Visitors to the embroidery workshop and those who attend our various events regularly ask "when is the building going to start?", and usually we have to respond by explaining that everything depends on the success of our fundrdaising. Anyone who has ever been involved in fundraising for a voluntary project will know how much effort this requires, and will have experienced the highs and lows when success is achieved or some effort ends in disappointment. Since March we have had such a rewarding period that at last getting the building underway seems in our grasp, and we are very hopeful that we will be able to break the first sod this year and have the Centre up and running during 2005.

Following the South East Arts award to us of £30,000.00 and the Brett Environmental Trust Ltd’s £10,000.00, we were delighted to share with the Riverside Arts Centre, the Spelthorne Youth Choir and St. Mary’s Church Tower Project the Mayor Councillor Gerry Ceaser’s Charity Fund accumulated during his year of office which ended in May. Immediately after attending the Mayor’s Reception and receiving the cheque from him we were surprised and greatly appreciative of being remembered with a legacy from the estate of Jennifer Gold of Laleham, having earlier received donations in lieu of flowers for the funeral of Eric Hunter who lived in Thames Street.

All these contributions, when added to our own sales of merchandise, attendance at the Wild West Orchard Meadow Day, our 10 day exhibition at the Roger Phillips Gallery at the Barn in Walton and our Soul ‘N Blues evening at Kempton Park, have added substantially to our building fund, and now leaves a shortfall of only £44,500.00 against the estimated project building cost of £325,000.00.

Having now to raise this comparatively small amount compared to the original total has allowed us to move things on with some confidence, and we are endeavouring to finalise all the tender documentation to allow contractors to submit estimates for the work in the coming months. Provided we receive tenders that confirm the costs we have allowed for, we will then be able to let a contract and the building can start to rise from the ground. Hopefully if everything goes well this should happen before the year’s end.

Obviously for this to happen we have to have continued success with our fundraising. Central to this is seeking and receiving help from businesses, trusts and individuals. Most applications require a lot of documentaiton including filling in forms and writing up reports, and this stretches the time our volunteers have available, but the success when it happens makes the effort worthwhile, and we continue to send off requests most weeks.

Our workshop continues to be open 4 days a week and receives a steady stream of visitors who purchase our cards, plates, mugs and jigsaw puzzles or leave donations which all helps towards our required total. We are constantly surprised by the distance people come to view the embroidery and grateful for the support received from our local community who come again and again with their friends to the workshop.

Getting the new Centre open is vital to the future health and vigour of the project, as only when it exists can we implement the exhaustive programme of teaching we have planned.

The exhibition at the Barn during May proved a complete success in many ways. The visitor’s book was signed by over 250 people, but as many did not enter their names the number who attended was very much higher. The Barn is a vibrant Arts Centre, well maintained and organised and efficiently run with a full programme of music and drama, and a regular series of exhibitions of paintings, ceramics and sculpture in the well appointed Roger Phillips Gallery. This venue allowed us for the first time to see the embroidery in a setting similar to that we hope to achieve in our buidling, and indicated how well it will look. It also enabled John Stamp’s series of bas reliefs created for the appreciation of the embroidery by the visually impaired to be displayed, and their importance to the inclusive nature of our project was emphasised when Gail Guest who is visually impaired carried out the opening ceremony. A number of other people came with their guide dogs and found the reliefs most helpful to their appreciation of the embroidery, provided a rounded commentary was given whilst they examined them.

The creation of the bas reliefs was carried forward with Alan Gifford’s group "The Listeners" who attend live concerts at Alan’s home. They came to the embroidery workshop at an early stage to give the sculptors an idea of the needs of the visually impaired when examining illustrative objects. The splendid reliefs were sculpted by John Stamp, Pauline and Douglas Burnett and Michael Croneen.

Open Gardens Day – Sunday 20^th June from 11a.m. to 5p.m.

After last year’s success we are repeating the Open Gardens Day, and 6 gardens will be open for visitors, and as last year tickets will carry a map identifying their different locations, and hopefully people will be seen carrying them as they walk from one to another. All the gardens are towards the river end of Lower Sunbury so there won’t be so far to walk between them. The embroidery workshop will again be open at Riverbank, as will the garden in which tea will be available from the boathouse, so that visitors can sit by the river whilst taking refreshment. Some of the other gardens will offer plants, and a raffle for a very professional cake. Tickets will cover all 6 gardens and be available from the workshop, Albert Skinner’s shop and at the various gardens on the day. We are most grateful to Malcolm Hill for once again organising this event, and to all those kind enough to open their gardens to our local community. Please support the day by purchasing tickets, bring your friends and pray that the weather is kind to us.

We will be present again at this event. The Halliford Fair is always a pleasure to attend as it has a real community flavour and is supported by the local residents as well as people further afield, and is well worth a visit.

Once again we will have a stall on the lawn, and the workshop will be open to attract passing visitors to the Regatta. This traditional event is so much part of the village, and the fireworks are truly amazing. We will be pleased to welcome you either in the workshop or on the Island.

Though somewhat later in the year, we are pleased to announce that we will be holding another Picnic & Concert in September, thanks to Spelthorne Borough Council allowing us to use the garden. Last year many people turned up to hear the Linden Wind Orchestra play music from the films and enjoy the picnics they had brought. Some even brought tables and chairs and candleabras ! We again have managed to book this orchestra and look forward to another very enjoyable evening’s music. More details of the event will be announced nearer the date, but as numbers are restricted you would be wise to buy your tickets as soon as they become available.

Web site created by Phil Smith Mar '00  -  © The Sunbury Millennium Embroidery 2000-20010 - Registered Charity Number 1085014