Our Story

St Mary the Virgin’s Church in Fawley is one of the six churches in the Hambleden Valley Group of Churches. Sunday service attendance has been low, a lack of facilities doesn’t help and when the pandemic struck in 2020, the church closed completely. A group of villagers started gathering in our churchyard every Friday for a poem, a bible reading and some prayers. This wonderful event quickly gathered momentum with weekly numbers ranging from twelve to fifty worshippers of all faiths or none. There have been many dogs in attendance and on occasion a few equine participants as well. Prayers in the Churchyard continues at noon every Friday to this day and supports those in our community and around the world in need of our thoughts and prayers at the time.

 

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A project is born

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This small act of weekly worship created a wealth of new friendships amongst neighbours who had previously not known each other, and it created a shared community experience for all. Discussions opened up on the value of the ancient monument in our midst and how to prevent the church closing. These collective thoughts coincided with an imminent refund to villagers from a community broadband project. Subsequently this led to a suggestion people might wish to donate their refund to a church regeneration fund and the project was born. Friends of Fawley Church was soon registered as a charity with the aim to preserve, maintain and enhance the ancient church and churchyard of St Mary the Virgin, Fawley, for the greater benefit of the whole community, and generous donations poured in.

 

Julia Ogilvy (Chair) is an experienced business leader, charity chair and trustee with a passion for social justice.  She won the Ernst & Young Scottish Social Entrepreneur of the Year award for her work as founder of Project Scotland and has been on the board of a wide range of charities from Tearfund and Buttle UK to the University of St Andrews. She has a Masters from Harvard Divinity School and trained in hospital chaplaincy. As she explains, “I moved to Fawley in 2019 and found a welcoming community but a lack of any facility to bring people together and do more to serve the needs of our wider area. This project, led by an enthusiastic and experienced group of trustees, enables us to save our church from closure and create a unique space for social action.”

Guy Andrews (trustee) is a writer and long-time resident of Fawley. He helped administrate St Mary’s Sunday school in previous years, still rings the bells, has provided a new organ and raises church funds with talks and concerts. He continues as the electoral roll officer of the Parochial Church Council (PCC).

Christine Collas (treasurer) has been a chartered accountant since 1976. She has worked tirelessly as treasurer of the local NSPCC branch and dealing with finance is her expertise.

Mary Forde (trustee) moved to the village in 2019. She has spent her career in mainstream magazines and interiors with experience in managing and running events.
 

Sarah Ronan (trustee) has had a connection with Fawley since the 1970s.