It’s a been a few months now since the organ demonstrations and appeal which was so successful. As we said at the time, there was a detailed process which needed following to receive our new organ, so this article is to keep you up-to-date of the progress which has been made so far.
Once the money had been raised, the November PCC meeting officially agreed to the purchase of the organ. We then had to apply for a Faculty. This is like planning permission and is designed to ensure churches in all Dioceses remain in keeping with their design and age and that changes are appropriate. The committee which meets to decide on Faculty applications meets once a month. We completed the application well in time for the December meeting but it was not considered until the January 2010 meeting.
We now have to display a public notice for 28 days, to allow time for people to object to the plans, again a bit like planning permission. The notice will be removed on 12th February and so, assuming there are no objections, a Faculty should be issued shortly afterwards.
The organ is not ‘off-the-shelf’ so will take a number of weeks to build and install. We cannot order it until the Faculty is received.
Once again, thank you for the generosity of everybody who contributed to the purchase of the organ, and for everyone’s patience over the last couple of months. I’m sure the wait will be worth it, and the organ will enhance our worship for years to come.
We will provide further updates in the magazine and web site.
Neal Pinder-Packard, Churchwarden