Knowle Parish Church 600th Anniversary
Organising Committee Report to PCC - 28th January 2004
The Committee responsible for co-ordinating activities during 2003 consisted of Henry Jerwood (Chairman), Lis Wilkin (Secretary), Michael Parker, Barry Clarke, Kate Turner, Graham Bignall, Susi Carter & Margaret Fulford, with assistance from Christian Hughes and Julian Phillips.
Following many suggestions for the 600th Anniversary, the Committee planned and promoted the year under the banner of “600 Years of Faith and Prayer in the Heart of the Community” - a focus on Faith and Prayer and not just the Church building. Our hope was to involve the community of Knowle and the surrounding area, as well as the Church family. One common theme, which we hoped would engage many sectors of the community, was the support of World Vision - a Christian Charity with a good profile, operating in times of crisis and to produce long term sustainable growth, in the poorest parts of the world. A chance to go Further, as a church and a community.
We planned some major events - activities over the Anniversary Weekend at the end of February, the Flower Festival in June and 600 Years Brought Alive in October, as a basis for going Wider into the community. There were mailshots and ongoing publicity activities, to raise awareness of these events and to encourage individuals, businesses and organisation to run events themselves. A list of the many and varied activities which resulted is attached.
Special Services, the Week of Prayer, the Parish Weekend away, visiting preachers, the May Talks and our many other evangelistic events, together with all the things we do as a Church, gave us a chance to go Deeper in our journey of faith and to encourage those who came to the events to do the same.
A constant reminder of our celebrations was the flag, which flew from the Church and the 600th Anniversary logo (thanks to Peter Rowley), which was used and adapted throughout the year. Great support came from the local press, the Parish Magazine, the Parish Office and Solihull MBC with the Commemorative Flower bed. Individual events were advertised and there was lots of personal “inviting”.
The result was over 40 events and activities (list attached), approximately £13,300 raised for World Vision (summary attached) and, most important of all, thousands of people through our doors and seeing that Faith and Prayer in the Heart of the Community can be fun, engaging and spiritually relevant to us today.
Thank you to everyone who was involved - for ideas, for help, for money, for enthusiasm, for welcoming, for prayers. As a group, we often felt that we had bitten off more than we could chew. However, though we regularly had our faith challenged, God kept working, events kept happening and people kept coming! A great start to building the next 600 Years of Faith and Prayer in the Heart of this Community in Knowle.
Henry Jerwood
Chairman, 600th Anniversary Organising Committee
The following Businesses and Organisations supported the 600th Anniversary Celebrations in a variety of ways - through arranging and/or supporting events, donations, discounted pricing and giving their time and effort to help in many ways.
Arden School
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B & H Sound Services, Peterborough
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Bannister Opticians
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Bathex Ltd
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Beauty Rooms, Knowle
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Best Floral Imports Ltd.
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Blooms of Bressingham Ltd
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C.A.R.E
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Carly's
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Carousel
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Clive Pitt & Son
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Country Casuals
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Creative Design
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Cross & Wilkin
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Curtis's Bakery
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D.G. Lewis Estates
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David Lloyd
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Dillons One Stop
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Duo Airline
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Episode
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Eric Lyons Ltd
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Fentimans
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Hall Green Little Theatre (Costumes)
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Hampton in Arden Parish Church
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Hatton Country Farm
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Hodder Arnold Publications
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Home Farm
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Ideal Dry Cleaners
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Impact Visuals (Midlands)
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James Beattie plc
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Jigs'n' Reels with Neville Williams
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John Lewis
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John Shepherd
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K.D. Electrical Services, Alcester
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Knowle C of E Primary School
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Knowle Church Bell Ringers
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Knowle Cubs
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Knowle Decorators
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Knowle Flower Club
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Knowle Guides and Brownies
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Knowle Male Voice Choir
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Knowle P.C. Men's Breakfast
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Knowle Parish Church Choir
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Knowle Parish Church Flower Guild
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Knowle Photographic
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Knowle Sea Scouts
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Knowle Sinfonia
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Knowle Society
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Knowle Speakers Club
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Knowle United Charities
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Knowle Youth Centre
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KRB Consulting
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Lee David
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Little, Brown & Co
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Lloyds TSB
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Lloyds Restaurant
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Look Local
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Lyons Butchers
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Marks and Spencer
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Michael Richard Homes
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National Portrait Gallery
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Nigel Evans Chartered Surveyors
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Probus Club
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R.P.Printers
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Revels Drama Group
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Roland Klein Hair Design
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Senik Print, Coventry
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Sheldon Florists
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Solihull MBC
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Standley and Co Solicitors
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Strolling Players
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Temple Balsall Church
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Tesco Stores Ltd.
