Newsletter 10

October 2002

INTRODUCTION

This summer the Embroidery Project reached its 7^th birthday. It seems a very long time since the concept was first put forward, and even longer since John Stamp evolved his first design. Looking back its progress seems to have been remarkably smooth and seamless. Once it was first displayed in black and white, embroiderers came forward and eagerly set to work on houses, pubs, churches, wild life and events, with their numbers eventually exceeding 145. Hopefully this readiness to participate reflected our original aim to "..allow anyone to be involved regardless of race, religion, age or sex, and more particularly experience". We have endeavoured to keep this open and inclusive approach in everything we do, and maybe that explains the outstanding support our local community has given the project. Our drive to raise the funds to finance the Embroidery Centre in the Walled Garden makes this local support essential, for it not only helps us towards our final goal but encourages the many volunteer helpers to keep active.

FUND RAISING

Earlier this year we prepared a fund raising cash flow forecast to give us a sound basis for our future actions. Such crystal ball gazing as this is always difficult as one is endeavouring to predict the unpredictable, as anybody who has had to prepare one knows. To make the forecast possible dates for the start of the building work and the opening of the Centre have to be set down, but these are entirely dependent on having raised the necessary funds at each stage. In the event we have proposed the most ambitious of dates which look to a start on site in Autumn 2003 to allow the building to open in Spring 2004. Obviously if we do not achieve our financial targets we will have to adjust them accordingly, but the computer based forecast can make that fairly straightforward.

The forecast divides the income into two parts. Firstly that we raise by our own direct efforts in arranging events, selling cards etc., opening our workshop, and the wonderful slide show talks given by our embroiderers, and secondly funding from commercial organisations, Trusts and individuals. Of these our own funding is more easily established as we have good historic data on which to base the estimates, whereas outside sponsorship is more uncertain and less predictable. The cash flow runs from July of this year through to April 2005, and the first critical date is 1^st April 2003 when we have to decide whether we can release the consultants to prepare the documentation necessary to allow tenders to be sought. By that date we believe we will have established a total of £121,000.00 made up of our fundraising plus monies promised by Spelthorne Borough Council and the John Lewis Partnership. Our continued effort could raise this to £147,000.00 by completion of the works, which leaves £280,000 to be found elsewhere.

So far we are matching the monthly amounts of income included in the forecast so we are encouraged that we will maintain that success and reach those targets. Corporate giving is more difficult to assess. Unfortunately we appear not to qualify for most streams of Lottery Funding, though recent changes have encouraged us to try for some help from the Heritage Lottery Fund, and we will constantly monitor changes to the other Lottery Funds and take up any opportunities that open up. As far as Trusts and Companies are concerned, we actively seek opportunities and are confident that we will find the right support if we work at it hard enough. However, confident and optimistic as we are, we continue to need your support.

Please keep visiting the Workshop and bring your friends, attend our many events and let us know if the firm you work for can help us reach our target, or if you know of individuals who would like to fund us.

SPECIAL EXHIBITIONS

HOUSE OF COMMONS

Everyone involved in the project was thrilled that HM the Queen honoured us last year when she viewed the embroidery in the Walled Garden and met most of our embroiderers. At that time an exhibition at the House of Commons was planned for June 2001, but this was aborted by the General Election. Exhibitions in the House of Commons are a special privilege granted to Members of Parliament. They are awarded by ballot and as many MPs enter most are likely not to succeed, so it was a great disappointment to David Wilshire our MP that his successful initiative in arranging for the embroidery to go to the House of Commons had been stopped in this way. However, with unabashed enthusiasm he applied again at the start of the new Parliamentary Session and was again successful, so we are off to the House of Commons and the embroidery will be on display there from Monday 25^th November to lunchtime on Friday 29^th. At lunchtime on Tuesday 26^th November David Wilshire will welcome the High Sheriff of Surrey, Penelope Keith, who will declare the exhibition formally open. This will be followed by a small reception in the Jubilee Room for invited guests. Food will be provided by Sunbury Manor School and we hope that a small group of local Girl Guides will assist with giving out our literature. The cost of catering is being underwritten by BAA, the printing by BP and the display material by British Airways. We are mot grateful to them and for David Wilshire’s promotion of the embroidery with this exhibition and for his tireless work in ensuring that it is successful.

LANDMARK CENTRE, TEDDINGTON

Equally important to the House of Commons Exhibition is that planned for the previous week at the Landmark Centre, Teddington. We are attending this very special exhibition at the suggestion of our designer John Stamp. John was part of the graphic design team at Thames Television for many years, and responsible for, among other things, the title sequence for the outstanding series "The World at War". Over fifty of his colleagues are exhibiting their artwork at the Centre which is now housed in the shell of the deconsecrated St. Alban’s Church. The embroidery will not only represent part of John’s portfolio of design work, but be the focus of the exhibition and hold centre stage on what was originally the high altar. This exhibition enables us to take our project to an important local centre and bring it to the attention of a further audience and hopefully help raise further funds for our building. The exhibition is open to all between 11a.m. and 5p.m. from Friday 15^th November to Wednesday 20^th, Saturdays and Sundays included and admission is £1.

