SUN SHINES ON BOSHAM GARDEN PARTY TO BOOST PORTSMOUTH CHURCH
24/05/08
FOOD and fundraising went hand in hand at a charity garden party in Bosham.The Venerable Mervyn Banting (70) and his wife Linda (64) opened their garden gate to more than 40 friends to raise cash for St Cuthbert's Church in Portsmouth, a building close to their hearts.
The retired couple from Bosham Hoe invited parishioners and the vicar of the Holy Trinity Church in Bosham, the Rev Canon Tom Inman and his wife, friends from St Cuthbert's including the Rev David Power and his wife Jeanette, as well as former colleagues.
And the event was a storming success. Mrs Banting said: "The weather was glorious,
I think we have nearly £1,500 so far and there is still more coming in. I think people from our church at Bosham were very pleased and inspired by what had happened at St Cuthbert's."
Lunch guests tucked into home-made dishes including cottage pie and macaroni cheese followed by desserts like tiramisu and apple crumble. Cream teas were served in the afternoon.
Until the late 1990s Mr Banting was the parish vicar at the church which is now undergoing a £4.2m redevelopment to transform it into a community facility.
The church needs to find £210,000 for a worship area to complete the scheme, which has already seen a doctor's surgery, pre-school and a series of varying-sized halls for public hire incorporated in the building. A community cafe costing £200,000 is also planned.
Each guest was sent a four - page leaflet explaining the project beforehand.
At the event they were able to view the plans, watch a laptop presentation about it and ask questions.
To find out more about the project or to make a donation, contact Rev David Power on 023 9282 7071 or log on to the church's website.
The article by Julie Minter is reproduced by permission of the Editor, CHICHESTER OBSERVER.