Wednesday, 6 July, 2011 13:08:23OUR CHANCE TO PROVE THE CASE TO SAVE AND RE-OPEN ST JOHN'S - URGENT ACTION NEEDED
From: St John's Church Preservation Group <
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To: St John's Church Preservation Group <
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Well here we are at last. Our big chance to show The Diocese and the Church Commissioners the public support for re-opening St John's. As usual but even more importantly than ever before please pass this email on to anyone else interested and print it off for your non email friends.
We have until Saturday afternoon 9th July between 2 and 5pm to drum up at least 500 people to get to the Parish Hall to complete a survey form arranged by the Diocese of Worcester. This form will be used to assess public support for re-opening St John's Church, and what it might be used for, which includes the possibility of re-opening it as a place of worship. You can't have the form in advance, or by post, or by email, or afterwards - the intention is to judge us on how many people we can turn out to attend in person and complete the form on the day.
Further information reproduced below and on attachment.
Please assist us in every way you can.
Please pass this message to all your contacts and print off copies of the attached to display as posters in shops, your houses, cars, offices, pubs and clubs, and to give to people.
It is essential that we get a good turnout.
Participants do not need to live in the parish area to complete the questionnaire or have any intention of worshipping at St John's. They may be interested in St John's as a heritage building and potential community centre and perhaps support future fundraising events there. St John's is a symbol for the whole Black Country not just Dudley.
We have organised a fun day to run alongside the Parish Hall consultation period 2-5pm. There will be musicians, a town crier, stalls, jumble sale, free food, free facepainting, and a free raffle for a bottle of whisky for everyone who comes out of the Parish Hall.
If you know anyone who can do any sort of street entertainment, a clown for instance, or unicycle rider, accordion player, any other musicians or dancers please get in touch straightaway.
CARL CHINN
St John's Church Preservation Group patron Carl Chinn gave out two impassioned appeals for attendance on his BBC Radio WM show last Sunday - you might like to listen - this link will be live until Sunday morning only - go in at 1) 0.08.28 and the second mention 2) is at 0.14.44.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/p00hp6kvMARK CRUMP
One of our supporter singer/songerwriter Mark Crump has very quickly rewritten and performed the Police Song 'Message in a Bottle' to be an SOS to Save St John's. Listen here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LvcAopN ... e=youtu.beHe's done a great job and will also be performing for us on Saturday between 2pm and 5pm so you can listen to him live then as well
ESSENTIAL ONLINE SURVEY TO COMPLETE AS WELL
In addition to coming along on Saturday, PLEASE complete the online survey, which is part two of the feasibilty study (Parish Hall is part 1) and provides ESSENTIAL information for the future business plan. Please pass the link to all your friends, colleagues and family as well. It takes about 10 minutes to complete and we need at least 2000 responses.
http://surveys.omni-web.co.uk/oakhamstjohnsThere will also be a bank of 6 laptop computers available in our drop in information centre on Saturday, with John Poole of Oakham Research, the designer of the online survey, in charge so the survey can also be completed online while you are with us.
URGENT REQUISITIONS LIST FOR SATURDAY IF YOU CAN HELP
We need the loan of:
Folding Tables - any sizes will be useful
Mobile Internet Dongles with data free
We need:
Donations of food (sandwiches, cakes, crips, biscuits), tea, coffee, sugar, long life milk, squash
We need:
Volunteer car park marshalls
Volunteer tour guides (crib sheet provided)
People with cars on standby if we get asked for lifts
Leaflet deliverers - needed NOW we have 2 days left. Go straight to the drop in, collect some leaflets and put your name by the side of the street(s) you can deliver. The telephone number at the drop in is 0752 218 4461 and it's open 9.30-4.30pm. To get at the leaflets outside of these hours ring Tony on 0754 476 4261 or Deb 0787 119 5042.
We also need Urdu and Punjabi interpreters (we have some but need more) and please tell all your friends from other faiths and cultures that this consultation INCLUDES THEM and we actively appeal to them to participate.
