BELSTONE CHAPEL AND TEA SHOP

Prepared by: David Pett

3/5/2012 the next 10 years of Belstone Methodist Chapel

West Devon Rural Development Officer

Da
This short document discusses the opportunity that has arisen to lease out the adjoining Sunday School of the Chapel to a local couple who have a desire to open a tea shop in the village. It considers the proposal and suggests how such a project could proceed.

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BELSTONE CHAPEL AND TEA SHOP

T HE C HA P E L I N 2 0 1 2

THE CHAPEL AND VILLAGE TODAY

The Methodist Chapel at Belstone is a solidly built structure that has stood the test of time well. It sits amidst the Village Green right on the edge of Dartmoor. This beautiful unspoilt village is one of Dartmoor's best kept secrets in many ways. It has been identified as a potential honeypot for tourists and visitors to the Moor. The village does attract a constant number of visitors walking on the moor.

Belstone village has a popular Pub and an active Parish Church which is moderately well supported. There is also a Village Hall which hosts a variety of activities including a weekly coffee morning / tea shop on Thursdays. The Methodist Church currently has only one member, Mr. Robert Reddaway. The Chapel has an arrangement with the neighbouring Methodist Chapels of Sticklepath and South Zeal and they rotate their Sunday worship services around the three Churches.

Currently, Belstone Chapel normally has one service a month which is held on a second Sunday at 3.00pm in the afternoon. This is often led by the Superintendent Minister Rev Philip Wagstaff. These services are traditional in nature and the 1932 Methodist Hymn Book is still used here. The Chapel is in relatively good condition and quite attractive in appearance, especially inside. I have been told that there is a small amount of woodworm in the Church woodwork. The last quinquennial report of the building was carried out in 2010 and is attached. 2|Page

THE SUNDAY SCHOOL

The Attached Sunday School which is situated behind the Chapel and does not seem to have been built to the same standard as the Chapel (laymans opinion!)

The Sunday School has a separate entrance and includes a flush toilet. The Sunday School has not been in use for many years. It was used for Harvest Festival teas but more recently these have been held in the chapel or at Mr Reddaways farmhouse. There was major repair done to the Sunday School a few years ago when the roof was felted and reroofed using box profile metal sheeting. This has halted the water ingress from the roof. The tongued and grooved timber ceiling was not removed in this work and remains although some of this has rotted away over the years. The dado railing has been removed and the wall paint is peeling in places. The windows are in need of replacement and the toilet facilities need updating. I cannot give an opinion as to the electrics. Having stated these negative aspects I have to say that the room is light, airy and on the whole free from damp although the quinquennial report has picked up some concerns. If updated this area would once again make a pleasant space for all manner of activities for village and chapel events and does have potential.

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Access to the hall is via a sloping concrete path beside the Chapel. This has a few steps in it that would have to be adapted for disabled access to adhere to todays standards

There is much goodwill towards the chapel in the village, and even though there is a small membership, there are times when there is a larger congregation, especially around Harvest and Christmas time. Worship is traditional Devon country Methodism. The future of this Chapel seems somewhat tenuous with the current membership as it stands. However, there has been an interesting development and opportunity that needs careful and prayerful investigation by the Circuit.

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BELSTONE TEASHOP

In late 2011 Rev Philip Wagstaff was approached by Marion and Chris Walpole with the view to a proposal to lease the Sunday School to them so that they could convert the room to become a tea room.

THE PROPOSAL
Marion Walpole is very well known in the Parish as a lady who is very active in the community. She has worked for a number of years to provide a coffee morning in the local Village Hall. This has brought the community together and raised much needed cash to develop facilities in the Village Hall itself. Spurred on by her keenness to have a small business of her own she identified that the village did not have a tea room with The Barton tea room closing some years ago. The only food outlet in the village is the pub (except when the community hold events in the Village Hall). Marion is convinced that a tea shop in the village could be very successful. She has identified the Chapel Schoolroom as a possible and preferred venue. Following an inspection of the property with a local builder she has costed out that to bring the Schoolroom up to the required standard would cost in the region of 50,000. She is therefore asking the Methodist Church whether she could lease the Sunday School Hall part of the property for a very low rent over a medium term say 10years. In return she would invest her personal funds to convert the hall into a tea shop with kitchen facility and disabled facilities toilet.

