St Mary Redcliffe Project 450 Business Plan

1 

St Mary Redcliffe 

Project 450 

Business Plan 

March 2019 

Facilities Development Project Board: "Project 450" St Mary - Redcliffe Vision and 

Purpose I Statement of Need. D Tydall (March 2018) 

‘The purpose of the project is to enable us to do the things we already do better. 

The fundamental questions that arises is. 

What is stopping us from getting better at what we do? 

This comes down to our need for better facilities, better access to our heritage assets, a better 

experience for those visit and better engagement with those who live around us’ 

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Heritage Business Consulting 

Contents 

1 Executive Summary ...................................................................................................................................... 5 

2 Background ................................................................................................................................................... 7 

2.1 Geographic location of St Mary’s Redcliffe ....................................................................................... 7 

3 Current Income and Offer at St Mary’s Redcliffe ...................................................................................... 8 

3.1 General and restricted income ........................................................................................................... 8 

3.2 Income from ‘Activities’ ...................................................................................................................... 8 

3.2.1 Visitor Donations ........................................................................................................................ 8 

3.2.2 Event Hire .................................................................................................................................... 8 

3.2.3 Church shop ................................................................................................................................. 8 

3.2.4 Education and learning tours ..................................................................................................... 9 

3.2.5 Group Tours ................................................................................................................................. 9 

3.2.6 Café & Hospitality ....................................................................................................................... 9 

3.2.7 Current Organisation Structure ................................................................................................. 9 

4 Market Appraisal ......................................................................................................................................... 10 

4.1 Demographics of Bristol .................................................................................................................... 10 

4.1.1 Bristol Core population ............................................................................................................. 10 

4.1.2 Student population .................................................................................................................... 11 

4.2 The Tourism Economy for Bristol (Destination Bristol) .................................................................. 11 

4.2.1 Local Population ........................................................................................................................ 12 

4.2.2 Potential Visitor Market for SMR ............................................................................................. 12 

5 Potential Visitor Income Streams for SMR ................................................................................................14 

5.1 Increase Donations - Develop an attractive interpretation and visitor offer/welcome. ...............14 

5.2 Introduce Heritage & Tower Tours ................................................................................................... 15 

5.2.1 Role of the Visitor Services & Retail Manager ......................................................................... 15 

5.3 Increase the Café spend ..................................................................................................................... 16 

5.3.1 Comparator cafe spend/head values ........................................................................................ 16 

5.3.2 Potential Café Income ............................................................................................................... 17 

5.4 Enhancing the Retail Offer................................................................................................................. 17 

5.4.1 Comparator Venues/ Spend ...................................................................................................... 17 

5.4.2 Potential Retail Income Scenarios ............................................................................................18 

5.5 Developing the School Offer .............................................................................................................18 

5.5.1 Role of the Education Officer ...................................................................................................18 

5.6 Returning the Hogarth to SMR .......................................................................................................... 19

5.6.1 Indicative Annual Budget for the Hogarth Centre ................................................................. 20 

5.6.2 Role of the Curatorial Officer .................................................................................................. 20 

5.7 Improve the front of house/visitor offer .......................................................................................... 21 

5.8 Developing a well-trained and diverse volunteer team to help deliver the visitor offer ............. 21 

5.8.1 Role of the Volunteer Manager ................................................................................................ 21 

6 Business Economy and Regeneration of the area ................................................................................... 22 

6.1 Economic Activity & Growth (LEP)................................................................................................... 22 

6.2 Bristol Regeneration ......................................................................................................................... 22 

6.3 Redcliffe Way Development ............................................................................................................. 23 

6.4 Business Activity in Bristol ................................................................................................................ 24 

6.4.1 Conference, social and business events – 2016 ....................................................................... 24 

6.4.2 Wedding Space Income Scenarios (Max 30 weddings – 50% take up of reception hire) ..... 26 

6.4.3 Larger/Conference Venues in Bristol (Capacity 200 or above) .............................................. 27 

6.4.4 Music Venue Hire ...................................................................................................................... 29 

6.4.5 Role of the Business Catering & Events Manager .................................................................. 29 

7 Proposed Phasing of Improvements ........................................................................................................ 30 

7.1 Phasing Plan ....................................................................................................................................... 30 

7.1.1 Phase 0. (Visitor number projection of 50,000)...................................................................... 30 

7.1.2 Phase 1 (Visitor number projection of 60,000) ....................................................................... 30 

7.1.3 Phase 2 (Visitor number projection of 80,000)........................................................................ 31 

7.1.4 Phase 3 (Visitor number projection of 100,000) ...................................................................... 31 



7.2 Current SMR Organisational Structure ............................................................................................ 32 

7.3 Proposed SMR organisational Structure ......................................................................................... 33 

7.4 Project Phase Timeline ...................................................................................................................... 34 

7.5 Projected Income and Expenditure for the six-phase plan ............................................................ 35 

7.6 Assumptions for Income & Expenditure Tables .............................................................................. 36 

7.6.1 Phase 0 Assumptions ................................................................................................................ 36 

7.6.2 Phase 1 Assumptions ................................................................................................................. 36 





7.7 Income and expenditure Comparisons ............................................................................................ 38 

7.8 Income & Expenditure Distribution ................................................................................................. 39 

7.9 SMR Reserves .................................................................................................................................... 42 

8 Key Milestones and Dates .......................................................................................................................... 43 

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9 Risks............................................................................................................................................................. 45 

10 Monitoring and Evaluation.................................................................................................................... 47 

11 Conclusion .............................................................................................................................................. 48 

12 Appendix ................................................................................................................................................ 50 

12.1 JD Visitor Services & Retail Manager ........................................................................................... 50 

12.2 JD Volunteer Manager .................................................................................................................. 56 

12.3 JD Business, Catering & Events Manager .................................................................................... 59 

12.4 JD Education Officer ..................................................................................................................... 63 

12.5 JD Curatorial Officer ..................................................................................................................... 67 

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2 Executive Summary 

Facilities Development Project Board: "Project 450" St Mary - Redcliffe Vision and 

Purpose I Statement of Need. D Tydall (March 2018) 

The purpose of the project is to enable us to do the things we already do better. 

The fundamental questions that arises is. 

What is stopping us from getting better at what we do? 

This comes down to our need for better facilities, better access to our heritage assets, a better 

experience for those visit and better engagement with those who live around us. 

The realisation of Project 450 can be achieved through the following proposals 

1. Increase donations by developing an attractive interpretation and visitor offer so 

increasing the dwell time on site. 

