The Story Solar…
Once upon a time, back in 2014, there was a vicar called Giles who was one of the first to call for the Church of England to do something about climate change. Meanwhile, at his own church the congregation raised £5.2m for a restoration that has sustainable energy at its very heart. And here he is! These 80 solar panels on St John’s south-facing roof are likely to generate 28,597 kwh a year. That’s enough to heat and light the renovated crypt entirely and to light the nave and makes us the second most energy efficient church in London (not that we’re competitive). Come and share the rosy glow when we reopen. Full sun-shiny story here.
That’s the good news!
The not-so-good news is that our grand re-opening, first delayed by finding asbestos in the ceiling, is to be delayed again. The existing paint in the nave is less stable than we had thought, partly because the building was cold over the winter. A deep strip-back is required which could sound like fun if it didn’t add significant costs and extra weeks to the work schedule. Exact reopening arrangements under discussion – but think late July, with big celebrations in September. Hey ho…
The Bridge to Work
Absolutely ready to open is our brand-new employment support programme, chosen for Lambeth Council funding by a panel of (highly discerning) young people and put together in partnership with Big Local Bermondsey. Over the next 12 weeks, we’ll be helping 16-24-year-olds build confidence through one-to-one mentoring and group sessions covering CV writing, interviews, benefits, money management, physical activity, cooking and life skills. Want to refer someone, offer support, provide a job? Contact our Programme Manager Daniel Gregory 07398 765537 | tbaw@stjohnswaterloo.org
Take a seat!
Right now, in a studio in deepest Sussex, some very special furniture is taking shape. We’ve commissioned the firm of Luke Hughes, foremost designers and makers of bespoke furniture for places of worship, to produce two chairs and two benches in solid oak for the area around the altar of our soon to be magnificently redecorated church. If you’d like to commemorate someone or make one of these works of art your lasting gift to St John’s Waterloo, we’d love to hear from you. More details here. Looking for a cheaper seat? Each of our 200 new nave chairs need someone to love them too – just £250. More here.
Kate Cullinan and Abigail Tripp
Allow us to introduce
We’re delighted to welcome two new members to our team. Abigail Tripp has joined us as Outreach and Engagement Officer. If you’re thinking she looks familiar it’s probably because she has worked in community development in and around Lambeth for nearly 20 years, was the first chair of SE1 United youth charity, a founder Director of Waterloo Community Coalition (now part of South Bank and Waterloo Neighbours SoWN) and has lived in a Waterloo housing co-operative for 25 years. “Bringing people together and coming up with a solution, getting the right people in the room…that’s what really excites me about my work. There’s a good, solid community in Waterloo and lots of talent to draw on.” Say hello to Abigail on outreach@stjohnswaterloo.org.
Kate Cullinan is our new Marketing and Events Manager in charge of hiring out St John’s beautifully restored nave and the new spaces in the crypt when we reopen. Kate has worked on a Hebridean island, at an arts trust in Kentish Town, for a New York based investment bank in the City, at W11 Opera and for a specialist education setting for young people with histories of disrupted education and mental health issues. She is Church Warden of another inner-city church on a roundabout, St John’s Holland Road, and was recently responsible for capturing the moon – well, Luke Jerram’s Museum of the Moon installation, for that church. Watch this space! Or talk to Kate about how you’d like to fill it marketing@stjohnswaterloo.org.
Meanwhile, if you’re curious to know more about our Vicar…
…here’s the podcast. Follow Giles on a ramble around Waterloo, love, life, gender politics, climate change – and the mysterious bigness. (I’ll say no more. Ed.) Listen up! Or aching for the low-down on our Artistic Director? Here’s Euchar Gravina on growing up in Malta and composing in lock-down, as told to The London Group. Want to join us? We have a vacancy for a compassionate and self-motivated gardener to continue our work with vulnerably housed adults here.
Students from Roots and Shoots College Kennington helping to rip out box moth ravaged hedging. Photo: Nadya Oppenheim
If you go down to the woods today
The churchyard, like the church, is also being readied for climate change. The parterre, ravaged by box moth caterpillar, is being transformed into a woodland garden, replanted with shade tolerant ferns and flowers and with glades surfaced with mulched plane tree leaves. As these fibrous leaves break down into compost they will be moved onto the beds and new leaves put onto the paths. There’ll be lots of wooden benches and we’ll be sprucing up the setting of the large mosaic bench that is a memorial to homeless people who died on the streets. Viv’s latest (com)post here.
No butts
Anyone fancy helping to fund two vast new water butts to harvest rain from the church roof? Surely no butter sustainable sponsorship opportunity? Contact Giles for more details giles@stjohnswaterloo.org.
Noticed anything?
If you’ve clicked through to any of the links above you’ll have noticed that we have a new website. Ta da! (And if you didn’t, go back and get clicking now.) Our glorious digital transformation has been made possible by a generous grant from The Lovington Foundation and we have local professional photographer Eleanor Bentall to thank for the fab big photos. All life is here! www.stjohnswaterloo.org.
Argy Bargy
And finally, no quarrelling with Coin Street – they trump us on the What’s On front this month with four new exhibitions at the Bargehouse, that cool historic warehouse brought back from dereliction in the 1990s, and the gallery@oxo at Oxo Tower across the courtyard. Crikey, there’s even a festival of Erotic Art. Details here (we dare you).