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WORKS NEEDED TO BE CARRIED OUT

BUSINESS PLAN for THE BELSTONE TEAROOM @ The Belstone Methodist Chapel Schoolroom; Near Okehampton, EX20 1RA prepared by Marion Walpole The small village of Belstone, high on the northern edge of Dartmoor and at the end of the access road to the moors, had a lively, successful and much appreciated teagarden until 2001, now much missed. There is a pub, a Church and a Chapel, and a Village Hall, but it needs a tearoom for villagers and visitors alike. What do I want from the Business? After 17 years with the MoD in a middle management position, I have been a housewife and voluntary community support worker for 19 years. I am now in serious need of a project, a personal challenge, a focus. A tearoom is my dream: I want it to become a reality. I have found something I am very good at making cakes, organising food events and welcoming visitors; I want the satisfaction of customers appreciating my efforts, and a (small) income. I would also like to make more substantial charity contributions. What do I want the Business to achieve? I want this tearoom to become a community hub, a popular meeting & eating place for the Belstone community and its neighbours and visitors. The tearoom will also provide a sales outlet for local amateur artists and craftspeople, and assist in the continued viability of the Methodist Chapel as a place of worship and village landmark. Set-up Costs (best estimates) Insulation & replastering of walls; insulation of floor; replacement of lean-to roof; rebuild toilet as accessible unit; electrics; plumbing 28,000 Insulation of roof; heaters 7,000

Replacement windows; floor covering; kitchen installation; external porch 14,000 Furnishings; decoration; advertising Grading of outside access slope; handrail Total expenditure (not necessarily all before opening, but all in the first year) On-going Costs I will be requesting a rent holiday given the expense incurred in upgrading the accommodation. Public liability insurance; National insurance; Utilities; Food & Drink ingredients Profit/Loss position If I open 4 afternoons/week in the winter and 5-6 in the summer, with an average spend of 5 per person: Winter: 20 customers x 4 x 5 = 400pw x 27 weeks = 10,800 Summer: 50 customers x 6 x 5 = 1500pw x 25 weeks = 37,500 Total annual income from teas = 48,300 6|Page 1,000 (donation) 50,000

Assume Profit is 30% of this = 14490 so it will take c3.5 years before business is in profit unless there are grants available, or financial input from the Chapel trustees. In addition, 35% of all art/craft sales will accrue to the business. Marion Walpole, Little Gables, Belstone chris.walpole@mypostoffice.co.uk Comparative income: Village Hall summer Sunday cream teas (3 hours, July & Aug), average income over the 4 VH sessions in 2011 was 170 , representing say 60 customers (average spend 3), almost all visitors (some walking groups). All cakes are donated, all tea/coffee/milk/cream is bought by the event. Charges: tea/coffee 1, cake 1.50, cream tea 3.50. Thursday morning cafe (3 hours, once a week), average income 45, which represents 35-40 customers (average spend 1), almost all locals. All food is donated, all tea/coffee is bought by the cafe. Charges: 20p for tea/coffee, 50p for real coffee/chocolate, 50p for cake, 1 for cards, 1.50 for jam. 01837 840498

