All Saints Margaret Street.

Dear friends,

As we prepare for a major fundraising campaign over the next twelve months to re-endow our Choir and Music Trust Fund, I thought it might be useful to write briefly about the history of that Trust so that people have a better idea of what it is, how it works, and what its assets are.

“The All Saints’ Church Marylebone Choir and Music Trust” was founded in 1990 to manage an endowment which, it was intended, would grow and increasingly contribute to covering the music costs of All Saints’ Margaret Street.

Its initial years were characterised by extensive fundraising campaigns along with the receipt of significant legacies. However, the Trust never quite reached the size of endowment which, it was hoped, would cover all our parish’s Music costs.

Today, its total capital stands at around £2,050,000. Its annual income is between £50-60,000, covering around half of our PCC’s outgoings on music.

The aim of our forthcoming campaign is to double the endowment – i.e. raise a further £2,000,000 over the next ten years so we get to a point where the Trust Fund is able to pay for the entire costs of our wonderful choir.

When the Trust was founded in 1990, it was clearly stipulated that its funds would be “inalienable.” This means that the capital it holds cannot be spent, and that the Fund can only use the income it receives from its investments. This means you can be guaranteed that any sum you donate to the Trust will contribute to the funding of music making at All Saints’ in perpetuity.

The charitable aims of the Trust are, “to maintain the performance and appreciation of Church Music in St Marylebone, and in particular in the Parish Church of the Ecclesiastical Parish of All Saints’, Margaret Street.” It has 5 trustees, with the vicar and churchwardens as ex officio members, and two further individuals appointed by the PCC. These are currently Paul Golding, CBE, and Simon Rainey, KC.

A number of small pots of money, obsolete parish trusts, and charitable funds were brought together in 1990 to form the original small endowment of around £35,000. These included funds associated with the long since closed parish choir school, a sum from the PCC, funds from the All Saints’ Foundation, and a number of donations.

Over the past 35 years, gifts to the Trust Fund have totalled £1,264,035. In that time, total grants made to the PCC for Music have totalled £1,227,232 over its 35 year life.

In the years since the foundation of the Trust Fund, the principal way in which its funds have grown is through donations, and legacies from departed parishioners’ estates.

Since 1990, the total received as gifts from living donors has been £406,179. Legacies left in people’s wills have provided around twice that sum, however, and it is through gifts given to the Fund by parishioners after their death that the principal growth in its capital has taken place, totalling £824,737 donated in legacies since 1990.

The most significant legacies which the Music Trust Fund have received include: John Hanvey’s legacy of £155,626 in 1994; Derek Beavan’s legacy of £120,268 in 1994; Bishop Ambrose Weekes’ legacy of £84,785 in 2013; Geoffrey Hughes’ legacy of £60,000 in 2017; Denzil Freeth’s legacy of £50,000 in 2011; Fr John Thorold’s legacy of £50,000 in 2013; Brian Brown’s legacy of £50,000 in 2025; Ralph Ballard’s legacy of £45,000 in 1995; and Christine Ellis’ legacy of £25,000 in 2020.

In 2012 a legacy of £90,616 was received from the estate of John Birch, our former Director of Music, which now supports the organ scholarship at All Saints’ which bears his name.

Many parishioners and friends have left smaller sums in their wills, including, two years ago Frank Williams. He was a long-standing parishioner of All Saints’, who played, amongst other roles in his acting career, the Vicar in the BBC comedy Dad’s Army. He left the Trust the sum of £3,416. Since 1990, 18 smaller legacies adding up together to £82,000 have been left to the Trust in addition to the larger gifts outlined above.

I hope this examination of how the Fund has grown since its inception shows the most significant way in which gifts have been received is in parishioners’ wills as legacies. This means a substantial part of our campaign over the next year will be about raising awareness of this amongst our friends and supporters, and ensuring every member of All Saints’ is asked to consider making provision for the Music Trust in their will.

At the same time, fundraising for the Choir Trust was clearly more frequent, energetic, and effective in the early years of the Fund’s existence than it has been over the past decade or two. This, too, needs to change, with regular fundraising for the Fund returning to be an important part of our parish’s life.

I look forward to publishing in the next few weeks exciting details of our plans for this campaign, and specifically the fundraising events we hope to hold over the next year. I hope this review of the Trust’s history reveals the extraordinary generosity of past generations of parishioners. Please join me in praying that God will prompt our parishioners, supporters, and friends to respond to our appeal with generous hearts once more, and with joyful confidence in the future of our parish.

Fr Peter

Winter homeless shelter

We are looking for volunteers for our parish winter homeless shelter project.  The pattern involves taking the lead in feeding and offering hospitality to some of the homeless of this city at the night shelter hosted at the American Church on the Tottenham Court Road. This will happen under the aegis of C4WS, a Camden-based charity which for 20 years has sought to support those without homes in rebuilding their lives.

We have undertaken to run the shelter on the following nights: Wednesday 26th November 2025; Wednesday 7th January 2026; Wednesday 4th February 2026; and Wednesday 18th March 2026.

If you would like to volunteer, please be in touch with Fr Alan (assistant.priest@asms.uk) and put these dates in your diary.

Livestream difficulties

We apologise for the fact that there was no livestream last Sunday, due to technical difficulties. We have worked hard on rectifying the problem and are confident normal service should resume this Sunday. We are very sorry that our online congregation was unable to worship with us.