Understandably the embroiderers are always very anxious when the embroidery is taken out of the Workshop for display, and some time ago it was agreed that we would only do so for very special events. These two events are clearly very important, and every effort is being made to ensure the complete safety and security of the embroidery during transit, and its adequate stewardship whilst on display.

THE WORKSHOP

Attendance at the Workshop continues at a steady rate. The interest in the Workshop raised by the Queen’s visit last year was reflected in very high attendance figures. We knew that we were unlikely to do as well this year. However, visitors continue to come from all over the country and many places overseas, and numbers are well up on those for the Millennium year. The volunteers in the Workshop continue to enthusiastically welcome visitors and give their time to explain how the embroidery came about, how it was made and how it is to be housed in the future. In addition they carry an increasing workload imposed by the many talks they give to groups all over Spelthorne and adjacent areas. As the calls for their visits were so great they held a training evening so that more embroiderers could carry them out, and now a much larger group of them are conversant with the slides and other aspects of the talks.

We are most grateful to Mr. Swain of Manor Lane for the gift of a projector and stand which is proving invaluable to the embroiderers when they give their talks. We are also grateful to Mr. Jones of Hanworth who also donated a stand and to Andy Rutherford of XS Hire, Walton-on-Thames, who donated an overhead projector. Many thanks to all.

MERCHANDISING & CHRISTMAS

We have not designed a calendar for 2003 but fully intend returning to this popular item next year. We will however have a new design of card available in time to allow posting before Christmas, and hope they will be as well received as in previous years. The mugs carrying the image of the village panel have proved a great success, and have generally found approval as their fineness makes them a pleasure to drink from. We constantly review our stock of memorabilia and would welcome any suggestions for other items that we could produce suitably personalised for the project.

ROOTS IN THE COMMUNITY

A team of twelve embroiderers, co-ordinated by Carole Tompkins, has produced a fund-raising quilt for The Shooting Star Trust (see photograph).

A number of embroiderers have been invited to a party in celebration of the new Staines Community Centre. Several embroidery projects have been carried out with the Centre and future projects are in the pipeline.

RAFFLE

The latest embroidery raffle – ‘Blackberries’ by Joann Fuller - was drawn on 15^th October and was won by Jill Pope of Sunbury.

EVENTS

We have had a busy time supporting other peoples’ events and arranging fund raising dates of our own. Earlier this year we supported the Charity Day at the Shepperton Village Hall arranged by the Shepperton and Aurora Rotary Clubs, and returned there again in October for a Craft Fair. We also went to the Laleham Fun Day held by Spelthorne Borough Council, and as has become traditional the Sunbury Regatta Committee allowed us a prominent stand in August for which we are very grateful. In early September Della and Alan Pascoe kindly allowed us to hold a garden party at Monksbridge at which a further £2753 was raised for the proposed Embroidery Centre. Their support in this way is immensely appreciated.

Since Gerry Cook took over the role of Events Organiser a number of very successful events have taken place. The Dream Auction at the Cricket Club in the early part of the year proved a very enjoyable event, as did the Soul & Blues evening at The Riverside Arts Centre – indeed this was so greatly appreciated that a similar evening is planned for 16^th November at St. Pauls School. On the first Friday in October a sparkling evening took place the The Arts Centre when Reverend Simon Lane and William Godfree gave a musical entertainment in two halves which left the audience baying for more, and that desire may be met later next year if our overall programme allows. By the time this newsletter reaches you Norman Willis will have regaled us at the Sunbury Cricket Club with an evening which is bound to have been highly enjoyable if those who have heard him before have been accurate in their reporting. Though now retired from his role as General Secretary to the TUC he remains very busy, and we are most grateful for his support of the project generally, and for putting on his evening of remembrances. Following the Life and Soul evening at St. Paul’s School we have our last event of 2002 on 14^th December at the Riverside Arts Centre when we are looking forward to a Celebration of Christmas with communal Christmas carols, seasonal readings, mince pies and punch.

Looking ahead we are already planning next year’s events, and Gerry Cook would be pleased to hear from anyone who has ideas of events that they would like us to arrange. Gerry can be reached on 01932 780087.

Also there are many occasions when we would like to spread news and information quickly via Email to all those interested in the embroidery project. If you have an E-mail address and would like to be added to the list please Email gerrycook@sunburyembroidery.co.uk

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