2. Introduce Heritage Tours 

3. Introduce Tower Tours 

4. Increase income per head by increasing the café and retail spend per head 

5. Developing the Learning offer 

6. Returning the Hogarth to SMR. 

7. Improve the front of house/visitor welcome 

8. Developing a well-trained and diverse volunteer team to help deliver the visitor offer. 

To achieve these outcomes, it is proposed that SMR 

1. Fundraise to enable the capital works of the Hogarth visitor centre and the business and 

events centre. 

2. Employ the necessary trained staff to deliver the outcomes. (Business, catering and 

events manager (1.0 FTE), Visitor services manager (1.0 FTE), Education officer (0.5 FTE), 

Volunteer manager (0.5 FTE) and a Curatorial officer (1.0 FTE). 

3. Adopt a phased approach to the project (six phase approach) over a 7.5 yr period. This 

phasing will include phasing of the employment of the staff as they are required to full fill 

the projections in the income tables. Each member of staff will be employed 6 months 

prior to the start of the income realisation created from their posts. 

4. The Visitor services manager will co-ordinate the visitor offer. 

5. Introduce Heritage and Tour tours manned by volunteer staff and trained by the 

Volunteer manager. 

6. Develop the learning offer through the Education officer 

7. Enhance the retail offer from Phase 1 increasing the revenue from the church shop 

significantly by the end of the first year of Phase 1. 

8. Open the business and event centre in Phase 2 which will host music events (6 per 

annum), business meetings (room hire) and weddings. This will be co-ordinated by the 

Business, Catering and Events manager. 

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9. Open the Hogarth visitor centre in Phase 3 when the visitor centre income will start to be 

realised. The Curatorial officer will be employed to co-ordinate this. 

10. Move the café into the Hogarth centre on opening to realise the café income potential. 

Assumptions and projections from the six-phase plan 

1. Visitor numbers will rise from 45,000 (present number) to a potential 140,000 by the end 

of phase 5. 

2. The visitor economy income will be dependent on visitor number whilst the business and 

event income has not been calculated using visitor numbers but as a set figure. 

3. Phase 0 (six-month start-up phase) will run at a loss to SMR as the church starts the 

employment process and develops its offer. Only a modest 5000 visitor number rise is 

projected during this six-month period. 

4. From the end of Phase 1 onwards projected income minus expenditure levels will rise 

significantly. 

5. SMR reserves will build year on year to a final reserve figure of £1.1 million by the end of 

Phase 5. 

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3 Background 

St Mary Redcliffe is a famous landmark and a highly diverse parish within the heart of Bristol. The 

800-year-old church is a Grade I listed ‘gothic masterpiece’ of international architectural 

significance and the focal point for an expanding parish, with a population of 3,000, within the 

rapidly changing city centre area of Redcliffe. 

There are three strands to the church’s activities. St Mary Redcliffe is: 

• the centre of a thriving Christian community 

• the focal point of a highly diverse parish 

• an internationally important heritage centre and visitor destination 

St Mary Redcliffe's Grade 1 listing recognises it as one of our finest parish churches rivalling many 

of our cathedrals; a status endorsed by Elizabeth 1 on her visit in 1574 when she called it, 

‘the fairest, goodliest and most famous parish church in all England’ 

We want to bring St Mary Redcliffe church back into best condition, provide access to its great 

treasures and re-establish its role at the heart of its community 

3.1 Geographic location of St Mary’s Redcliffe 

St. Mary Redcliffe is an Anglican parish church located in the Redcliffe district of Bristol, England. 

The church is a short walk from Bristol Temple Meads station and 0.5 miles from Bristol town 

centre. 

St Mary’s Redcliffe is ideally situated to take advantage of the Bristol tourist market and the 

commuter market. 

Significant development is planned for the areas surrounding the church which include the 

Redcliffe Quarter and Redcliffe Wharf, a mixed-use development which includes offices and 

residential space. Existing office space include Temple Point and Fresh ford house. 

This will set St Mary’s in the middle of a vibrant business and residential community opening up 

opportunities to take advantage of an up and coming business market. 

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4 Current Income and Offer at St Mary’s Redcliffe 

4.1 General and restricted income 

St Mary Redcliffe PCC’s General income can be categorised into THREE sources 

• Giving – Planned Giving & Gift Aid recovery 

• Collections – Open plate through services 

• Donations 

Restricted income is recognised as income, awarded and given for specific purposes in the aid of 

SMR’s Vision ad mission. It also included bequests to be spent on particular aspects of SMR’s 

responsibilities and/or mission. Designated Income includes interest earned on the designated 

funds and other income that may be set aside by SMR for designated purposes 

4.2 Income from ‘Activities’ 

The following areas of ‘Activity’ areas currently form SMRs Activity income 

• Visitor Donations 

• Hire for events, concerts, performances 

• Church Shop 

• Education and learning tours 

• ‘Group’ tours 

• Café & hospitality 

4.2.1 Visitor Donations 

Opportunities exist for Visitors to donate, there is little active encouragement to donate be this 

through intervention (active encouragement by stewards) or obvious means to donate through 

visible/attractive donation points and/or boxes. 

Visitor Donations can be categorised as 

• Donations collected through Church Warden boxes 

• Gift Aid collected through Church Warden boxes 

Current average donation has been calculated as 0.34p per person (average of 45,000 visitors pa) 

Gift Aid through Church Warden boxes = an average donation of £5.75, less than 0.1% of visitors 

choosing to Gift Aid. 

4.2.2 Event Hire 

The Church is available for hire as a ‘venue’ space for concerts and performances. Very little 

revenue has been generated through this due to poor marketing and lack of personnel to 

organise and manage events of a significant nature. 

In 2017 the church generated £7.2 K of revenue through event hire of the current space. 

4.2.3 Church shop 

The church currently has a small shop stocking gift cards, guide books, glassware and candles. 

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The shop is not always manned making purchases inconsistently recorded and on occasions 

reliant on the honesty of customers to ‘donate’ the correct amount for their purchase. There are 

currently no means to directly reconcile purchases with spend. 

In 2017 the Shop was recorded as generating a profit of £6.2K. 

4.2.4 Education and learning tours 

School education groups/tours are undertaken but not utilised to their full potential. In 2017 only 

12 tours were undertaken generating a very small income of £450. 

4.2.5 Group Tours 

Group tours either self-guided or guided have not to date been a significant part of the offer at 

SMR. 

In 2017 SMR Guided tours formed just under 25% of Tour Groups welcomed. During 2017 SMR 

welcomed 17 groups, generating a gross income of £780.00. 