Zoom Theology Programme 2025-26

Our programme of online theological study was launched last week for the coming “academic” year. You can see more details here.

The topics to be covered include: New Testament study with Ian Boxall; the theology of sacred space with Willian Whyte; Blaise Pascal with Graham Tomlin; the role of the Archbishop of Canterbury with Colin Podmore; the contribution to English church music of All Saints’, Margaret Street, with Serenhedd James; St Catherine of Siena with the assistant priest of our sister church in New York, St Mary the Virgin Times Square, Matt Jacobson; and patristic Mariology with Robin Ward.

Parish Walk

Our next parish walk will take place on St Luke Day, Saturday 18th October. We’ll take the 9.45 am from Victoria to Lewes, and walk up to 10 miles, with some ascents. All welcome – pease be in touch with Fr Alan.

Fundraising Launch Concert

The fundraising campaign for our Choir and Music Trust Fund will be launched at a concert given by our choir on the Saturday 1st November at 7.00 pm.

This will be a concert of sacred music including a number of substantial items which the choir often doesn’t have the opportunity to sing because of time or liturgical constraints.  The programme will include Bairstow’s Blessed City, Heavenly Salem, Macdowell’s Annunciation, Macmillan’s A special Appeal, Finzi’s Lo the full and final sacrifice, Holst’s Nunc Dimittis, and Parry’s Songs of Farewell.

Tickets are £25 per head and all funds raised will go to our our Choir and Music Trust. You can book your tickets via the Eventbrite link here.  It will be a splendid evening and we need as many people present as possible. Please bring your friends.

All Saints’ Festival 2025

Saturday 1st November
5.15 pm Vigil Low Mass of All Saints’ Day
7.00 pm Choir Concert

Sunday 2nd November – All Saints’ Day & Festival Sunday
11.00 am High Mass of All Saints’ Day
Preacher: The Ven Luke Miller, Archdeacon of London.
6.00 pm Festal Evensong and Benediction with Te Deum

Monday 3rd November – All Souls’ Day
6.30 pm High Mass of Requiem
Preacher: The Rt Revd Lindsay Urwin, O.G.S.

Sunday 9th November – Remembrance Sunday
11.00 am High Mass of Requiem with Act of Remembrance

Attendance last Sunday

For your prayers

The Friends of All Saints’ Margaret Street:

5th – Sebastian Taite-Ellis, Michael Taylor, Kitty Thompson, Charles Thomson, Dr James Thomson, Jeremy Thorp, Jane Turner, The Rev’d Roger Turner, Dr Christine Vaughn Lillie

6th – Christopher Walsh, Philip Wayne, Fr Benjamin Weitzmann, Fr. Mats Wendt, Michael Westcott

7th – Sandra Wheen, Matthew Whittaker, Tim Widdowfield, David Wilcox, T. Bradford Willis, Ian A. Wilson, Fr Michael Witcombe

8th – Martin Woods, The Rev’d John Wylam, William Yale, Michael Young

9th – Mark Allan, Martin Amherst-Lock, Robert Austen, Richard Ayling, James Babington Smith, Ruth Baker

10th – Stephen Baldwin, Stephen Barber, Nigel Beanland, Jonathan Beck, Dr William Benefield, William Bonnell, Charlotte Black, John Blackburn

11th – John Bristow, Paul Brough, Michael Brown, David Blunden, Fr Michael Bowie, Dr Graham Burns

The sick:

Jean Castledine, David Craig, Fr Michael Gudgeon, Catherine Hobden, Fr Harry Hodgetts, Carol Lyman-Price, Daniel Oliver, James Rodger, Oskar Rodriguez-Lopez, Ingrid Slaughter, Juliet Windham

Recently departed

Cherry Burroughs; James Leigh, priest.

Anniversaries of death:

5th – John Clayton

6th – Alan Harrison Pr, Patricia Molly Simpson-Coe, Raymond Oram

7th – Sarah Venn, Mabel Moore, Pauline Rolph; 8th – Eric Kay, Grace Miller, Emma Titley

9th – Ann Armstrong, Fred Edwards, Gwendolen Clementson, Philip Oakeshott

10th – Suzette Shores

11th – Mark Carpenter-Garnier Bp, Barbara Schiefer

Services this week

Saturday 4 October – St Francis of Assisi
12pm Low Mass
6.00 pm Confessions
6.30 pm Vigil Mass of Sunday

Sunday 5 October – TRINITY XVI
8.30 am Low Mass
11 am High Mass
5.15 pm Low Mass
6.00 pm Solemn Evensong and Benediction

Monday 6 October – Feria
12 noon Low Mass
6.30 pm Low Mass

Tuesday 7 October – Our Lady of the Rosary
12 noon Low Mass
6.30 pm Low Mass

Wednesday 8 October – Feria
12 noon Low Mass
5.30 Holy Hour
6.30 pm Low Mass

Thursday 9 October – ST JOHN HENRY NEWMAN, DOCTOR
12 noon Low Mass
6.30 pm Low Mass

Friday 10 October – Feria
12 noon Low Mass
6.30 pm Low Mass

Saturday 11 October – Our Lady on Saturday
12pm Low Mass
6.00 pm Confessions
6.30 pm Vigil Mass of Sunday

Sunday 12 October – TRINITY XVII
8.30 am Low Mass
11 am High Mass
5.15 pm Low Mass
6.00 pm Solemn Evensong and Benediction