Here below is an email response from Marion Walpole to myself dated 07/04/2012 which sets out her aims and costs. It was in response to an email I sent her to question the costs and feasibility of the project. Marion says: Ive already been through all the DDA stuff at the Village Hall (I was manager there for years until 2009), and have several friends in wheelchairs etc so am pretty clued up on that side of things. Just how little we could get away with and still be in accordance with current rules is debatable I rather hoped I had already minimised it (I dont want to spend more than I have to either). On accessibility we might get dispensation to alter the loo later, but the disruption would be considerable and probably end up costing more. On the environmental health side they will not accept fewer than 3 sinks, plus dishwashing, plus fridge, plus no likelihood of bits of plaster or wood falling onto food. So in reality that means a minimum of: replastering walls (the plaster not just the paintwork - is in very poor state overall) and covering the ceiling (rotten wood) and it makes sense to insulate at the same time - sufficient kitchen installation to provide separate dishwashing and handwashing, with hot and cold water, which basically equates to full kitchen facilities - Handwashing (ie hot and cold water and a sink) in the loo - Wiring sufficient for sockets, heaters and lighting & plumbing sufficient for kitchen and loo (both will need meters the water one should be free, but the existing electric one should probably be condemned) You could argue new windows are optional but I doubt if anyone would come back to a tearoom looking like it does now. You could argue the same for floor treatment I take your point about the floorboards as I quite like them too, but a significant heatloss is through the floor and retrofit is not an option (as it affects the level of the floor in the loo, kitchen and entrance). I had already thought of doing just a bit of work then finishing in the autumn, but actually it doesnt seem to save any time or money, just spreads the expenditure. I had every intention of making the tearoom traditional. Cups & saucers & china teapots (like grannys), odd tables and chairs (hoping for village donations or Hatherleigh market), sofas (from a friends mums house). Its really only when you go for a theme (and I cant think of one anyway) that it involves lots of expense on new furniture that matches. 7|Page

Food preparation on site will be minimal. I have an AGA at home that I cook my best cakes on, and anyway I hope to be so busy in the tearoom that I wont have time to serve AND bake. The only food prep I intend is toasting the odd teacake and making the odd scone if Ive run out. I have not allowed for a full-size cooker, only a small oven and a microwave. Offerings are to be limited to what I do best cake. It is purely a tearoom I have no intention at all of doing meals or snacks (we have a perfectly good pub) and in the first instance only intend to open in the afternoon. We rounded up all pricings included in the initial business plan, and included contingencies for what we might find once we get started. I would hope to start up for a bit less than allowed. A significant number of people have offered help of one sort or another (one is fitting the kitchen for free, another is hoping to use his student son as trainee labour, another wants to pay for the ramping & handrails outside). Although I might seem to be a beginner at this, I do feel that Ive explored most of the options and am going into this with my eyes fully open. I have been running the weekly community cafe, and summer Sunday cream teas, for 10 years. Belstone village NEEDS a tearoom, and still desperately misses the one that closed 10 years ago. The visitors still ask where they can get tea. The car park was full yesterday with a guided walk of 50 people (we get a lot of guided walks coming into the village Hall on Sundays for tea). My business instinct is to start as I mean to go on, not to tentatively test the market and only commit when the idea is proven. I make it quite clear again the risk is mine, and IF the business fails the chapel inherits a schoolroom fit for a second home. I do appreciate that the authorities do not want to risk being associated with a failure, and will make every effort to not fail. Given that time is going on, and the planners will take a significant time to make their decision (I will hold off applying, as you advised), I have accepted that the tearoom will not be open in time for the summer season. Financially that is a shame, but perhaps starting in the autumn will give me better time to refine my practices before the next summer rush. Over to you! This demonstrates something of Marions determination to make this project a success. Marion is also organist in the local Anglican Church, so we have a good ecumenical link. The Parish Church is a part of the Northmoor group of parishes which includes Okehampton.

MAKING SENSE OF THE PROPOSAL

In order for an innovative idea and project like this to be able to go ahead the West Devon Methodist Circuit need to be fully aware of the implications, commitment and risks involved both for the possible tenants and the managing trustees. I have strongly indicated to Mrs Walpole that this project will have to be carefully considered so that all parties are legally protected, and this would be the case as the scheme would proceed through the Methodist Church on line Property consents process with the scrutiny and checks the system has in place. From the tenants point of view Marion needs to know that a lease of a decent length will be put in place. This would have to be a in the region of a 10 year lease. Mrs Walpole is not asking for any payment to her in receipt of the proposed conversion work but would ask for generous rental terms in the form of a peppercorn rent plus an agreement of an apportionment of the cost of maintenance and cost of utilities that they would incur.

