Frequently asked
The fourteen questions we are most often asked.
If yours is not on the list, please write to [email protected] and we will reply within three working days. We may, in time, add it here.
Above · The parish notice-board outside the south porch.
Frequently asked questions
Are you the same as St Margaret's Church, Great Barr?
No. We are a separate charity, Reg. No. 220030, that exists to support St Margaret's. The church itself is governed by its Parochial Church Council (Reg. No. 5005930). Two of our trustees, Alan Humpage and Ann Marie Reeves, sit on both bodies — they withdraw from grant decisions where their interest applies.
Where does your money come from?
About four-fifths from the investment income of a small endowment built up since 1891; the rest from a quiet annual programme of small parish gifts, the occasional bequest, retiring collections at our six annual services, and a £1,420 summer fete.
Where does it go?
Almost all of it goes to St Margaret's, in six named programmes — Fabric Fund, Graveyard Trust, Parish Clerk Stipend, Vestments & Furnishings, Divine Service Fund, and the Restoration Reserve. About 88% of expenditure reaches one of those six lines.
Can you help my own community charity or cause?
Sadly no. Our seven charitable objects, as registered in the 1891 Scheme, are restricted to the maintenance of the fabric, furnishings, graveyard and services of St Margaret's, Great Barr. We are not legally able to fund work outside those objects.
How do I make a Gift Aid declaration?
Tick the Gift Aid box on the donate page, or print and post the Gift Aid declaration form. Gift Aid adds 25p in the £1 at no cost to you, provided you pay enough UK income or capital gains tax.
How do I leave a legacy to the trust?
Please write to [email protected] for our suggested legacy wording for solicitors. We can also receive bequests of land or rentcharges; a small note on tax-efficient legacy giving is available on the resources page.
Can I look up an ancestor's burial?
Yes. The Burial Records project has transcribed about 64% of the south yard so far; the published volumes (A–K and L–Z) are on the resources page. For an inscription we have not yet reached, write to [email protected] with the name and approximate date.
How can I be married, baptised or have a funeral at St Margaret's?
Those arrangements are made through the parish itself, not the trust. Please contact the Rector's office at St Margaret's directly via the A Church Near You directory. We are very glad to direct you.
Why does the church need so much repair?
St Margaret's is a Gothic Revival sandstone church, Grade II*-listed, with a lead-sheathed roof and leaded clear-glass windows. Each of those materials has a life. Sandstone weathers in West Midlands winters; lead-sheathing laps fatigue every fifty years; window leads soften over a century. The trust's job is to keep ahead of those lives, not behind them.
Do you employ staff?
No. We have no paid employees. The parish clerk is paid a small quarterly stipend by the trust but is contracted through the Parochial Church Council, not by us. All eight trustees serve without remuneration and claim no expenses.
How can I get the Quarterly Dispatch by post?
Write to the registered office, 12 Perry Avenue, Streethay, Lichfield WS13 8FW, asking to be added to the post list. We post the dispatch four times a year, second-class, on a Wednesday afternoon.
Can my school visit St Margaret's?
Yes — please contact the parish office, not the trust. We are pleased to host primary-school visits and have a small selection of children's activity sheets in the parish-room cupboard.
How do you use my personal data?
Carefully and minimally. We collect only what we need to reply to an enquiry, send a printed receipt, or process a Gift Aid claim. We never share data with marketers. The full notice is on the privacy page.
Are you a Christian charity? Do I have to be religious to give?
We are explicitly an ecclesiastical charity — our objects are anchored in the maintenance of a Church of England parish church. You do not need to be a Christian, or to attend St Margaret's, to give. Many of our donors give because they value the building and the graveyard as part of the heritage of Great Barr.
Still puzzled?