Fundraising group in action

Saturday morning in the Meeting House ...

This week letters have gone out from our project fundraising group to just over 200 Friargate Friends and Attenders.

The letter sets out details of the targets meeting has set itself to raise towards our building development project. (This is in addition to the main part of the costs covered by financial reserves of the meeting.)

Following an insert in "The Friend" and a nationwide mailing, Friargate Friends have already been encouraged by the many contributions coming in from individual Friends throughout the country, as well as from many other local Quaker meetings.

The letter also sets out the timescale for our fundraising: efforts will need to continue for the three years of the building project. This also means that individual donations can be spread over this period, not just now. A three-year contribution schedule was also sent out, so that meeting can plan expected income more reliably. Some letters were posted, but most have been delivered via our meeting house pigeon holes.

Another hundred to write and address.

... so this is what fundraising involves.

Preliminary work begins

Chris Edwards, our meeting house manager, reports that following the many visits by contractors and builders as part of the tendering  process, other work is now in hand in the garden. Chris has helpfully provided some photos for the blog.

Archaeology
Now that the community archaeology project has removed the wall, it's time for the professional archaeological survey to begin. And inevitably, the examination of the site begins with – a hole. The photo shows archaeologist Kurt Hunter-Mann supervising the removal of top layers of earth immediately behind the now-demolished section of wall.

Building works

Meanwhile …

close nearby another hole is dug. 

This time it's close to the location of the lift tower and is being dug to examine the ground conditions, and to help determine what kind of foundations will be necessary to support the new building above. Architect Mark Druery and structural engineer Dominic Rawcliffe are in charge of this process.

And finally …

More preparation work in the garden, but this time not involving hole digging. Our versatile Treasurer David Peryer shows how it's done, getting hands on with the removal of the unwanted children's slide round the tree in front of the Woolman Room, soon to have much-improved garden access and light.

Now we need to dispose of a high quality stainless steel children's slide (not in picture, as already removed), in need of a good home. Anyone interested?