Friends of St Mary’s Church

The Friends of St Mary’s Church exist to support both the fabric and life of the church. In recent years they have made substantial contributions towards renovation funds, making the building more adaptable for a variety of activities. The Friends helped raise the money required to install temporary heaters that warmed congregations during the winter months. (A new environmentally friendly system was installed in 2025. Read more here.)

Income for the account comes partly from subscriptions (£15 a year, though some generous souls give more) but mainly from activities organised by a core group of Friends. These include very popular Come and Sing events, and also Coffee and Cake in St Mary’s Church every Tuesday from 10am to 1pm.

The Friends also serve refreshments during the church’s August Festival. Head over to our Events Page for further details.

Raising Funds and Growing the Friends Network

In the period leading up to June 2024, our focus was on fundraising for the church’s Reordering Project. For this, St Mary’s applied for and was awarded a National Heritage Lottery grant. This provided 60% of the project’s total cost, the remaining was fundraised and achieved through our local Uplift! Campaign and other grants. You can read about the ongoing project in our News section here.

St Mary’s is already one of the most popular venues in Totnes for concerts and other performances. The plan continues to make the church more comfortable and convenient for these and a variety of other activities. For example, we could not accommodate the Torbay Orchestra. Now that the seating is re-ordered - and new loos are provided - we will welcome the Orchestra and many other large groups.

We want the Totnes community to feel ‘ownership’ of this historic and beautiful building. And what better way to feel connected to St Mary’s than joining us and bringing your skills and knowledge to our team? Being a Christian is not a requirement either. Faith is a huge part of our Three Fundamental Purposes but it’s only a part of what we stand for.

By joining the Friends you can help ensure the church remains in good repair for a few more centuries to come. Contact us today for a friendly chat about how you can contribute and we can’t wait to hear from you.