Calne and Blackland PCC

The PCC is the 'management committee' of our Parish and meets approximately 6 times a year.

CALNE & BLACKLAND PCC – Minutes of meeting – 16^th September 2026

Present: Revd Caspar Bush(chair); Richard Aldhous; Stan Anniss; Jonathan Billings;

Phil Bond; Carolyn Burleson-Webb; Jenny Colby; Steven Colby; Lucy Hemmings;

Steve Keighley; Kathryn Miller; Mary Pilcher-Clayton; Jane Ridgwell;

Graham Spencer(Zoom); Kevin Wells; Caroline Williamson

Apologies: Alex Grenfell; Jack Robinson; Eddie Sims

Caspar opened the meeting with prayer and a reading from Psalm 34

1 Minutes of PCC meeting 16^th July 2026: signed as correct record of meeting

2 Matters arising:

St Mary’s door closer – lighter door closer for North doors ACTION: Richard Aldhous

1st Aid boxes – St Mary’s checked. Church House to check ACTION: Steve Keighley

Fire Risk Assessments – Ecclesiastical rules to be checked ACTION:Jonathan Billings

3 Rector’s report:

Caspar had met with LPA’s today and gave his thanks for being alongside people in the parish – ACTION: Kathryn to pass on to LPA team
Benefice – Foxham have started fund-raising for toilets in churcb
Bremhill looking at re-ordering church
St. Peter’s – building issues
Reminder of Thursday 1pm and Friday morning Zoom prayers

4 Finance:

Donation received for Project 2026 for £1200 from trust who financed admin post
Music Director and Parish Administrator to be awarded pay increase of 3% back-dated to 1^st April 2026 – all in favour
£40K of Parish Share paid (£81K total) – hoping to pay further £10K soon
Interest on CCLA Instant Access (3.9%) into General Fund at moment
Assets decreasing on Unrestricted and General Fund

Question: What is £17130 in Designated Holding (pending allocation)? Bequest/legacy received – needs to be kept in unrestricted funds for the moment

5 Project 2026:

Events: 1^st October – business networking event – Calne Business Community Champions. 30^th October LUMOS concerts 5pm, 7pm & 9pm

Grant applications: Heritage Lottery Fund awaiting solar panel quotes (now received -to be reviewed) – check on position of battery and cabling

Grant of £50K received from Benefact Trust

Faculty/design process: Steve presented slides (rec’d by PCC members with agenda) for discussion. Issues raised included:

West End underfloor heating – pipes can be put in place ready

Drainage – North path – across to toilets – extra toilet could be installed elsewhere

5 Project 2026:continued

Toilets – East wall moving slightly to facilitate wheelchair turning – architects checking where soil pipe would go – screens as at server – storage cupboard children area

Servery – low level lighting

North porch – ramp from gate to step to include handrail on West side

Proposal: PCC endorsement to remove existing outer gates in North porch of church subject to faculty. Proposed: Steve Keighley Seconded: Richard Aldhous – passed nem com

Glazed doors – discussion on style of glazed doors Preference is for curved structure as high as possible, reflecting shape of current arch. Preference for these glazed doors to keep electric operation

South chapel – cupboard design and sizes as in plans

Chairs – being investigated. Preference for metal or wood (unpadded) – PCC happy for Steve to contact Trinity Church Furniture for loan of metal and wood chairs – to display at Business networking on 1^st October (look for sponsorship at CBCC)

Dais – curved front with removable rail. Option 1 (light wood with wide arches)

preferred by majority of PCC (13 for, 3 abs)

Church changes early 2027: It is hopeful work could start April 2027 but may slip back to May/June – faculties and any planning consents needed may hold up work!

Caspar thanked Steve and Richard for all their work so far

Bell – purchasers working towards completion of this – faculty needed to remove

Painting – Wiltshire History Centre happy to store for £200, but we still hope to sell it

6 Buildings maintenance/churchyards:

St Peter’s Quinquennial – urgent action needed – meeting to be arranged of wardens, architects, Historic England and Diocese
HT allotment transfer – faculty received (active for 6 months)
HT spoil removal- to be removed during October half term
LINK – use Church House once a month – to purchase 4 tables TO BE KEPT/RETURNED TO DOWNSTAIRS ROOM
St Edmund Oak Tree – Calne Town Council would like to carry out remedial work to shape/reduce size of oak tree in St Mary’s churchyard – PCC in favour

Question – might it be possible to cut yew trees back more? ACTION: Caspar

H&S/Booking form – new forms available
HT bench – offer of bench for HT churchyard ACTION: Phil/Stan contact donor

HT churchyard maintenance this Saturday – then 7^th November (last one?)

7 St Mary’s Music/Young Voices: recent recruitment drive has encouraged 2 new members of Young Voices. New booklet of hymns/songs at St Mary’s

8 Safeguarding: 35 church team members on register – most training up to date. 3 DBS in process with rest in date. Eddie reviewing Church Watch Safeguarding

New Crime & Policing Act in place 1/9/26 – ACTION: Steven to liaise with Eddie

9 Worship, Prayer & Discipleship:

Study groups – no specific course for Autumn

LWL – Director of Music, Jemima Palfreyman to train as LWL – Proposed: Carolyn Burleson-Webb; Seconded Mary Pilcher-Clayton – passed nem com

New song/hymn booklet – for use at St Mary’s (new ‘One License’ obtained)

Prayer at St Mary’s – Saturday 26^th Sept, 24^th Oct, 28^th Nov 9:30am at St Mary’s

Weekly Zoom prayer at 1pm every Thursday

St Mary’s school – in St Mary’s 10am service on 20^th September

Harvest – HT 27^th September 10:45am; St Peter’s 27^th September 4pm Evensong;

St Mary’s 18^th October 10am

CMAF evensong – with Bishop Alan Smith 4^th October 6pm at St Mary’s

Remembering services – HT 18^th October 6pm; St Peter’s 25^th October in am service;

St Mary’s 1^st November 3pm

Remembrance – 8^th November 10am at St Mary’s

Confirmation – Saturday 21^st November 5pm – Bishop Karen at St Mary’s

Christmas services – timings may need to be adjusted to allow clergy time to travel etc

10 St Mary’s Church unlocking: all well

11 Other groups – Bereavement café/St Mary’s Craft group: no update

12 Other future events:

National Emergency Briefing – 24^th September is St Mary’s at 7pm

With Sustainable Calne

LUMOS Concert - Friday 30^th October 5pm, 7pm, 9pm
Coffee morning/tower tours – 28^th November in St Mary’s
Christmas Tree Festival – set up Wednesday 25^th November – open to view

26^th November – 2^nd December – set down 3^rd December

13 Deanery Synod: 17^th September 7:30pm at Derry Hill – Church buildings for

Mission with Canon Kenneth Pedley

21^st November – Confirmations and Commissioning

22^nd November – Deanery Evensong – 4pm at Heddington

14 Partnership of churches: 18^th October at Baptist (Scout Hut) 6pm

Methodist church have new minister

15 Children/young people/schools:

Schools – Carolyn Burleson-Webb is now Foundation Governor at Holy Trinity school

SMUFS – relief leader needed. Open the Book – date to be sorted for St Mary’s

16 AOB – Electoral Roll: 1 removed so now 179

17 Date of next meetings: Standing – Weds 4^th November; PCC – Thurs 19^th November