St Peter's Parish News
Thursday 1 January 1970
Who are the Friends of St Peter’s?
This question was asked recently in our Mission Action Planning feedback. The Friends of St Peter’s Berkhamsted (FoSP) was launched on 15 May 2013 at a public meeting led by Fr Michael Bowie and David Pearce. It’s a registered charity and its aims include the “preservation, repair, maintenance, restoration, improvement and ornamentation of the fabric of the Parish Church of Great Berkhamsted, the medieval Court House and of the churchyards occupied by or belonging to the said church.”
The Friends’ flagship project, launched in 2014, was the restoration of Rectory Lane Cemetery, the detached burial ground of St Peter’s that dates from Victorian times. After decades of neglect, volunteers got together to clear overgrown weeds, raised nearly £1 million in Lottery funding and restored the cemetery and its memorials. The Friends have also provided funding for other projects, such as restoring the Queen Elizabeth I coat of arms (in time for the visit by Queen Elizabeth II), repair work to St Peter’s Church clock, and preservation of the medieval brasses in the church.
A new Artisan Market has recently launched on Berkhamsted High Street which will raise funds for future FoSP projects. The Friends also produce a quarterly newsletter which is available inside St Peter’s Church. Find out more about the Friends’ projects on their website:
www.stpetersberkhamstedfriends.org.uk 