While SMR does not formally offer tours of the ‘Tower’ (this seen to include, ringing and bell 

chambers, nave roof and spire) the relative uniqueness of such an experience could provide a 

great opportunity for SMR to generate substantial income. There is an estimate of £350K of 

capital expenditure required to make the necessary physical alterations so as to allow safe access 

to the tower 

4.2.6 Café & Hospitality 

The café offer is currently operated by a third party, the Addiction Recovery Agency (ARA). SMR 

generate £2K in rental from this arrangement. 

In 2017 SMR failed to recognise any surplus from the Café as a result of £2K of expenditure. 

The café is currently under performing commercially due to poor signage and a basic food offer. 

4.2.7 Current Organisation Structure 

See Section 7.2 

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5 Market Appraisal 

This section considers the key features and trends of the core markets that will support the 

success of the project, notably: 

• The demographics of Bristol and its surrounding area 

• The tourism economy, in particular with respect to cultural and heritage visits 

• The Business Economy and Regeneration of the local area 

5.1 Demographics of Bristol 

5.1.1 Bristol Core population 

Source: State of Bristol: Key facts 2017-18 (April 2018) 

migration into and out of an area. The 2011 Census estimated that there were around 2,200 

short-term migrants living in Bristol on Census Day. 

• Bristol is the 10th largest city in Great Britain with an estimated population of 456,000. 

Population • Bristol by age has a rapidly growing population. Over the last decade, the population is 

estimated to have increased by 11.6%, higher than the England and Wales increase of 8.2%. 

2.5 • Bristol has has a relatively a young young age profile age profile with more with children more children aged 0-15 aged than people 0-15 than people aged 

aged 65 65 and and over. over. The median The median age of age people of people living in Bristol living in 2014 Bristol was is 33.4 years old, this compared to 40 

compares years to the in England and and Wales Wales. median of 39.9 years. The profile of Bristol’s population 

by five year age band and sex is illustrated in Figure 1 and estimates for broad age bands 

and sex are shown in Table 1. 

Table 1. 2014 Population estimates by age and sex 

Source: ONS 2014 Mid-Year Population Estimates. Crown Copyright. 

Age Band 

Males Females Persons 

number % number % number % 

0-15 42,100 19.1 40,700 18.4 82,800 18.7 

16-24 34,000 15.4 34,400 15.5 68,400 15.4 

25-49 86,500 39.2 81,400 36.7 167,900 37.9 

50-64 32,100 14.5 32,600 14.7 64,600 14.6 

65 and over 26,200 11.9 32,500 14.7 58,800 13.3 

All ages 220,900 100.0 221,500 100.0 442,500 100.0 

If recent trends continue, the population of Bristol is projected to increase by 103,100 people over 

the 25-year period (2014-2039) to a total population of 545,600 by 2039. This increase of 23.3% is 

Children 

higher 2.6 than Overall, the there 16.5% are increase more children for England living in Bristol than people aged 65 and over. 

Bristol’s 82,800 children make up almost 19% of the total population, i.e. 1 in every five 

The population of Bristol has become increasingly diverse and some local communities have 

people living in Bristol is aged under 16. 

changed significantly. There are now at least 45 religions, at least 180 countries of birth and at 

least Working 91 main age languages spoken. 

2.7 Bristol has a much higher proportion of working age (16-64 year old) people than 

nationally - 68% of the total population in Bristol is of working age compared to 63% in 

England and Wales. The highest proportions are of people are amongst the 20-39 year olds 

which make up more than a third (36%) of Bristol’s total population compared to just over a 

quarter (26%) nationally. 

Older people 

2.8 Bristol’s 58,800 older people make up 13% of the total population, i.e. 1 in every 

seven people living in Bristol is aged 65 or over. The proportion of older people is lower than 

in England and Wales as a whole where 17.7% of the population are aged 65 and over. 

There are 9,100 people living in Bristol aged 85 and over. 

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Figure 15. Population by ethnic group 

Source: Office for National Statistics © Crown Copyright 2013 [from Nomis] 

African 12,085 

Black Other 

6,922 

Pakistani 

6,863 Caribbean 

6,727 

Indian 6,547 

Other Asian 

4,255 

5.1.2 Student 

population 

Bristol has a 

thriving student 

population with 

White British 

333,432 

• Four world 

class universities 

with 21 world 

leading academic 

departments 

• 73,295 

students and £227m 

of external research funds 

• Five further education colleges, with annual revenue of £200m, and an enterprise college 

focused on stem agendas working closely with businesses and helping to create a highly 

Somali population estimate 

skilled workforce 

Non-'White British' 

94,802 

5.2 The Tourism Economy for Bristol (Destination Bristol) 

The include Great only British those born Tourism in Somalia Survey (4,300), (GBTS) the UK 2016 (3,100) report and other (average parts of 2014 Europe –(900). 

2016) shows Bristol as the 

5 th most visited city in England by domestic visitors. 

• 21 st for Holiday Visits 

Mixed, 15,438 

Estimated Day Visits: 18.529M 

• Estimated total domestic staying trips: 

Other White 21,950 

Chinese 3,886 

Irish 3,851 

Any other 

ethnic 

group 

2,543 

Bangladeshi 

2,104 

Arab 1,272 

Gypsy or Irish 

Traveller 359 

The Somali population are not identified as a separate ethnic group in the 2011 Census but 

are included in both the Black African and Black Other groups, depending on which tick box 

people chose on the Census questionnaire. 

The best estimate we can make of the number of Somalis living in Bristol is to take the 

number of Black Africans and Black Others who identified themselves as Muslims and to 

This gives us a Somali population estimate of 8,300. 

Local knowledge 

• 4 th suggests that it is likely that some Somalis, in particular men living in 

informal accommodation, highest for VFR may have (Visiting been under Friends estimated and Relatives) 

by the 2011 Census. Taking this 

into consideration, 

• 4 th the likely number of Somalis living in Bristol in 2011 could be around 

10,000. highest for Business 

National Insurance Registrations to Overseas Nationals (NINos) can be used to supplement 

2011 Census statistics and ONS migration trends. Since 2002, of all Local Authorities in the 

UK, Bristol had the second highest number of Somali nationals registering for National 

Insurance. In total 2,400 Somalis registered to work in Bristol. Only Birmingham had a higher 

number with 2,750 registrations. The number of Somalis registering for NINos in Bristol has 

declined sharply since 2002, with only 66 registrations in total in Bristol in 2013/14. 

