Calendar of Care
April
1. The Annual Parish Meeting will normally be held in April. At this meeting the churchwardens should present a brief report on the state of the building and of the progress of any necessary work. Will a fundraising effort be necessary this year to pay for building repairs? The parish meeting is a good time to plan this.
2. Check the inventory is up-to-date prior to the Archdeacon's visitation. If there has been a change of churchwarden at the annual meeting, the outgoing churchwardens should run through the inventory with the new ones.
3. Make sure that the tower, roofs and spire are birdproof before birds start to nest. Remember to clear out any resident birds first but be careful not to disturb bats.
4. The spring clean that was planned in February can take place in April. Ensure all areas of the church are cleaned but remember that old furnishings, monuments, floors and windows may be damaged by cleaning and that no chemicals should be used on them. For advice on how to clean such things, click here or contact your DAC Secretary.
5. Ask the bell captain to check the bells and ringing chamber are in good order and that the steps and ladders in the tower are safe.
6. Tidy the churchyard and start to cut the grass if necessary. Not all grass in a churchyard needs to be kept short it can be attractive and beneficial to wildlife to leave some areas longer. However, leaving the grass long does not necessarily mean less work as meadow areas need to be managed effectively and there can be Health and Safety implications. For more advice, see the book Wildlife in Church and Churchyard (Church House Publishing).
