Friends of Great Missenden Parish Church
Past Events
Talk - 'War Graves - Local and Worldwide' by Chris Leach and Jill Pateman, on 29th March 2025
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s horticulture, history and four Great Missenden War Graves
The “War Graves – Local & Worldwide” Talk & Tea fundraising event was greatly enjoyed by a large audience. Chris Leach gave an excellent and informative talk about the extensive work of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission: history, gardening, architecture and the problems with wars and global warming. Jill Pateman, our trustee/Committee member, then gave a fascinating and very moving account of the life of William Statham who lived in Church Street, Great Missenden. When he died on 20th May 1919, aged only 33 years, his wife and all eight children had also died, three sons in WW1. His WW1 War Grave is in the Baptist Cemetery in Trafford Road, with a WW2 (ATS) War Grave and there are two WW2 War Graves in our own St Peter & St Paul Cemetery.
The talk was followed by usual delicious Afternoon Tea, gifted by the committee and friends, a Raffle and sales of home-made preserves. It was a very happy community gathering and £1,527 was raised for urgent church repairs to the church tower and roof.
Talk - "Ukraine, Russia and European Tensions" by Paula Kitching, Historian, Researcher and Trustee on 21st September 2024
Can history help us to understand what is happening today?
Talk - "Life in Her Hands" by Professor Dame Averil Mansfield DBE FRCS FRCP on 15th June 2024
The first woman Professor of Surgery in the UK. A unique opportunity to meet and hear of an amazing and trailblazing career in medicine! More information click here.
Talk - "John Hampden the Patriot" by Dr Beth Rogers, Chair of Trustees of the John Hampden Society on 20th April 2024
John Hampden was one of the leading architects of the resistance to Charles I’s arbitrary rule during the years leading up to the outbreak of the English Civil War. He later became known as ‘Patriae Pater – The Father of the People’ . For more information click here.
Bucks Historic Church Trust Ride + Stride event on 9th September 2023
Warm thanks to everyone who kindly made donations: a total of £560 was raised, half of which will be returned to our Parish Church.
The Trust kindly gave our PCC grants of £5,000 in October 2022 and £6,000 in August 2023 towards the final tranche of stonework repairs to church tower and buttresses. Friends of Great Missenden Parish Church charity met the remaining cost of this year’s work with a grant of £4,270 to the PCC.
A Talk & Tea: The Village Church School's Bi-Centenary 2023
On 23rd, Paula Kitching gave an excellent and fascinating talk about Great Missenden Church School’s history in the Oldham Hall, the original village school, built in 1822 by James Oldham Oldham, owner of Missenden Abbey.
Pictures of the original School Registers were shown of Belgian evacuees in WW1, of many children leaving the school during the late1920’s Depression and of Polish children admitted in 1947 from the Misbourne estate. This is one of few schools in England still retaining registers required by the 1870 Education Act.
A delicious Afternoon Tea and raffle followed and funds of £800 were raised. In September, Friends of Great Missenden Parish Church gave grants of nearly £6,000 for the church boiler repair and of nearly £5,000 for final repairs to the church tower and buttresses. Warmest thanks to all our generous supporters!
The Silver Jubilee Celebration Tea Party 2023 for our members and supporters on Saturday 17th June was a memorable and very happy occasion! Delicious food was provided by the committee and three friends, there was gentle mandolin and accordion music and animated conversations and happy faces! The committee wish to thank everyone, past and present, who has supported the charity since its foundation in 1997, enabling grants of over £176,000 to the PCC for repairs to the church fabric.
We would welcome new members to help with future grants: to join, see the link below. In return, members receive the gratitude of all those who use our much-loved 12th century Parish Church, details of all our events, the Annual Report and Accounts. Please join us today!
The grants given have enabled restoration and repair projects at the Church, including £30,000 for repairs to the clerestory windows and more recently, over £46,000, to convert our historic J.J.Binns organ to electro-pneumatic action. The latest grant of £7,190 for the second tranche of tower stonework repairs was made in September 2022. Urgent repairs of well over £1/2 million are still required and kind support with donations or legacies to help maintain this historic building, founded in 1133AD, would be greatly appreciated. It is a vital and much loved community asset!