Distress at unholy threat to evict conservationists

Published: 15 October, 2010

• AS a local resident and also vice-chair of the Soho Community Centre Trust (SCCT), I am writing to express the utter dismay I felt at your article (Conservation group facing church boot, October 8).

The Soho Community Centre Trust was established in 1991 and works with the elderly who live or worked in and around Soho.

We provide recreation and leisure-time facilities, with the aim of improving our members’ conditions of life.

Since its start, St Anne’s Church has played a significant and vital role in providing space, enabling us to host a weekly lunch club and a weekly afternoon tea club as well as Spring and Christmas Fairs.

There is also the annual Christmas lunch and pantomime without which most of our elderly members would be completely isolated from society.

Prior to Father David Gilmore becoming rector of St Anne’s in April 2008, SCCT had been required to pay an annual rent to the church in exchange for the use of rooms.

The Church Council, under Fr David’s chairmanship, recog­nised that as a small voluntary group we were facing considerable difficulties in raising funds from grant-making bodies we had previously relied upon and that we might have to close as we couldn’t continue to pay the room hire rent.

On his recommenda­tion, and as we were prepared to be com­pletely flexible as a community group, we were provided with free space between other lets.

Without this incredibly kind and generous gesture, SCCT would not have been able to continue to exist in its current format.

Having seen the generosity of the PCC, and knowing that space is also given to Soho Youth, I cannot believe the church would act in a different way to another group with community involvement.

MARGARET RUSSELL BAILEY
Vice-Chair, SCCTC
St Anne’s Court, W1