FRIENDS OF BURFORD CHURCH

The Friends of Burford Church, founded in 1946, is committed to supporting the Parochial Church Council with the following objectives:

To undertake improvements that do not come within the normal scope of funds for the maintenance of the fabric of the church building;

To help with grants towards other essential work in the church or churchyard which in the opinion of the Friends could not otherwise be undertaken;

To unite those who love and value Burford Church in a Company of Friends.

The President is the Rev Tom Putt (Vicar), the Chairman is the Rev Cedric Reavley, the Secretary is Stephen Price, and the Treasurer is Ian Johnson.

Over the years the Friends have done much to fulfil these objectives. The Friends’ project to create a quiet space by glassing in the North Transept was completed in 2015 and is called ‘The Chapel of the Holy Spirit’. We arranged the casting of the statue of ‘A Proud Father’ which stands on the south side of the altar in The Lady Chapel. The original was made by local artist Ginny Coates who sadly died at an early age in 2010. It depicts a delighted father swinging a small child in the air. More recently we published a new Guide to Burford Church and we provided the touchscreen which provides information about the Christopher Whall window in the South Transept.

The funds for the work of the Friends are raised through subscriptions and donations, and from the sale of items on the Friends’ stand at the south door of the church. These include postcards, handmade bookmarks, an attractive range of illustrated guides to the church, and leaflets including those on the Levellers and the church bells.

Membership of the Friends extends across the globe and all receive an annual Newsletter and an invitation to the AGM.

Anyone interested in our lovely "paragon … of the English parish church" (Simon Jenkins, England’s Thousand Best Churches) is welcome to join the Friends. Annual membership is £10. The Friends of Burford Church Book stands as a timeless record of the names of all members, dating back to the very first members nearly 80 years ago.

If you would like to join the Friends, please contact the Secretary or the Treasurer via the Church Office on (01993) 823788 . You can email us on friends@burfordchurch.org. You can also download the application form below.