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To make sense of the proposal from the Churches angle we need to make sure that the Circuit agrees that the Chapel will continue to function as a place of worship and mission in some way for at least the next 10 years. This, I feel, is vital to the whole projects success as in my opinion there is little point in the Methodist Church retaining property that is not being utilized for the mission of the Church. Mrs Walpole is very supportive of the idea that the Church will be an integral part of the life of the village with her caf behind it, a view which is endorsed by the Circuit Superintendent. The Chapel can be opened whilst the caf is open so that visitors can look inside. The Superintendent Minister has had informal conversations with Jo Rumble from the Dartmoor National Park who is interested in working with the trustees in exploring how interpretative boards might be used when the chapel is open. This could lead to a visitors information point being developed in the chapel and/or the tea room when the tea room is open. The District Chair is exploring with the District Policy committee how the story of our historic buildings across the District can be told more widely. Both of these opportunities will be explored further.

MISSIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
I consider that there are opportunities to work alongside the caf to provide unique missional opportunities for the Chapel. A chapel with a tea room attached could allow opportunities to develop other styles and times of worship. The traditional form of worship could continue as 3.00 on the second Sunday but that would allow scope for development of a programme of worship outside of these times, especially (but not exclusively) in the Summer. Conversations have taken place with Rev Kevin Hooke from the Teignbridge Circuit who has been instrumental in providing a range of different approaches at the Chapel of Poundsgate on the East side of Dartmoor. These have included work with Photographers and artists to link with biblical narrative and scriptural themes and fitting them in with aspects of the Moor. HERE IS A LIST OF POSSIBILITIES THAT COULD BE DEVELOPED. The chapel to be open as a place of prayer and reflection with prayer cards available as at Clovelly. Small exhibitions regarding the Methodist Chapel and why it exists Caf style services linking in with opening times Special services for walkers. A short service and a moorland walk returning for tea and cake. Exhibition space for Christian and secular artists Photographers competition, spirituality on the Moor? Tea and songs of Praise Reflective taize or celtic style service Traditional service

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COMMITMENT I consider that in order for this project to be successful there needs to be some responsibility taken for it by the Circuit as a missional place. It would be unfair to expect Marion Walpole to be responsible for the cleaning and daily opening of the Chapel. To be a successful project the Chapel would need to be kept looking in good condition for visitors to view. This would mean checking daily issues such as : Keeping information and any leaflets and prayer materials /cards up to date and tidy Adequate signage Flowers Managing of gift box If visitors came in then the Chapel would get dirtier so regular cleaning would be necessary. All these tasks could be carried out by a group willing volunteers on a rota basis. It may be that there will not be a functioning Church (body of people) involved with this Church and that will mean that there will be little extra financial income in the form of circuit assessment in the forseeable future from this building. The current pledge is always paid at present although this is not large compared with the overall circuit budget. This course of action may be unacceptable for some in the Circuit. However if this place is seen as being a place of mission and outreach to tourist visitors and day walkers on the Moor then it could be seen as an opportunity not be missed. I would therefore propose the following The Circuit agrees to take responsibility to investigate and if deemed appropriate to support this project for a minimum period of at least 10 years. The Circuit appoints a small working party empowered to investigate the possibilities for this project from missional, practical and legal angles working alongside the Methodist District and TMCP on behalf of the Circuit Meeting with powers to act on behalf of the Circuit Meeting where necessary so as to work at a pace that keeps the project moving. Consult with local people including Robert Reddaway, South Zeal and Sticklepath Methodist Members, The Anglican Church, Parish Council, Dartmoor National Park, and Belstone Village Hall so that everyone is aware of progress

Assist and strongly support Mr and Mrs Walpole in their venture throughout the project development and during the term of the lease.

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SUPPORT FOR THE PROJECT

Rev. Phil Wagstaff and I have had conversations with Rev Pete Pillinger, Chair of the District regarding this project. He has visited the Chapel and he is supportive of the possible project and will be interested to follow developments. Dave and Gill Shott are Belstone residents and Fairplace members have indicated their strong support. Sarah Blacksell , Belstone Parish Clerk is supportive of a tea shop in the village Trevor Starr, Methodist District Property Secretary is supportive of the project so far.

CONCLUSION
I propose that this project is discussed at the next Staff and stewards meeting on 16th May. I would propose that a small working party will be formed to report to the Circuit Meeting to bring recommendations about this project at the next Circuit Meeting which will be held in June. The Superintendent Minister affirms this exciting opportunity for Belstone and will propose to the Circuit leadership team and to the Circuit meeting that I chair the working party.

David Pett May 3rd 2012

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