2.115M 

• Estimated total international staying trips: 

In Bristol, overseas visitors average 6.25 nights per trip, with an 

average spend per night of £56.88 and average spend per trip… 

Domestic staying visitors average 2.13 nights per trip, with an average 

spend per night of £77.51 – an average spend per trip. 

• The value of the Visitor Economy in Bristol and South Gloucestershire 

was £1.33bn 

25 

575,000 

£355.38 

£164.73 

£1.33bn 

Day visitors have an average spend per trip …. £41.00 

Number of jobs supported 

28,696 (21,372 (FTE) 

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5.2.1 Local Population 

To the south of the church lies the Redcliffe Estate 

The challenges faced by some residents in Redcliffe are reflected in the following statistics: 

• Overall Redcliffe South is ranked within the 3.3% most deprived wards in England, and 20 th 

worst performing LSOAs in Bristol 1 . 

• It is in the top 1% most deprived LSOA in relation to Income Deprivation Affecting 

Children. 

• It is ranked in the 5% most deprived LSOA’s in England for Employment Deprivation, 

Health Deprivation and Disability and Crime. 

• Redcliffe South LSOA is ranked in the 10% most deprived LSOA’s in relation to Living 

Environment Deprivation and Income Deprivation Affecting Older People. 

• the 2016/2017 Bristol Joint Strategic Needs Assessment Identified Redcliffe as the only 

area in Bristol where over 55% of children live in low-income families - the actual figure is 

66% 2 . 

Although more detailed analysis would be needed to confirm the details of this, some of the key 

statistics for Central Ward as a whole are likely to be relevant to Redcliffe South. 

These include: 

• significantly higher than the city average number of adults reporting that they need to 

develop skills in English, Maths, computer and technical skills and employability 

• significantly lower education standards than the city average at Key Stage 2 in reading, 

writing and Maths. 

This suggests that there are a significant number of residents on the Redcliffe Estate who face 

daily challenges. This may be because of physical and mental health problems, addictions, 

previous trauma, overcrowded and damp homes, language barriers, anti-social behaviour, fear of 

crime, low confidence, poverty, domestic abuse, worklessness, boredom. 

SMR wishes to extend out its mission to work with community groups in this area. There is also 

the possibility through new volunteering roles and onsite facilities for community to take a more 

active role in the day to day offer and be an integral part of the visitor welcome. 

5.2.2 Potential Visitor Market for SMR 

Clearly Bristol is popular destination for both domestic and international visitors with a total of 

22M visitor market (includes the local Bristol population). This provides a healthy market and 

future trends would indicate that, at worst, this will stabilise in 2019. 

In order to calculate a potential market penetration rate other comparator Bristol destination 

have been identified and appear in the table below; 

1 

Deprivation in Bristol 2015 The mapping of deprivation within Bristol Local Authority November 2015 - 

https://www.bristol.gov.uk/statistics-census-information/deprivation 

2 

Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) 2016-2017 Data profile of Health and Wellbeing in Bristol 

http://www.bristol.gov.uk/jsna 

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Attraction Visitor Numbers % Penetration Rate 

Bristol Cathedral 275,000 1.23 

SS Great Britain 396,000 1.77 

MShed 546,000 2.44 

Bristol Museum 467,000 2.09 

Watershed 165,000 0.74 

Bristol Zoo 545,000 2.44 

At Bristol 304,000 1.36 

St Mary’s Redcliffe – Visitor Potential (2017 Data) 

Market penetration rate Forecast Attendance 

Market segment Market Low Medium High Low Medium High 

size 

Bristol residents 442,500 4% 5% 6% 17,700 22,125 26,550 

Wider Bristol 617,000 2% 3% 4% 12,340 18,510 24,680 

population 

Bristolian Families 82800 3% 4% 5% 2,484 3,312 4,140 

Primary & 

60,000 2% 3% 4% 1,200 1,800 2,400 

Secondary Schools 

Tourists – day 18,529,000 0.50% 0.60% 0.70% 92,645 111,174 129,703 

visitors 

Tourists – 

2,690,000 0.50% 0.60% 0.70% 13,450 16,140 18,830 

overnight stay 

Total Visitors 22,421,300 139,819 173,061 206,303 

SMR Penetration 

Rate of Total 

Market 

0.624 0.772 0.920 

SMR currently has around 45,000 visitors giving it a 0.2% penetration rate. The quality of the 

heritage and the size of the attraction would indicate with the right offer in place this could raise 

a conservative 0.6% in the future equating to circa 140,000 visitors per annum. This is a significant 

increase from current levels and has the potential to increase earned income in the future. 

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6 Potential Visitor Income Streams for SMR 

Looking at a number of comparators there are a number of ways in which SMR, with the right 

heritage offer, could increase income from visitors. It is assumed in this narrative that charging 

entry to the church will not take place. 

Options are as follows 

1. Donations - Develop an attractive interpretation and visitor offer. Increasing the dwell 

time on site. 

2. Introduce Heritage Tours 

3. Introduce Tower Tours 

4. Increase income per head by increasing the café and retail spend per head 

5. Developing the Learning offer 

6. Returning the Hogarth to SMR. 

7. Improve the front of house/visitor welcome 

8. Developing a well-trained and diverse volunteer team to help deliver the visitor offer. 

6.1 Increase Donations - Develop an attractive interpretation and visitor 

offer/welcome. 

Comparator Donations/Head 

Attraction 

Donation/Head 

Chichester Cathedral £2 

Bristol Cathedral £0.36 

Winchester Cathedral 

£1.00 (Admission Charged) 

Gloucester Cathedral 

Lees than £1.00 (Admission Charged) 

Wells Cathedral 

£6.00 (Suggested donation) 

Salisbury Cathedral 

£6.50 (Suggested donation) 

Bath Abbeye 

£4 suggested donation (increased 

from £2.50) 

SMR £0.33 

The Interpretation scheme must include an attractive donations area and front of house 

staff/volunteers trained to encourage people to make a donation. Once this is achieved then 

increasing the donation/head to £1 seems realistic. (See Figure 1 below for an example of a 

prominent donation point) 

Number of Visitors 

£1/head donation 

139,819 £139,819 

173,061 £173,061 

206,303 £206,303 

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Figure 1: Example donation point 

6.2 Introduce Heritage & Tower Tours 

The public are seeking unique experiences when they visit heritage attractions. In addition, the 

use of guided tours are very popular as they allow visitors the opportunity to learn and enjoy 

information about the heritage in a very interactive way. Many visitors enjoy the human 

interactive of a guided tour. 

Many Cathedrals and large churches offer paid Heritage Tours and these are very popular. For 

example, Bath Abbey attracts 6.35% of its general visitors onto both heritage and tower tours. 

SMR has much to offer here. Tours of the church that take in the most important areas of the 

church as well as hidden places will be very popular. In addition, SMR still is the tallest building in 

Bristol which will be another USP to attract visitors. 

Typical tours are charged at around £5-£6/head and can be delivered by trained volunteers 

without too much upfront costs. These tours can be themed along the same lines as the 

interpretation strategy. In addition, and for those who like self-directed tours then simple story 

maps could be produced and sold at the entrance point or the shop. 

Potential Income from Tours 

Forecast Attendance 

6.35% conversion rate 

Heritage Tours 

6.35% conversion rate 

Tower Tours 

139,819-Low 8878 8878 £88,780 

173,061-Medium 10989 10989 £109,890 

206,303-High 13100 13100 £131,000 

Capital Alterations est at £345K 

Potential Income 

(Total from heritage + 

tower tours 

@£5/head 

6.2.1 Role of the Visitor Services & Retail Manager 

The business plan recommends the appointment of a new 1FTE post of Visitor Services Manager. 

Principle duties include 

• Develop the Visitor Services offer provides an effective, professional and co-ordinated 

service to colleagues and a welcoming, inspiring and engaging visit for our visitors. 

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• Manage the retail service at the church through effective displays, selection of stock and 

management of volunteers 

• Effectively network and market the visitor offer to local, national and international 

visitors. 

• Take responsibility for the development and delivery of an excellent experience 

• Develop and manage the retail offer 

• Develop and deliver an effective visitor donation strategy. 

6.3 Increase the Café spend 

In terms of local competition there are a cluster of café currently situated to the north of the site 

as shown in the map below. SMR benefits from having 45,000 visitors the church who are 

potential café users. In addition, the development proposals and the new Redcliffe Way traffic 

improvements will increase use from the local audience and will involve the facilities being 

improved, expanded and the current opening hours extended, especially into the evening. 

140,000 projected visitors per annuum will also significantly increase demand. 

6.3.1 Comparator cafe spend/head values 

Venue 

SMR (Current) 4.5p 

Spend /head on cafe 

Chichester Cathedral 


Bristol Cathedral 

Association of Independent Museums 

50p 

£2.00/head 

Est 12p/ visitor 

Est £1-£2 per visitor 

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Association of Independent Museums – Successful Museum Cafes (2017) 

This report expects that a good heritage attraction should attempt to take between £1-£2per 

head. Based on this the future range of projected income is shown below; 

6.3.2 Potential Café Income 

Spend/head £0.50 £1.00 £1.50 £2.00 

Turnover £70,000 £140,000 £210,000 £280,000 

Cost of food (30%) £21,000 £42,000 £63,000 £84,000 

Cost of staff (35%) £24,500 £49,000 £73,500 £98,000 

Other costs (10%) £7,000 £14,000 £21,000 £28,000 

Total Profit £17,500 £39,000 £52,500 £70,000 

Mean profit: £44,750 

NB: Based on 140,000 visitors per annum 

Selection of a Café operator 

The café could be run in-house or by an experienced outside catering contractor. It is envisaged 

that the social aspect of the current café operator will be maintained until the new Hogarth 

visitor centre is opened. The café operator will be re-visited at this stage and a decision made as 

to whether the current operator can raise the quality of the food offer to meet the market needs 

or if a new operator should be sourced. This can include a potential collaboration with the 

current offer to maintain the social aspect in place currently. 

6.4 Enhancing the Retail Offer 

6.4.1 Comparator Venues/ Spend 

Venue 

Chichester Cathedral 


Bristol Cathedral 

Gloucester Cathedral 

Bath Abbeye 

Spend /head on retail 

27p 

£2.00/head 

Est 12p/ visitor 

25p/head 

34p/head 

SMR (Current) 4.5p 

Association of Independent Museums 

Est £2 per visitor 

17 | P a g e

6.4.2 Potential Retail Income Scenarios 

The AIM report (AIM (Association of Independent Museums) – Successful Retailing for Smaller 

Museums (2017) expects that a good heritage attraction should attempt to take up to £2 spend 

per head. Based on this the future range of projected income is shown below; 

Spend/head £0.50 £1.00 £1.50 £2.00 

Turnover £70,000 £140,000 £210,000 £280,000 

Gross Profit (40% 

of Turnover) – 

AIM Report* 

£28,000 £56,000 £84,000 £112,000 

NB: Based on 140,000 visitors per annum 

Mean profit: £70,000 

6.5 Developing the School Offer 

SS Great Britain, M Shed and Bristol Museum and Art Gallery have extensive schools’ 

programmes for both primary and secondary education, and major on the different aspects of 

Bristol heritage. Bristol has approximately 68,000 16-24-year olds in education. 

Destination 

School Numbers 

Winchester Cathedral 25,000 

Gloucester Cathedral 11,000 

Chichester Cathedral 9600 

Bristol Cathedral 1500 

On a potential market of 60,000 pupils then a market penetration rate of 2%-4% would lead to 

school, visit numbers ranging from 1200-2400 per annum, roughly in line with Bristol Cathedral. 

With a typical charge per pupil of £3.50 Half day to £5.00 Full day/head then from a business 

perspective this may well be a loss leading exercise. 

There also seems to be a general decline in school visits across the sector and the cost of travel 

and Health & Safety issues are deterring some schools from visiting destinations. 

However, in projections a modest number of school visitors has been assumed of 7500 per year 

with an average spend of £4 per head. 

6.5.1 Role of the Education Officer 

The projected school numbers could be increased substantially through the increase in education 

offer time. The business models shows this increasing by 0.5 FTE to increase demand and build 

onsite resources and capacity. Number have therefore been projected to increase to 7500 per 

annum. External funding/grant aid would be ideal and realistic to make this post sustainable in 

the long term and without SMR subsidy. 

The business plan models the appointment of a new 0.5 FTE Education Manager 

18 | P a g e

The main areas of responsibility within the role will be to 

• create a learning strategy in line with the ethos of the church 

• develop programmes of talks, activities and workshops around particular exhibitions or in 

response to particular themes or annual festivals 

• liaise with schools, colleges and teachers to promote the use of the church in line with 

the national curriculum 

• create and develop educational resources for visitors, schools, families and special 

interest groups 

• deliver talks, workshops and activities in partnership with storytellers, craftspeople and 

artists 

• launch new initiatives such as work with new communities 

• facilitate activities in the local community in response to requests from schools and 

community groups or to promote particular exhibitions 

• collate, evaluate and apply feedback on the educational activities provided 

• work with other members of SMR staff to develop and market the church offer and the 

events programme 

• represent and promote the church on external educational bodies in order to establish a 

network of useful and productive partnerships. 

6.6 Returning the Hogarth to SMR 

There are pros and cons to be considered to returning and exhibiting this national work of art at 

SMR 

Pros 

• National/International artist and work of art – will have cultural appeal 

• Important piece of work for Bristol 

• Good PR to take it out of storage and reveal to the public 

• Another significant jewel in the heritage crown for SMR. 

• Excellent partnership opportunities with the City Council (Museums and Archive Service) 

including co curation and PR. 

• Great interpretation potential – Hogarth, other works, painters of his era, historical and 

contemporary arts programme, very attractive to schools and University. Good for 

repeat visits. Broadening the audience base. 

• Has the potential for the HLF support. (Not new build)- Heritage at risk, people benefit. 

• Opens up additional museums and arts funding sources 

• Dwell time will be significantly increased. Increase from 1-1.5 hours in church Additional 1- 

1.5 hours in the temporary exhibitions. = 2-3-hour visit (half day) plus additional spend on 

café and shop (addition range of merchandise. 

• Separate pricing point for the Hogarth and temporary exhibition programme 

• Adult £6 

• Concessions £5 

• Large Family £14 (2 adults and up to 3 children) 

• Medium Family 1 adult and 2 or 3 children 

19 | P a g e

Cons 

• Needs a new building? 

• Ongoing Management and Maintenance costs 

• Curatorial costs 

• Conservation costs 

• Security 

6.6.1 Indicative Annual Budget for the Hogarth Centre 

Assumes no capital repayments for new building or remedial conservation costs. 

Income 

Admissions 

£140,000 

25% of 140,000 = 35,000 @ 

£4/average 

SUB TOTAL £140000 

Expenditure 

Est Additional Building Costs; £20,000 

Maintenance, cleaning, energy. 

Curation £35,000 

Conservation & Security £5000 

Temporary Exhibition Budget £30,000 

Marketing £20,000 

SUB TOTAL £110,000 

POTENTIAL SURPLUS £30,000 

The proposal is to be a new visitor centre onto the north side of the church. This could provide 

the space within which to return the painting back to SMR. The painting on its own will attract 

limited numbers and therefore needs to be combined with an effective visitor interpretation 

offer, exciting and diverse temporary exhibition programme, lecture series and individual tours 

for general visitors and special interest groups. Effective partnership need to established both 

locally, nationally and internationally so that joint curation and exhibitions can be developed 

6.6.2 Role of the Curatorial Officer 

The business plan models the appointment of a new 1.0 FTE Curatorial Officer 


• Organise and deliver the initial exhibition relating to the Hogarth painting, including 

coordinating the development of exhibition content. 

• Lead on creating the wider interpretation strategy, manage the installation programme 

and coordinate the volunteer stewards in conjunction with the Volunteer Manager. 

• Ensure the painting meets all the curatorial and conservation standards appropriate for a 

work of such importance. 

• Devise and deliver an effective annual temporary exhibition programme that 

complements the Hogarth painting and helping to place SMR as an important cultural 

venue within Bristol. 

20 | P a g e

• Assist in fundraising to support the work and long-term development of the Hogarth 

Centre. 

• Work with the Visitor Services Manager to effectively Integrate the Hogarth exhibition 

into the wider SMR interpretation offer. 

• Develop effective and working relationships/partnerships with Bristol City Museums 

Service and other related galleries across the UK 

• Organise a series of supporting lectures throughout the year 

• Help deliver tours for special interest groups and corporate events at SMR. 

6.7 Improve the front of house/visitor offer 

Make the front of house welcome more appealing to visitors. This can be achieved by training 

volunteers to welcome visitors and conduct tours of the church. The Interpretation scheme must 

include an attractive donations area and front of house trained to encourage people to make a 

donation which will increase donations. 

6.8 Developing a well-trained and diverse volunteer team to help deliver the 

visitor offer 

Both donations income and the success of the tours will be dependent on a well-trained 

volunteer team. SMR currently benefits from 330 active volunteers to help deliver the current 

range of services. This needs to increase to at least 450 in total in order to deliver the income 

potential above. 

The benefits of volunteering both in terms of social good and income potential are good. 

However, there needs to be improvements in recruitment, networking, management and policy 

development. Recruitment will not only require an increase in numbers but also the diversity of 

the volunteer team. 

6.8.1 Role of the Volunteer Manager 

The business plan models the appointment of a new 0.5 FTE Volunteer Manager 

The principle duties of the post will be 

• Establish key infrastructure for volunteer management, recruitment, retention and 

development of volunteers to build a diverse and sustainable volunteering model. 

• Develop a creative and proactive community volunteering recruitment model. 

• Work closely with the Visitor Services Manager to ensure that volunteers are deployed 

effectively to meet the needs of the church. 

21 | P a g e

7 Business Economy and Regeneration of the area 

7.1 Economic Activity & Growth (LEP) 

The West of England remains an attractive place to work, live and do business, by encouraging 

enterprise in all its forms. The region's current economic performance is excellent, its GDP is 

above the national average and Bristol has the highest number of net start-ups outside London. 

SMR is well placed to take advantage of these developments. 

Key economic facts about Bristol include 

• Population of one million people and growing 

• An economy worth £25.5bn 

• 30,000 businesses are located in Bristol 

• £10bn annually to treasury 

• Attracts, students, families and businesses to the city-region 

• Bristol is ready for more control over local decision making to achieve its growth 

potential for Europe, UK plc, and its own people 

• Ambitious growth agenda 

• One enterprise Zone and five enterprise areas 

• Transport schemes that will unlock 20,000 jobs and generate £1.2bn gVa pa 

• Airport connecting to 100+ destinations, winning ‘best business airport’ in the UK in 2012 

• Cruise Terminal -28 Cruises planned for 2019 

• 42m people living within a 150-mile radius of Bristol Port 

• High enterprise survival rate 

• Four world class universities with 21 world leading academic departments attract 73,295 

students and £227m of external research funds 

• Five further education colleges, with annual revenue of £200m, and an enterprise college 

focused on stem agendas work closely with businesses helping to create a highly skilled 

workforce 

7.2 Bristol Regeneration 

The map below summarises the main area of development that surround the church. 

