St Eustachius’ Appeal
St Eustachius’ Church plays a very prominent and important part in the Tavistock community and will celebrate its 700th anniversary next year. However, meeting the cost of running Tavistock’s parish church is becoming increasingly difficult with £475 required every day. The church has launched an appeal to the public to help raise the extra income needed to secure its future and ensure St Eustachius’ can continue to benefit the community.
At an event in the town hall in July, the Very Rev Dr Christopher Hardwick outlined the situation to 150 guests, including Geoffrey Cox, MP for Torridge and West Devon, Tavistock mayor, Philip Sanders and West Devon mayor, Jeffrey Moody, saying: “Moving forward we face a challenge. Last year it cost the church £174,000 to do all that we did, but with a total income of £155,000 a year, we have a funding gap. It is a shortfall of £19,000 a year –that is £365 every week, nearly £52 every day. We are entirely self-financing and receive no financial support from the government, or the national church, or from endowments, and so we are looking as a matter of urgency to bridge that gap.”
At the event, a new programme was launched called ‘The Way Ahead – Supporting Your Parish Church’; Katie Stevenson, mission resources adviser, spoke about the Parish Giving Scheme which enables local people to give regular donations to their local church, helping the church to make long-term plans for its future.
The Very Rev Dr Christopher Hardwick stressed that everyone was working hard to reduce St Eustachius’ ongoing shortfall and the priority was to eliminate the existing deficit to secure a firm, financial footing for the years to come. Funds have already been set aside for the first phase of the 700th anniversary project to make the vestry roof watertight; longer term plans also include providing new facilities and systems and an enhanced programme of concerts and events to attract even more visitors to St Eustachius’.
Anyone wishing to support St Eustachius’ Church is invited to contact the Parish Office on 01822 61667, email parishoffice@tavychurch.eclipse.co.uk or view more details at the church.