FRIENDS OF THE THE ARCHIVES TALK 'ST JOHN'S CHURCH'
Deb Brownlee Chair of St John's Church Preservation Group and Chris Smith, historian, author, editor of Village Voice, author of Tales From a Churchyard, St John's, Kates Hill, Dudley will be giving at a talk at Dudley Archive this Thursday 7th July evening at 7.30pm.
More info here, guests are welcome
http://www.communigate.co.uk/bc/fdalhs/DUDLEY MARKET
Our tombola stall will run as usual this Saturday but will close at 4pm to give the market volunteers chance to get to the Parish Hall to vote.
Plaza Mall stall will NOT be open as Marie will be performing with the New Johnians up near the Parish Hall.
We need more helpers for the Plaza Mall stall.
QUALITY PRINT
A mention must be given to Tom Kiely of Quality Print, by Greggs on Pensnett Trading Estate. They have printed several thousand leaflets for us at very short notice, using good quality paper and at a very reasonable price.
We can't recommend them highly enough, contact details
Second Avenue, West Midlands, Kingswinford DY6 7UW
01384 280115
[email protected]THANK YOU TO ALL
Who are helping us put this day together, it has to be said it is a time for finding out some friends we didn't know we had as we appeal for help at such short notice and we are being amazed at the incredible input by people some of whom we didn't even know cared so much. THANK YOU TO ALL.
"Working Together To Save St John's Church"
St John's Church Preservation Group
St John's Church Preservation Group Drop In Information Centre, The Old School House,
St John's Road, Kates Hill, Dudley, DY2 7JT
www.savestjohnschurch.zoomshare.comfacebook Save St John's Church, Kates Hill, Dudley and
StJohnschurch PreservationGroup
IT’S NOW OR NEVER
TO SAVE ST JOHN’S CHURCH
THERE WILL BE NO SECOND CHANCE
Contact us if you need help with transport to get to the hall
Whether you wish to worship at St Johns
Or want it to be a community centre
Want to use it for family occasions
Or think it is a valuable heritage building
Or any other reason you may have....
PLEASE ATTEND A PUBLIC CONSULTATION ARRANGED BY THE DIOCESE OF WORCESTER – We have fought for this. In 2002 St John’s was thought to be in dangerous condition and of no historic or architectural interest and was closed. Surveys in 2005 and 2008 have shown the building to be safe and it is also now Grade II listed proving it is of national architectural and historic importance.
BUT TO GET THE BUILDING RE-OPENED WE NEED YOU.
IF YOU COME ALONG TO PROVE THE PUBLIC SUPPORT WE CAN ARGUE FOR ST JOHN’S TO BE RE-OPENED AS A CHURCH AND COMMUNITY CENTRE
IF YOU DON’T IT COULD BE STILL BE DEMOLISHED OR SOLD OFF FOR UNSUITABLE DEVELOPMENT
Grade II Listing does NOT protect against demolition it just means there’s a bit more paperwork before they can do it. St John’s is not saved yet!
Interpreters available for Urdu and Punjabi
Anyone from 16 years can complete the survey
PLEASE COME TO THE PARISH HALL St John’s Road, Kates Hill, DY2 7JT
SATURDAY 9TH JULY
ANYTIME BETWEEN 2PM AND 5PM
TO FILL IN A SHORT QUESTIONNAIRE
PLEASE DISPLAY THIS LEAFLET AS A POSTER IN YOUR WINDOW OR CAR AND TELL AS MANY OTHER PEOPLE AS YOU POSSIBLY CAN
Ask for a copy by email to send on to others or to print off
[email protected] IT WILL TAKE 10 MINUTES. AT LEAST 500 PEOPLE NEEDED FROM THE WHOLE COMMUNITY.
PLUS Fun day and free food 2-5pm at our drop in opposite the Parish Hall,
do your survey in the Parish Hall then come over the road and have fun.
Free raffle for a bottle of whisky. Tours of the graveyard – meet the Tipton Slasher!
Bring friends and family. If you can’t come, send a friend to do it for you.
www.savestjohnschurch.zoomshare.com0787 119 5042 also FACEBOOK and TWITTER
Twitter StJohnsPG
There's no place like home ......