22 | P a g e

• “Bristol Temple Quarter is a once in a generation opportunity to shape a new city quarter. 

The ambition is to create a place that is welcoming to all – to live, work, study, enjoy leisure 

time and build on Bristol’s strengths as a world class city. 

• Temple Quarter will play a key part in growing Bristol as a fairer and more equitable city that 

can benefit all communities; a city in which everyone has a stake and in which no one gets 

left behind. 

• Since 2012, over 3,000 people have come to work in the Enterprise Zone. Our target is 22,000 

jobs over the lifespan of the project (2037) and 190,000 square metres of new commercial, 

residential, and ancillary leisure and retail users. It’s an ambitious target, but it’s not the 

only one. We want our new urban quarter to provide a great waterside environment with a 

range of opportunities for everyone, be it access to jobs, housing or learning and, on top of 

this, to make it easier for people to connect between the city centre, the station and 

surrounding communities”. 

7.3 Redcliffe Way Development 

• Redcliffe Way will be downgraded as a through route for traffic and redeveloped as a 

tree-lined boulevard. Redcliffe Way realigned to the north 

• Redcliffe roundabout removed and replaced with a crossroads 

• A new public square in front of St. Mary Redcliffe church 

• Mixed-use, flexible buildings lining the redeveloped route, linking Temple Meads with 

Queen Square, with a series of civic/community/arts focused developments along the 

route, including at Thomas Chatterton’s House. 

23 | P a g e

7.4 Business Activity in Bristol 

7.4.1 Conference, social and business events – 2016 

In 2016, there were an estimated 35,200 business events at Bristol venues. This was up on 2015 

(30,700 events), 2014 (24,100 events) and 2013 levels (23,700 events). 

These events generated an estimated 2.2million delegates accounting for nearly 3.2m event days. 

Overall direct spend from delegates on venues and in destination on a range of things including 

accommodation (for those not staying at their venue), food and drink, shopping, entertainment, 

and transport in the area was an estimated £258.7m (up on 2015’s £201.8m). 

Overall, business activity was up significantly on 2015 levels partly due to an increased number of 

events but also an upturn in residential business (with length of stay and rates up on 2015 levels). 

Major companies nearby include 

• Airbus7 km / 4.35 mi 

• Bae7 km / 4.35 mi 

• Canada life0.5 km / 0.31 mi 

• Hbos0.2 km / 0.12 mi 

• Lloyds bank0.2 km / 0.12 mi 

• Orange7 km / 4.35 mi 

• Rolis royce7 km / 4.35 mi 

• Unum0 km / 0 mi 

• Axa7 km / 4.35 mi 

• Bt0.5 km / 0.31 mi 

Proposed new Meeting and Events Space 

There are proposals form a new build construction to be erected within the south side of the 

building. The proposal is for this building to provide high quality meeting space as well as a 

wedding venue. The proposed capacity for Events/ Functions will be 136 sqm which should 

accommodate 

• Round Tables – 64, as drawn, Max 100 by metrics 

• Board Room Style – circa 50 

• Lecture Room Style – circa 100 – 125 

There is also the intention for the space to be available for community use 

24 | P a g e

Comparator Spaces 

Waterfront Meeting Rooms Full Day Half Day Occupancy Rate 

25-seater £200 £150 70-80% 

50-65 seater £350 £450 70-80% 

Engine Shed 

24-40-seater £400 £200 87% 

50-50-seater £550 £270 80% 

Double Tree Hilton 

12 meeting rooms 35 Max £1155 with 

50% 

Capacity 

refreshments 

Regus Room- max size 22 50% 

22 Max capacity £535/day 50% 

Mercure Holland Hotel 30% 

12 Meeting Rooms 

£1225 for 35 

2-220 delegates 

people incl 

refreshments. 

• Typical Offer 

• Free Wi-Fi, flipchart, notepads, pens, chilled water, projector and screen 

• Presentation tools and equipment 

• Equipment support for document copying and printing 

• On site refreshments tea, coffee and catering (sandwiches, cake, fruit, crisps.) if required 

• Friendly reception and assistances pre-booking and on the day 

• Business/Meeting Space Income Scenarios (Based on bookings 30-50 people) 

Occupancy Rates (Based 

on 450 days/annum) 

10% 20% 30% 40% 

Day Rate £425 £425 £425 £425 

Income 

Turnover £10,625 

£21,450 

£31,875 

£42,500 

25 days 

50 days 

75 Days 

100 Days 

Catering Profit share 

£870 £1750 £2625 £3500 

35 people/day 

@£10/head/10% 

Total Income £11,495 £23,000 £34,500 £46,000 

Expenditure 

25 | P a g e

Management/Marketing 

& Admin (10%) 

Total Profit 

£1150 £2300 £3450 £4600 

£10,345 £20,700 £31,050 £41,400 

Total Income- 

Expenditure 

Mean Profit Point: £25,873 

7.4.2 Wedding Space Income Scenarios (Max 30 weddings – 50% take up of reception hire) 

Wedding statistics for the UK 

• 53 wedding venues in Bristol 

• Average spend of a wedding is circa £25,000 

• Average spend on a venue. £4000 

• Average spend on catering £3800 

• Average guests to a wedding circa 90 

Currently SMR conducts circa 12 wedding ceremonies per year although maximum capacity is just 

over 60 per annum. SMR’s ideal market will be for those couples requiring a church wedding with 

the reception held within the same location. It is unlikely that couples being married at an 

alternative church will want to have the reception at SMR and those wanting to have a wedding 

outside the church environment would wish to have the reception at SMR. The new facility can 

cater for the average size of wedding (90) however larger groups could be catered for with 

larger marquee offer with the surrounding grounds 

Based on the above the table below estimates income based in scenarios ranging from 5-15 

wedding receptions per annum 

Number of wedding 

receptions per annum 

Venue Hire (£2500 per 

wedding) 

Catering Profit share (10%) 

5 10 15 

£12,500 £25,000 £37,500 

£1575 £3150 £4725 

90 Guests @£35/head X No 

of weddings/10% 

Total Income £14,075 £28,150 £42,225 

Management/Marketing & 

Admin (10%) 

Income minus 

expenditure 

£1408 £2815 £4223 

£12,667 £25,335 £38,002 


26 | P a g e

7.4.3 Larger/Conference Venues in Bristol (Capacity 200 or above) 

In response to a request by the Project 450 this report looked at the feasibility of doubling the 

size of the Meeting and Events Space to provide a 200-capacity space 

Bristol has circa 26 venues that can cater for 200 people or more. Spaces of this size are hired out 

with a per delegate costs and the average charge is £30.00 per head. 

