Tandridge Buzz

Crowhurst villagers raised around £2,000 at its annual village fete to help pay for the upkeep of St George’s Church and its world famous 4,000-year-old yew tree.

Villagers need to raise around £30,000 to carry out work to the church tower, following a building inspection last year.

Money raised from the fete will go towards this and help pay the Diocese of Southwark quota, which is a payment made by every church to fund the cost of clergy.

Families enjoyed the range of activities at the fete including children’s go-karting, a bouncy castle, face painting, rock bun competition as well as raffles and silent auctions. Live music was provided by the Lingfield Silver band on the day.

“This is our annual contribution to the church and it gives us a great opportunity to meet with people in the community and bring everybody out and have lots of fun while in the process making lots of money for St George’s Church in Crowhurst,” said Reverend Stephen Gendall.

Reverend Gendall said the church needed a “lot of money” to keep it going every year. “We have to pay for the upkeep of the church and it is a grade-I listed building as well as paying the staff who keep it turning over from week to week.”

He paid tribute to the effort of the “unique” Crowhurst community, which has a population of less than 200.

Crowhurst will host its annual village fete on Saturday 10 September to raise funds for the upkeep of St George’s Church and its world famous 4,000-year-old yew tree.

Villagers need to raise around £30,000 to carry out work to the church tower, following a building inspection last year.

Money raised from the fete will go towards this and help pay the Diocese of Southwark quota,which is a payment made by every church to fund the cost of clergy.

“All sorts of bargains will be available on a wide variety of stalls such as bric-a-brac, books, plants & produce, toys, cakes, tombola, raffles,” said fete organise and Crowhurst resident Victor Din.

“This year we have a special go-carting attraction for the under 10s to develop their driving skills in speed-limited electric vehicles

“There will also be games and competitions for children and adults, with refreshments available to enjoy whilst listening to live music from Lingfield Silver Band.”

Last year, the fete raised around £2,000.

The fete is held at Crowhurst Village Hall and Field, Crowhurst Lane and starts at 2pm. Entry and parking are free.

Tandridge District Council has elected Lingfield & Crowhurst councillor Brian Perkins as chairman for 2011-12.

He takes up the mantle from Alan Jones with the vice-chair role going to Sakina Bradbury, who represents Whyteleafe Ward.

Perkins, a pharmacist by trade, has represented Lingfield & Crowhurst Ward since 2002 and for the past year he has been the Council vice-chairman and a member of the Housing Committee.

During the last nine years Perkins, pictured with wife Sonia, has served on many committees and was for a while seconded onto the Surrey Health Scrutiny Committee.

He also represents the Council on outside bodies, particularly those dealing with care and sport and was a district member of Surrey County Council’s Local Committee.

Perkins has chosen the following charities to support for the year:

• St John Ambulance
• Cystic Fibrosis Trust
• Tandridge Community Fund

Crowhurst villagers raised around £2,000 to help the upkeep of St George’s Church from its village fete on Saturday 11 September — but a larger funding challenge lies ahead.

Despite some showers, villagers turned out in force to see the cake competition, giant pumpkins and hunt for a bargain at the many stalls.

There were also games for all including welly throwing, Aunt Sally and a bouncy castle and face painting for kids, while the Lingfield Silver Band was in fine tune on the day.

Early estimates suggest that around £2,000 was raised — around 75% of last year’s total.

“The profits go to St George’s general fund and are easily the main source of our church’s annual income,” said Crowhurst resident Victor Din.

“These monies are used for general church running costs, ordinary maintenance, and the Diocese of Southwark quota.”

The Diocese of Southwark quota is a payment made by every church to fund the cost of clergy.

However, villagers are now squaring up to the prospect of a £30,000 bill to carry out work on the church tower, following its five-yearly building and grounds survey inspection (quinquennial).

“Following the latest inspection of St George’s, the architect warned us that the cedar shingles on the tower would need replacement — probably soon after the next quinquennial,” said Din.

“A very rough estimate at today’s prices costed the work at £30,000 or more, with the scaffolding alone at £10,000.

“Earlier this year the south side of the nave roof was re-tiled at a cost of £6,000, using funds raised through various events and donations over four or five years.”

The day was marred when one of the giant pumpkins left behind for collection was vandalised sometime between 7pm on Saturday and 4pm on Sunday. A lump of concrete had been used to smash the pumpkin.