Friends of St Barnabas and St James

Many of us remember the gale of 1987 when St Barnabas suffered substantial damage. The 14th Century east window had to be taken out, repaired and put back, and the roof had a large hole in it. Repair and maintenance costs were rising all the time, so the congregation was finding it harder and harder to meet these costs. It was decided to ask for help in looking after the fabric from anyone, whether or not they were regular members of the congregation.

The Friends of St Barnabas was set up to allow this to happen. More recently St James the Less, Little Tey and St Barnabas, Great Tey became joint parishes. The Friends now help look after the fabric of both churches.

How we do it

We keep the administration of the Friends as simple as possible. Current Friends give between £100 and £1,000 per year depending on their circumstances. We use gift aid to recover tax.

We meet once a year for the AGM, a pleasant social event. The accounts and the chairman’s report are presented and members have the chance to ask any questions they may have.

What we do

Over the last 15 years or so, the Friends have given £65,000 to help keep the two churches in good repair, including;

  • bell repairs at St Barnabas
  • St Barnabas repairs and redecoration of the church interior
  • St James the Less floor renewal
  • Protection of the 13th and 14th Century Wall Paintings of St James

You can read more about these successful projects on the church repairs page.

How you can help

We invite you to join us and help maintain the fabric of our churches. 

By Standing Order to The Friends of St Barnabas and St James at:
Barclays Bank plc Account Number: ‍00‍786527 Sort Code: 20-97-40
Please quote reference as: your initial and surname

Gift Aid - If you are a UK taxpayer, please consider completing the Gift Aid Declaration form. By doing so, we can receive an additional 25% of your gift at no extra cost to you. Once completed, please return the form to the Treasurer either by post to:
Richard C. Bareham, FOSBSJ Treasurer
14 Hawlmark End, Marks Tey, Colchester, CO6 1NF
or email richdcb [at] aol.com

Forms to download: