone, and not least Ian, for undertaking this event and for persevering through to the end!We raised approximately £2000 last Saturday, which is a wonderful result! If you sponsored Ian but haven’t yet contributed your sponsorship money, please could you do so as soon as possible? You can do this through the QR code on the posters around All Saints, a direct bank transfer (use reference 'organ') or make out a cheque payable to Westbury PCC (Organ appeal), or bring the cash to church with you next time.So we are well on the way to reaching the target of £11,500 for the organ appeal. Ian was thrilled with this result and very grateful to everyone who supported him on the day.Coffee morning on Thursday 12 March for the Organ appealOur next event will be a coffee morning on Thursday 12 March from 10.00 am – 12.00 noon at the home of Wendy Wood. There will be coffee, cakes, and various stalls.Please come along and support this if you can.A message from our Director of Music Ian McManusPlease can you forward my personal thanks to everyone who helped out on Saturday? I am very grateful to everyone who helped to make the day such a success. I would like to thank the choir for their perseverance in singing for two and half hours of hymns! No mean feat and they did well on Sunday morning. I would also like to thank Caroline for providing the soup, quiches and cakes for lunch. Thanks to Ron and Chris for the Fish & Chips and for the wine! Thanks too, to Beth who came to sing along at the end and then to everyone else who came to see me through the last 20 mins. If you all hadn’t been there, I don’t think I could’ve got over the line. It really was a team effort and I am so grateful for the help and support. Thanks also to those who helped out at the back sorting the refreshments and providing me with tea!Overall, it was an incredibly successful day which far surpassed any of my expectations. I have at least £125 to come from sponsorship money and Stormore Baptist Chapel sponsored £100 which will come through the bank. That puts the total to over £2,000 and I’m sure more people gave online before the event. We should be somewhere around the £9,000 mark or more. But we cannot rest on our laurels. It would be fantastic to raise more than the £11,000 needed so that we can keep improving the organ for future generations to come.Again, thank you to everyone who helped and supported the event. I am humbled and very grateful for all of you.
