The Great Essex Feast

FECT has joined forces with the Essex Air Ambulance for an exciting fund-raising event.  We are asking people across the county to hold dinner or lunch parties on the weekend of 27-28 February 2010 in aid of both charities.  As a host you can ask as many, or as few, guests as you like and make the meal as formal or informal as you wish.  What we do ask is that each of your friends gives a donation. To add to the fun there will be an on-line auction which will enable guests to bid for some fantastic prizes.

If you would like to host a party with a difference, please click here for more details and information about how to register.

2009 Ride and stride

Hundreds of churches in Essex and East London will be taking part in the 2009 Friends of Essex Churches Trust sponsored Ride & Stride this Saturday, 12 September - when cyclists and walkers will travel from church to church by bike or on foot to raise funds to repair and restore churches and chapels.

This year's Ride & Stride was officially launched today, Monday 7 September, by Essex sporting ambassador, Russell Hampton. A top cyclist, Russell has been recognised by Essex County Council as having the potential to compete in the London 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games.  
The launch took place at St Thomas’ Church in Brentwood.  St Thomas’ raised £2,400 in the 2008 Ride & Stride. This was the best church contribution. The Bishop of Brentwood, Rt Revd Thomas McMahon, presented a trophy to Roland Platt from St Thomas’ at the launch to mark the achievement.

Front row, left to right - Joyce Priest, Roland Platt (both of St Thomas’ Church, Brentwood), Rt Revd Thomas McMahon - Bishop of Brentwood, Dr Ian Jorysz - Rural Dean of Brentwood Second row - Singers from the Brentwood choir quartet, Song Cycle, who will sing a motet in every church they visit

Contact:
For more information contact Mrs Fiona Nelmes, Ride & Stride Organiser
Tel 01245 380365
Email fionanelmes@lineone.net

Ride & Stride 2008

Ride & Stride raised £106,409in last year's event. Please click here to view the 2008 results.

New Chairman elected

Mrs Claire Cottrell DL, from Birch near Colchester, was elected chairman of the Friends of Essex Churches Trust at the Annual General Meeting on May 14. She succeeded Mrs Julia Abel Smith DL. Claire Cottrell has said: "My grandmother, Mrs Charles Round, was the founder member of The Friends of Essex Churches Trust in 1951. You can imagine how much pleasure it gives me to be chairman by following in her footsteps." 

The AGM heard that the Trust gave nearly £200,000 in grants to 24 projects for the repair and restoration of churches and chapels in 2008.

The AGM was held at St Mary's Church in Bocking. The Dean of Bocking, the Very Revd Canon Philip Need, showed members the newest stained glass in St Mary’s which had been installed on the previous day. This, he said, is the latest chapter in the history of the church which began when land was given for a church to be built in 995 AD. Bocking has the distinction of being the oldest of just six 'peculiar' parishes in England - called 'peculiar' because it came directly under the jurisdiction of the Archbishops of Canterbury. 

(Left to right) Julia Abel Smith DL, Very Revd Canon Philip Need and Claire Cottrell DL.

To view the report (pdf format) by Julia Abel Smith to the AGM please click here.

To view the talk content (pdf format) given by the Very Revd Canon Philip Need please click here.

Promotional Posters

To promote the aims of FOECT please download our promotional poster. The poster is available in both A4 and A3 sizes. To download the posters, which are in PDF format, please click on one of the links below:

Download A4 poster
Download A3 poster

Once downloaded the posters can be printer on your desk top printer and saved on your computer..