Community Asset Report, September 2026
Report
Evidence summarising recent Chapel use, attendance, public benefit, volunteer effort, maintenance activity, and the reasons the Chapel should continue to be treated as a community asset.
FAO: Mr Stephen Shurman
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1. Purpose
This evidence pack summarises why the Chapel of St Letus Salata remains a community asset and should continue to be available for community use.
The pack has been prepared because the Chapel’s continuing position depends on demonstrating ordinary, regular, and beneficial use.
2. Current Uses
The Chapel is currently used for:
- Sunday services and observances.
- Public meetings.
- Seasonal events.
- Computer Club.
- Talks and discussion evenings.
- Archive work.
- Refreshments and informal social contact.
- Community notices.
- Practical volunteering.
- Maintenance, cleaning, and inspections.
3. Community Benefits
The Chapel provides:
- A low-cost meeting place.
- Regular company for residents who might otherwise see few people.
- A neutral place for local concerns to be raised.
- Continuity with local history.
- Volunteer opportunities.
- A base for small clubs and interests.
- A reason for seasonal traditions to continue.
- Tea, biscuits, and somewhere to sit without having to buy a full meal.
4. Attendance Evidence
Attendance is recorded for services and events where practical.
Recent examples include:
| Activity | Expected | Recorded | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plain-Speaking Evening | 5 | 67 | Attendance increased due to mobile signal concerns. |
| Sunday Service, 27 September 2026 | 20 | 34 | Included Chapel business and cleaning parade. |
| Great British Wasp Count | 10 | 8 | Completed with some difficulty. |
| Public Screening | 30 | 6 | Lower than expected but still public use. |
| Chapel Computer Club Returns | 2 | 3 | Record attendance for the Club at the time. |
The Committee accepts that not every event reaches its expected attendance.
This should not be interpreted as lack of value. It may instead show that expected attendance was optimistic.
5. Volunteer Activity
Volunteer activity includes:
- Opening and locking the Chapel.
- Moving chairs and pews.
- Cleaning after services.
- Maintaining the noticeboard.
- Managing keys.
- Preparing refreshments.
- Checking the building after weather.
- Cataloguing archive items.
- Producing forms and notices.
- Updating the website.
Much of this work is unpaid, and some of it is not even thanked at the time.
6. Maintenance And Stewardship
The Chapel users continue to identify, record, and address building matters, including:
- Roof leaks.
- Heating failures.
- Access issues.
- Yard surface concerns.
- Guttering.
- Cupboard storage.
- Key control.
- Forms and incident records.
The Chapel is actively maintained.
7. Social Contact
The Committee considers the social value of the Chapel to be significant.
Refreshments, ordinary conversation, seasonal gatherings, and regular company are not side matters. They are part of why the building remains useful. The Chapel gives people somewhere to go and someone to speak to, particularly where other local provision is limited, expensive, or located too far from the lane.
8. Conclusion
The Chapel remains in active community use.
Its value is demonstrated by attendance, volunteer work, events, records, maintenance, complaints, refreshments, and the fact that people continue to argue about arrangements because they expect the Chapel to continue existing.
The Committee therefore asks that the Chapel continue to be recognised as a community asset and that its users be allowed to remain, provided safe and ordinary use continues.
Prepared by Geoff Thomas, Caretaker.