All Staff meeting, 28th June 2023
All Staff meeting
28th June 2023
A welcome from the Dean
Andrew welcomed everyone to the meeting. Acknowledging that we are extremely busy and ‘running hot’, he thanked us for all our hard work in recent months and spoke of the success of Easter and the special services for the 900th celebration of St Bart’s Hospital, and the tercentenary celebration of Wren, held on the 27th June.
Continuing the recovery updates
Sandra Lynes-Timbrell outlined that year to date:
- we have welcomed 350,000 visitors, which is 40% up against budget; at the same point in 2019 we had welcomed 404,000 visitors.
- income from ticket sales is up against the same period due to the increase in the entry cost
- the Cathedral is mirroring other major visitor attractions, and the small gap in numbers is largely attributable to the decline in the Chinese tourist market.
Following the sale of a Cathedral pin badge by Simonetta Casarotto last week, the shop saw sales exceed £1m – which is a milestone we have reached considerably earlier in the year compared to previous years.
Jo Day reminded staff that:
- we are well into our five year recovery plan (which started in 2020)
- in 2022 we made a small surplus (having budgeted for a loss) and we are on track this year also to break even
- offering a word of caution, Jo explained that we have a handful of projects in hand, some of which like Girls' Voices, need cash-flowing before the fundraising is completed
- we are also looking at workforce planning to ensure that the Cathedral is adequately staffed now that activity levels are high again
Keeping us all safe
Fire safety
Mike O’Mahony, who is our Interim Fire Officer, briefly summarised the work he is doing towards creating a fire safety management system to ensure safety and compliance. His immediate focus is on creating fire evacuation plans and sorting fire training for staff. He welcomes contact from any staff who has questions about our fire management plans.
Safeguarding
Louise Wilcox, Safeguarding Officer, shared that safeguarding presentations are still at a high level and thanked staff for the support offered in these situations. A survey will be sent to staff about setting up a staff support group, and training continues for staff and volunteers. Louise reminded people that any safeguarding concerns must always be shared.
Security
Adrian Wells, Head of Security and Resilience said that the Counter Terrorism exercise on 14th June went well and quoted Kelly Hemmise, our CT City of London Police lead who remarked: 'the exercise went extremely well and I want to express my thanks to all involved.'
Health and safety
Sharon Raynham, Health & Safety Officer, thanked staff who have been involved in H&S training, especially the Works and VE teams. Forthcoming training will focus on first aid, personal safety and use of ladders.
Staff code of conduct
Emily MacKenzie said that a staff code of conduct is being created with Heads of Departments, to assist us in maintaining professional and responsible standards of conduct, and ensuring everyone is treated with dignity and respect in our interactions with one another, with visitors, contractors and volunteers. In addition, the code of conduct will also cover dress and personal appearance, plus our working environments such as desks, offices, workshop spaces and shared facilities.
Starters, leavers, internal moves and long service
Starters
- Mike O'Mahony, Interim Fire Officer
- Bertie Caria-Hall, IT Support Analyst
- Mel Fleming, Corporate Events Assistant
- Steve Vickery, Bursar & Clerk to the Governors of the Cathedral School
- Patricia Hollman, Sales Assistant
- Visitor Experience Assistants: Michel Oyesile-Johnson, Vanessa Fernandes, Lea McCulloch
- Revd Tessa Bosworth, Curate
Starting soon
- August 2023: Rebecca Thomson, Director of Property; Anna James, Cathedral Librarian
- September 2023: Judith Fremont-Barnes, Head of Cathedral School
Internal promotions
- Tiggy Sawbridge, Executive Assistant to the Dean
Long service
- Sarah Radford, Archivist & Records Manager - 10 years
- Robert Jeffs, Cleaner - 10 years
- Angela Palotai, Music Department Administrator / PA to Director of Music - 10 years
- Mick Dove, General Foreman – 40 years!
Leavers
Colleagues who have left since our last meeting, or will be leaving in the near future:
- Pim Baxter, Chapter member
- Hannah Woolley, Digital Manager
- Catherine Fowler, Finance Officer
- Jim Pulham, Heating & Plumbing Engineer - retired after 21 years!
- Liam O'Driscoll, Visitor Engagement Programme Manager
- Vijaya Lenotti, Casual Visitor Experience Assistant
- Kevin Jimenez, Business Support Officer (Kevin will be staying on as a Casual VEA)
- Ranj Kalsi, IT Support Analyst
- Tom Daggett, OBE Organ Outreach Fellow
- Simon Larter-Evans, Head of Cathedral School
- Naomi Richards, Community Development - Hackney Choral
- Michael Stephens-Jones, Organ Scholar
- Martin Fletcher, Clerk of the Works - retiring after 26 years!
- Joanne Day, Chief Financial Officer - Jo will be retiring in the New Year
The Netflix story
An update from Duncan Smith, Millie Walker and Sam Dove
Following the recent filming for season two of Netflix's The Diplomat here at the Cathedral, Duncan described the journey from an initial contact from Netflix (which led to several days filming on site in June).
Millie added details about the involvement of the Liturgy, Virgers and Music departments, which made the scene very authentic. Our Choir was used for singing, with body doubles for long shots.
Sam said what a joy it had been to be involved and thanked the wider team for enabling it happen. Over £500K was made in fees and the programme will be a great showcase for St Paul’s. The Netflix team are returning in July to shoot some further scenes, and there may also be some behind the scenes peeks via Netflix's social media channels in the coming months. Watch this space!
Staff and volunteer summer party
Finally, Emily reminded everyone of the date for the next staff and volunteer party – Friday 21st July, and encouraged everyone to attend. The event takes place after Evensong in the Cathedral Gardens, and food and drink will be in plentiful supply.