Site updated 26th June 2008
St Andrews is no longer used for regular worship. Rather than see this beautiful Grade 1 Listed building permanently locked, the Friends are raising money for facilities in the Church, so that it may be used all year round by the community.
Please click on the above headings for more details or see our forthcoming events and the latest news and press releases
The Church welcomes you every Sunday from 2-4pm.
Please submit your names and any dates you are free to steward the church to Gerry McCrudden. Email: gerrymccrudden@hotmail.com
Recent Events
Fri 9th May: Brighton & Hove (actually) Gay Men’s Chorus with Dame Margot Hamilton: "We Sail the Ocean Blue"
Sat 3rd May: World in Harmony Photos: Toni Tye
Photo: Phil Palmer
The annual Spring Clean took place on
Saturday 22nd March.
We are extremely grateful to the Gerry's team of volunteers who scrubbed, polished and vacuumed while being entertained by the Brighton and Hove Actually Gay Mens' Chorus!
Other events earlier this year
There will be a celebration at 11.30 am on Saturday 5th July to mark the clock restoration and the formal inauguration of the restored chimes. 5th July is also the 180th anniversary of the first service at St Andrew’s.
The Mayor will be present and there will be light refreshments and performances from the celebrated classical guitarist Lee Westwood, plus the Brighton and Hove (Actually) Gay Mens Chorus.
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Brighton and Hove Actually Gay Men's Chorus Pride Concert Thurs. 31st July & Fri. 1st August
Toilet facilities during events are kindly provided by the Iron Duke Hotel opposite the church, and they welcome you for pre, post and interval drinks!
There is wheel chair access to both buildings, and a hearing loop is fitted in the Church.
Here is the latest and last newsletter from our outgoing Chair, Ellie Sampson. We are indebted to Ellie for her inspired and inspiring leadership. During her time at the helm, the Friends completed such projects as the installation of heating in the church, and the restoration of the clock. She is handing over to her successor and to the community, a vibrant, beautiful and much loved venue. On behalf of the Committee of The Friends Of St. Andrews I would like to wish Ellie good luck in her future ventures, and to thank her for sharing her wisdom and diplomacy with us over the last two years. We all hope she maintains a close association with the Church and with us all in the future. Arnie Spence - committee member
The Clock Restoration is complete! The pictures above show the clock components before restoration.
It's hard to believe that these are the same parts. Only one component had to be remade as it was beyond re-use.
The clock mechanism was built by Lewis of Western Road Hove in 1869. It had suffered at the hands of the corrosive sea-air over many years. It is fascinating to see how ornate the mechanism is, even though it was designed to be concealed from view in the bell tower. The clock bell and striking mechanism will be renovated, but local residents may be pleased to hear that the strike will be silenced during night hours. There is no quarterly chime, just an hourly strike.
Successful fundraising efforts from events organised by Ellie Sampson, Jo Heard and Toni Tye have made this possible, along with a significant contribution from the Churches Conservation Trust
Adam Tubero has given us a rare insight into what is to be found in the Crypt at St Andrews.
See some of his photos in the history section of the website.
News release from the Friends of Andrew’s Church Waterloo Street Hove
June 2008
St Andrew’s Chimes ring out again
After being silent for over a generation the gentle chimes of St Andrew’s can now be heard again over the Hove seafront. With the help of the Churches Conservation Trust the chimes have been restored to their former glory. An important and historical part of the city’s heritage has been returned. They will now softly chime daily between 8am and 10pm.
Friends of St Andrew’s Chairman Ellie Sampson said
‘’To hear the calming Chimes gently sound again amid the hustle and bustle of the city is a delight. Not only to the older residents who last heard them in their youth but also the younger generation who are hearing them for the first time. St Andrew’s is probably the only church in the city whose bell now regularly chimes’’.
There will be a celebration at 11.30 am on Saturday 5 July to mark this unique event and the formal inauguration of the restored chimes. 5 July is also the 180th anniversary of the opening of St Andrew’s
Taking pride of place at the event will be Bert Hobden. Bert is now 93 years old and as a boy sang in the church choir when he was 11 years old. Bert is an intrepid fundraiser for St Andrew’s and has donated thousands of pounds. He has also taken part in two 8 mile sponsored walks.The new Mayor of Brighton and Hove Garry Peltzer Dunn will also attend the celebration.
Admission is free but the Friends of St Andrews hope that those who attend will give a voluntary contribution to help with the continuing efforts to restore St Andrew’s.
Notes for editors;
We hope the media will want to cover this unique event. Cameras will be welcome.
For photographs of the restoration and further information please check out our website www.visitstandrews.org Or contact our press /publicity officer - Gerry McCrudden at - gerrymccrudden@hotmail.com
St Andrew’s is also open to the public every Sunday between 2 and 4 pm
St Andrew’s Church on Waterloo Street in Hove has been nominated by The Nationwide for its Community and Heritage awards. These awards were established to recognise the efforts of those who make a real contribution to their local community. St Andrews has been nominated for the heritage category.
The Friends of St Andrew’s Chairman Ellie Sampson said
‘’We are all delighted at this nomination and the recognition it gives to the efforts of the volunteers and supporters who work so hard to help make St Andrew’s an increasingly popular community venue for music, choral and other events’’
This will be a busy year for St Andrews with many events being planned. The next being the Multi Cultural concert on 3 May. Also the Brunswick area of the sea front will again soon ring out with the chimes from the belltower which are being refurbished after many years of silence. This has been achieved with the help and support of The Churches Conservation Trust.
If you (or anyone you know) would like to use the church for a performance, exhibition or an event, please give Alan Felton, (our Events Co-ordinator), a call on 01273 733455 or email vitailampada@aol.com
AGM – Tuesday 11th March 2008
Please click here for the Chair's Report from the March 2008 AGM. (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)
Sincere thanks to all who managed to attend. Minutes of the meeting will be posted on the website as soon as possible, but in the meantime – here are some of the main points of the meeting……
Resolutions:
Two were passed by a show of hands (in summary):-
1. The membership fee to be raised to £10 per person per annum. However, those who wished to pay £5, or £10 or more would be allowed to do so.
2. The Friends would seek to obtain charitable status during the next financial year.
Committee Members:
The following were unopposed and so stand for another 12 months:-
Secretary: Chris Jones
Treasurer: Trevor Freeman
Chair of Events: Alan Felton
Chair of Fundraising: Jo Heard
Press Officer / Volunteer Organiser: Gerry McCrudden
Membership Secretary: Phil Palmer
Committee Member: Hassan Khabbazeh
After a secret ballot of those present
Chair: Ellie Sampson
Note: Postal and Proxy votes were not counted after a successful challenge from the floor against these votes being constitutional.
Thanks for your support,
Regards
Chris Jones
Website constructed by Arnie Spence - contact me at: info@visitstandrews.org