Parish Profile St Anne's Wandsworth

It has been said that the Church is 'one generation away from extinction' meaning that the young are the key to the church's future survival. In Wandsworth I met a parish where the young are the key to success (and survival) today!

St Anne's is one of those imposing 'Waterloo' churches built in the 1820s to celebrate Wellington's victory. On a hillside overlooking the town centre, the 'Pepperpot' - its tall circular tower and cupola is visible for miles. Designed by Robert Smirke (later Sir Robert for his design of the British Museum), the church had a troubled start - unconsecrated and unused for two years while Bishop and parish argued whether the churchyard would have an oak fence or railings! When the parish stuck to their guns, the Bishop refused to consecrate the churchyard which remains unconsecrated to this day and is now maintained by the local Council as public open-space. Of course it means that it is clear of the usual tangle of gravestones.

To Smirke's original design the Victorians added a chancel and side chapels when Old Bailey architect E.W. Mountford was St Anne's churchwarden. But war-damage (and a fire in 1950) mean that St Anne's has little stained glass left and by the 1970s the Grade 2* listed building had deteriorated so badly that renovations which began in the 1980s, had to be followed by a substantial restoration in the early 90s. However today the fabric is in generally good order and everyone seems to enjoy the light let in by the plain glass.

St Anne's parish used to be a bit 'down at heel' - council and housing association houses and flats, modest 'middle income' private housing and bigger houses divided into flats - a lot in a run-down condition, ripe for the gentrification which spilled across the river when Fulham filled up twenty years or so ago. Today the parish's Edwardian houses are 'des res' for a growing number of City and Canary Wharf 'executives'.

However, upwardly-mobile singles and young couples lead pressured lives so Wandsworth is just a 'dormitory'. They remain outside the local community and churches like St Anne's see little if anything of them. Weekends are spent 'crashed out' recharging the batteries or out of town with friends or relatives.

But then the first child comes along and everything seems to change. St Anne's Vicar, Fr Gordon Jeanes explains:

"Contact usually begins with a baptism enquiry. We have around 30 baptisms a year and when we meet Mr and Mrs Average Parents for the first time we discover that they are often regular churchgoers, albeit at their parent's village. With the arrival of the first child it's as if Wandsworth becomes 'home' for the first time - and that is our opportunity to draw them into the life of our church. Perhaps having a child brings a new perspective - as if by coming to church they are making a statement - that they are 'bigger' than the Monday-Friday treadmill."

"Having said that" he added "we have a large number of people who come not very often. They are still under tremendous work-pressure - so we see some families perhaps once a month others every two months."

St Anne's may also only have them as church members for five to ten years before they move out - to Surrey, Hampshire or wherever - on the next phase of the upwardly mobile ladder.

Currently there is a priest-couple (both working for mission agencies) living in the parish, but their inherent travelling means they can only help out occasionally. It was a mixed congregation - age, race and apparent wealth. What was very noticeable was the large number of children. "We have a crèche on Sundays which is literally overflowing" said Gordon. "There's also Sunday school and that gets pretty full too. The problem for the Sunday school is the occasional attendance patterns of many families which makes a cohesive teaching programme practically impossible".

"The pressured lives our people lead also makes running groups and courses difficult because many who we would hope to attract cannot commit themselves. PCC meetings can be a nightmare - with members arriving straight from work an hour or more into the meeting. We run adult confirmation classes on Sunday evenings as it's often their only free night."

"Nonetheless we have a very good mix of people at St Anne's and they work well together. Perhaps it's the nature of the area - there is a real community and one which exists on a whole raft of networks" said Gordon Jeanes.

I met one of the networks on Friday morning - the Peppercorns - a parent and toddler group which meets in St Anne's. It's not strictly a church group but the organiser Diana Buck said "You'll see many of the families in church". Its value is as much to the parent as the child. They insist 'no nannies or au pairs except in emergency' because one of the objectives is to be a point of contact for young mums. 'Bible and Biscuits' a monthly children's service for 3-5 year olds on Wednesday afternoons also keeps young mums in touch with each other.

Peppercorn - the parent/toddler group

I met another 'networking opportunity' on Friday evening. JygSaw is a lively group of teenagers who are St Anne's Youth Club. They meet weekly in the church hall for the usual mix of games, chat and above all, getting to know each other. But in January the hall is the venue for the local Theatre Club's annual panto so JygSaw were off to the local bowling alley. JygSaw keeps St Anne's 'older young people' together, and it keeps their parents in touch with each other. Junior choir practice is also geared to finish in time for JygSaw - it's all networking..

JygSaw - gets ready for bowling

I also got another sense of 'community' as Gordon and I walked round the parish. Every corner there was someone to nod or wave to us.

"When I first came here (3½ years ago) I was surprised just how many people stopped to talk to me. The word had got round and it seemed everyone wanted to make the new Vicar feel welcome" said Gordon.

One of the problems which gentrification has brought is the inevitable hike in property values. "If you are one of the working class families already here you are OK. One elderly couple I visit get quite giggly when they talk about how much their house would sell for. But where do teachers, nurses, bus drivers, and other public service workers find housing?" asks Gordon.

Surprisingly for a parish with a good proportion of 'comfortably-off' people, one of St Anne's biggest problems is money. But the nature of the population is again at the root of that.

"People often find it difficult to get involved in planned giving to a church which they come to perhaps every two months and may only be attached to for five years. In addition people coming into church life for the first time are often unused to the concept of giving. On the other hand our 'Quota' is quite high, based on our potential income, which on paper, looks good, but in practice is impossible to realise. The result is that we are engaged in constant appeals for money just to cover our quota and running costs" said Gordon.

Luckily the building is in good order - as the recent quinquennial shows - but the tarmac in the churchyard needs major repair, with no guarantee the Council will pay for it, and the church hall needs work. The curate's house is St Anne's 'insurance policy'.

"Currently it is rented out. But if the church roof fell in, or something equally disastrous, it's our last defence financially" said Gordon.

So we get a picture of a church constantly saying 'hello' and 'goodbye' to people. How do you deal with that?

"You have to make sure people know they are welcome how ever frequently or infrequently they come - and make sure they are well-fed, spiritually" said Gordon. "That means dealing with the tension between making the church work for the children and for their parents. The parents want grown-up religion but at the same time they don't want to be separated from their children during worship - especially where the child may be looked after by a nanny all week."

Can you stem the 'outflow' of church families? Gordon thinks there may be hope on the horizon.

Not surprisingly in an area with so many young children, there are four primary schools on Gordon's patch (he takes four school assemblies every week). But secondary school provision is poor, and a major reason why families move out of the parish.

"That's why the plans for St Cecila's, a new CofE secondary school, on the doorstep of the parish, are so important. A good secondary school in the parish could stabilise the local population - they'll have no reason to leave - and that will be good for Wandsworth and good for the future of St Anne's" said Gordon.