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Thomas Bragg & Son
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Tirebuck Career Solutions
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Umberslade Children's Farm
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Virgin Airlines
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Wilsons Arms, Toby Carvery
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23 organisations and 56 companies, together with the Clergy, Staff and many, many individual members of Knowle Parish Church and of the village community.
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Events, Fund Raising Efforts and Activities During 2003:
Date
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Event
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1/1/03
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Flag raised and Bells Ring in the Year
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5/1/03
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Balloon Launch
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20/1/03
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Knowle Society Talk - Anthony Upton
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25/1/03
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Burns Supper - donation to World Vision
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27/1/03
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Week of Prayer
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24/2/03
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Bell Ringers Peel and reception
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28/2/03 to 1/3/03
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Bishop's visits to Schools and Community Lunch
Knowle Society Exhibition
Services with Bishop and Receptions
Flower Club arrangement in Guildhouse
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21 & 22/3/03
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Revellers Night Raffle for WV
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23/3/03
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Bishop Colin Fletcher - Bible Reading Fellowship - to Knowle
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4,5,6/4/03
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Parish Weekend Away
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May/June
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May Talks, followed by shorter Y course
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10/5/03
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CARE Medieval Evening - fund raising for WV
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11/5/03
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John Hughes, Chairman of House of Clergy for the Diocese to Knowle
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6,7,8/6/03
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Flower Festival
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8/6/03
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Special Service - James Woodward, Lady Katherine Leveson
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13,14/6/03
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Community Concert
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15/6/03
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Bishop John Austin to Knowle
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21/6/03
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Barn Dance
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July
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Picture of Knowle Parish Church in Mayor's Parlour
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4/7/03
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Knowle C. E. School Open Day - History of Knowle Parish Church
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9/7/03
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Launch and signing of Remember Walter Cook - Revd Anthony Upton
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20/7/03
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Wilkins/Andrews neighbours lunch
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Summer
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Solihull in Bloom - Commemorative Flower Bed in Malvern Park
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17/8/03
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Walk to Hampton in Arden
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13/9/03
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English Heritage Day - Church open, tower visits
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Sept 03
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KRB Consulting Golf competition
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27/9/03
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Knowle Operatic Society - “DUETS” Tickets donated
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Sept 03
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Guides and Brownies Donation to WV
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16/9/03
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PROBUS club lunch and donation to WV
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3/10/03
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Quiz Night
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Oct 03
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Arden School Harvest Donation to WV
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20 - 25/10/03
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600 Years Brought Alive
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15/11/03
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Andrew Dow slide show
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Oct - Dec 03
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600th Anniversary Christmas Card sale
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Nov 03 - Jan 04
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600th Anniversary Photograph sale
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7/12/03
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Peter Meadows, WV, to 6.30 and 8.00pm services (retiring collection)
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6/12/03
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CARE Biblelands evening - donation to WV
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12/12/03
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Knowle Flower Club Christmas Demonstration
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Dec 03
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Publication of colour guide to Knowle Parish Church
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Dec 03
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Sales of Arden School Christmas cards - donation to WV
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