Every year we include a donation envelope with the February edition of the Parish Magazine, inviting people to make a contribution towards the magazine’s costs. Many people respond positively to this request, typically donating £5 or £10. Most years we receive about £2,000 and this, together with the magazine’s advertising revenue, covers the magazine’s costs. So, once again this February you will find an envelope with the magazine. Please do make a donation. It is entirely voluntary, but we are grateful for all gifts received. Put your donation in the envelope and post it through one of the letterboxes mentioned on the envelope. If you would like an acknowledgement, then please put a postal or email address on the envelope and we will say thank you. Donations can also be made by BACS (see page 62) but it is harder for us to acknowledge these if we don’t have contact details. Thank you for all your donations.
We now distribute at least 1070 copies of the Parish Magazine each month. Most of these are distributed free to almost all houses in Lapworth and Baddesley Clinton. Some are distributed to specific people in Dorridge, some are collected from church, and some are sent out on postal subscription. Most parts of the circulation seem to grow slowly, but then a new development like Kingswood Green causes step change growth.
The growth in circulation is encouraging, but it also means that we are printing more copies, and printing costs have risen as well. It now costs well over £7,000 a year to print the Parish Magazine. Fortunately, there are no other costs because most of the work is done by volunteers, and we are very grateful to them all.
Prominent among the volunteers was Kit Nash who coordinated all the advertising in the Parish Magazine. Kit took this role very seriously and most years he would earn over £5,000 in advertising revenue for the magazine. Kit’s unexpected death in November 2021 came as a great shock to us all and it also leaves a big gap in our magazine team. I’m grateful to Alison Burley and Norma Aslin who have the situation covered for now. However I would be delighted to hear from anyone who might be interested in working on the magazine advertising going forward. It is a very interesting role which involves building relationships with lots of local businesses. Please do get in touch!
I would also like to thank the businesses that advertise. I would like to encourage magazine readers to consider those businesses when they are making purchasing decisions, and to mention the magazine when they contact a business.
Our hope is that the Parish Magazine helps to build up the community by allowing better local communication.
With thanks for you donations, and with best wishes for 2022, Fr Patrick
Prayer for the Local Community
Lord God, you have taught us
that we are members one of another
and that none of us lives to ourselves alone:
we thank you for the community of which we are part;
for those who share with us in its activities,
and for all who serve its varied interests.
Help us, as we have opportunity,
to make our own contribution to the community
and to learn to be good neighbours,
that by love we may serve one another;
for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen (Prayer by Frank Colquhoun)