Friends of St Peter’s Church

Welcome to the Friends of St Peter’s page!

Our story

In its forty years of existence, the Friends have been dedicated to supporting the church through fundraising and volunteering and have raised considerable amounts of money for St Peter’s.

Formed in 1982, FOSP is a registered charity (285131) and, although the legal responsibility for the church building remains with St Peter’s PCC (Parochial Church Council), the Friends’ responsibilities (according to its constitution) are:

The preservation, repair, restoration, improvement and ornamentation of the fabric of St. Peter’s church and to provide articles for use in worship there.
The maintenance, repair and upkeep of the churchyard and graveyard (and any extension thereof), its boundaries and accesses; the lopping, felling and planting of trees in the churchyard; the provision of lighting (including floodlighting) and the necessary cabling thereof.

However, since the fire at the church some eight years ago, it has been all hands on deck to raise the huge amount of money needed to get the building up and running again.

Fundraising

We raise money in a variety of ways, and always try to appeal to as wide a range of people as possible. Since 2020, Covid has put paid to a number or events, but the energetic and committed efforts of many in the village, including the Friends, have raised substantial funds in spite of such an uncertain climate.

Once or twice a year, we also like to hold large fundraisers, including talks, sales, dinners and our annual garden party, usually held in a beautiful village garden, and to which everyone is invited.

Please see our ‘Future Events’ section for more details of what’s coming up.

But we also very much value our smaller community events, such as the twice yearly and very popular ‘Soup and Pudding Lunch’ and the successful Christmas Carols evening, first held in 2021. These are times for the village to come together and enjoy a celebration and each other’s company.

We also like to support events held by other groups in the village – such as our cake stall at the Pram Race, Village Fete or Victorian Christmas Market.

Next Events

This year The Friends are planning some exciting Events as well as offering support to other Ropley organisations planning functions and fundraising. Please see below for more details:

August 26th – August 29th St Peter’s Church Opening Celebrations!

This long weekend Church event celebrates the grand opening of St Peter’s after many years of village wide fundraising! The Friends are proud to be involved, supporting this wonderful village celebration over a weekend of parties, activities and thanksgiving. See Bis Mon and posters for more details.

Wednesday 12th October 2022 12.00 -14.00 (Parish Hall or Church)

The ever popular Soup and Pudding Lunch! Join us for this much loved community event and enjoy a selection of tasty homemade soups followed by some equally delicious puddings! Meet with friends and make new ones while testing your memory with our themed quiz. Raffle tickets will also be available to purchase for our selection of prizes. Soup Lunch Tickets at £10 will be available from September via the Courtyard Shop or directly from Sue or Lesley.

Friday 11th November 2022 19.30 – 22.30 (Parish Hall or Church)

Following the huge success of the ‘Round the World Supper’ a few years ago, The Friends of St Peter’s will be staging an evening of Italian food tasting together with carefully matched wines, expertly chosen by Simon Evans from The Naked Grape.

Tickets are £30

This includes tasting samples of all the wines and tasting plates of the paired food throughout the evening There will also be a pay bar and the opportunity to order wines you have enjoyed from the evening, to be delivered to your home.

To reserve your table, please call Sue (772633) or Lesley (773282) and celebrate La Dolce Vita!

Community Carols at St. Peter’s – Date to be announced.

Join us celebrating the festive season singing our favourite Christmas Carols together in our beautiful new Church. More details to follow.

Spring Soup and Pudding Lunch – Date to be announced

Ropley Open Gardens June 2023

After a 4 year break, the wonderful Ropley Open Gardens is set to return! Following the tremendous success and huge enjoyment of this wonderful event, hosted jointly by the Ropley Horticultural Society and The Friends of St Peter’s, next June promises to be a beautiful time to visit some of Ropley’s lovely gardens. More dates and details to follow.

Accounts and Funds Raised To Date

Information to be provided shortly

Join us!

We are always looking for new people with new ideas to join us on our committee or to be a ‘Friend of the Friends’ – someone we can call on when we are looking for volunteers to help with a specific event or project. You can also become a member. Just contact John Pakenham-Walsh on jpwalsh61@gmail.com for a membership form. The suggested minimum donation is £10 a year.

Who we are

Joint Chairs: Lesley Morgan and Sue Pakenham-Walsh
Secretary: Mary Flatt
Treasurer: John Pakenham-Walsh
Committee Members:
Jenny Nops (Parish Council Representative)
Julia Flory
Sarah Earthy (Church Warden)
Barbara Pettigree (Church Warden)
Revd Amber Beresford (Vicar)