General
The Friends make grants of money to cover, or contribute towards, the cost of specific activities, works and purchases which variously enhance the life, functioning and appeal of the parish, the Abbey, its environs, St Swithun’s and the Church Rooms. Each specific funding opportunity is called a project. These may be identified by the Vicar, Churchwardens, sub-committees and working groups of the PCC, as well as by FRA trustees and members. Projects and their budgets are agreed by the Committee of Trustees.
Tourism
All advertising, purchases and activities concerned with encouraging tourists to visit the Abbey are generally funded by the Friends. For example, we pay for the thousands of Abbey self-guide leaflets handed out by Stewards each year (in French, Italian, Spanish and German, as well a English), for access via QR codes to smartphone self-guided tours. We also took the initiative to produce the self-guide for Ukranian visitors.
New growth and outreach
The Friends are committed to supporting the provision of activities and services which encourage and enable children and young families to be part of the church family. To this end we make an annual grant to support the employment of Youth Workers; pay all incidental expenses incurred in running the annual “Light in the Abbey” Festival for children and provide financial support for joint projects with local schools and other extraordinary events for children. We bought new play equipment for the toddler group and, in support of Abbey Vine, contributed a third of the cost of their new, music-capable sound system.
Enhancing the Abbey experience for all
We are always looking for ways to enhance the experience of visiting and using, not only the Abbey, but also its environs, St Swithun’s and the Church Rooms.
In recent years we have funded a variety of projects including the redisplay of the medieval cope and the purchase of a mobile ceiling viewer to enable visitors to view the Abbey ceilings, most especially the Jacobean crossing ceiling (1624).
2026 has already been a busy year. We have funded a new display about Romsey’s Sir William Petty and a brand new Timeline in the north aisle telling much of the Abbey’s history. Most recently, we have paid for the long-awaited replacement of the external signage and notice boards to project a modern, friendly and more-informative image for the Abbey.
2026 has already been a busy year. We have funded a new display about Romsey’s Sir William Petty and a brand new Timeline in the north aisle telling much of the Abbey’s history. Most recently, we have paid for the long-awaited replacement of the external signage and notice boards to project a modern, friendly and more-informative image for the Abbey.
In 2023 we brought two cashless alms boxes for the Abbey and a cashless payment system for the shop for use when unattended. The cashless alms boxes have now (2026) been replaced by new contactless machines which are more intuitive, easier to use, and can deal with Gift Aid. This has resulted in increased donations to the Abbey.
We continue to fund efforts to repair and stabilise the much-loved memorial to Alice Taylor. In 2024 we organised a detailed survey of the Romsey Rood using the best available non-invasive techniques to discover more about its structure, strength and how it is fixed to the wall.
We have also pledged funding towards both the restoration of the Abbey clock face and the replacement of the Bluthner concert piano.
Education and enjoyment
For many years we have sponsored the Ethelflaeda Festival. On 23rd October, Dr Federica Law Turner, an expert in medieval manuscripts, is giving a talk on the Romsey Psalter and other books known to have connections to Romsey.
We are currently reviewing the whole visitor experience to see if the Abbey’s history and curiosities can be presented in more coherent, innovative and informative ways, including the use of interactive touch screens.