Bristol Venues 

Max Capacity 

Holiday Inn 200 

Novotel 250 

Bristol Marriot Royal Hotel 264 

Mercure Bristol Grand Hotel 500 

Ashton Gate Stadium 1300 

Bristol Marriot Hotel – City Centre 600 

Holiday Inn - Filton 260 

Mercure Holland Hotel - Redcliffe 250 

Double Tree Hilton Bristol 300 

Future Inn Hotel Bristol 275 

Best Western Webbington Hotel 1000 

Aerospace Bristol 300 

De Vere Tortworth Court 400 

M Shed 200 

Armada House Conference Centre 220 

Doubletree Hilton South 450 

Brunels Old Station 940 

Rookery Manor Hotel 400 

Bristol City Hall 500 

City of Bristol College 250 

Ashton Court Mansion 500 

Event Space at Paintworks 500 

Bristol Marriott Hotel City Centre 700 

SS Great Britain 300 

Arnos Manor Hotel 250 

Double Tree - Redcliffe 300 

Average Capacity 440 

• Important factors to consider with the larger delegate needs 

• Prime location and good transport links 

• Quality of service from enquiry to post event follow up 

• Attention to detail and quality of the offer 

• Correct room specification 

• Team of AV technicians to assist 

• Breakout space and ideally separate dining/food arrangements 

• Flexible and transparent in pricing 

• Accommodation is key 

27 | P a g e

• Outline Income Scenarios 

Number of conference 

events per year 

6 8 10 

Turnover 6 days 8 days 10 Days 

Delegate fee £27.50 

Assumes 175 delegates 

booked for each event 

£27.50 

X£175X6=£38,500 

£27.50 

X£175X8=£38,500 

£27.50 

X£175X10=£38,500 

Total Income £28,875 £38,500 £48,125 

Catering, 

Management/Marketing 

& Admin (50%) 

Total Profit 

£14,437 £19,250 £24,062 

£14,437 £19,250 £24,062 

Total Income- 

Expenditure 


• Summary 

With over 26 venues offering 200 and above seating capacity the market does seem well catered 

for. The key to success with all these venues is flexibility. The number of actual bookings is hard 

to establish accurately but if SMR was to secure circa 8 larger booking per annum then it would 

have the potential to increase profits by 76%. The pro and cons are listed below 

Pros 

Good links to public transport 

Unique location 

Added Value – heritage tours and insight 

Large nearby hotels for accommodation links 

(2 minutes walking distance) 

Attractive entry price £27.50/delegate due to 

lack of wider facilities onsite. 

Cons 

No car parking onsite 

No accommodation 

No on-site catering for a large number 

Would need to hire in extra staff for the event 

of this scale eg: catering and AV support 

High management input 

Increase marketing 

Up to 2X the Capex required (double the 

footprint 

Limited breakout spaces 

Additional bar and other networking spaces 

28 | P a g e

The 200-seater meeting/conference market will require an additional step change in delivery. The 

level of customer service will be higher and will require additional partnerships in terms of 

catering and onsite facilities and tech support. With over 26 locations to choose from 

competition will be high. The average capacity of these other venues is 440 allowing the business 

model them to scale up significantly if needed and something that SMRT will find difficult due to 

onsite space constraints. 

With the additional Capex required and the risk involved this feels like a phase 2 development 

once the smaller meeting room business model has been proved and embedded in the overall 

operation of the church. 

7.4.4 Music Venue Hire 

The church has the potential to used more as an important concert venue within Bristol. 

Although SMR would not want to take on the risk of concert promotion it could effectively hire 

out the space to third party promoter. Discussions with Colston Hall would indicate that SMR 

could charge a flat hire fee of £2k per event. These would need to be booked and managed. The 

business plan models six per annum. 

7.4.5 Role of the Business Catering & Events Manager 

In order for SMR to effective development the business opportunities mentioned above a new 

post of a 1.0 FTE Business Catering & Events Manager post will be need to be created. 

Key areas of responsibility will include 

• Secure corporate and private event sales so as to ensure income targets are met. 

• Identify opportunities for the development of the events business to achieve targets and 

ensure business growth. 

• Ensure that the catering offer meets the needs of SMR and its visitors. Ensure that the 

income derived from the café and wider site catering maximise profits whilst being 

balanced against the wider mission of SMR. 

• Develop and manage all bookings effectively and make sure that all events are 

adequately staffed and resourced. 

• Identify opportunities for cross-selling and upselling to corporate and community clients; 

• Monthly reporting of profit and loss reports to identify and put into effect actions to 

mitigate losses and maximise profits; 

• Maximisation of the profitability of individual events by creating and tracking budgets 

for each event. 

• Creation, implementation, and maintenance of an enquiry handling procedure in order to 

ensure that agreed conversion targets are met, and to maximise revenue and profit. 

29 | P a g e

8 Proposed Phasing of Improvements 

8.1 Phasing Plan 

It would be sensible to put into place a structured phasing of improvements for SMR 

development. This would ensure a steady revenue increase whilst ensuring deliverability of the 

different elements and revenue streams. Phasing would allow for recruitment and training of the 

relevant staff with a minimum of disruption to the day to day functions of the church. Once 

recruited the key staff members can help to drive through the relevant changes. 

It is proposed that a six-phase approach is adopted with each phase being on-going when the 

next phase is undertake so building up a multifactored approach to the SMR offer. 

The visitor side of the plan is very much driven on an increase of visitor number year on year 

which can be achieved with an improved and enhanced experience within the church itself. 

The business and events space is not driven specifically by an increase in visitor numbers but may 

be influenced by this as the increased footfall within the church will raise public awareness of the 

added business and events offer. 

8.1.1 Phase 0. (Visitor number projection of 50,000). 

Phase 0 is to be considered a setting up phase. Only a very modest projected rise in visitor 

numbers is envisaged during this 6-month period (5000 increase). During this time the church will 

appoint and train the relevant staff to enable Phase 1 to be successful. This phase assumes no rise 

in donations with the current donation average of £0.34 being in place. 

Phase 0 activity will include 

• Appointment of the visitor services manager to enhance the visitor experience and drive 

up visitor numbers 

• Appointment of the volunteer manager to train and manage volunteers. 

• A small marketing budget allocation to start the marketing strategy for the church. 

The church funds would need to support this set up phase as there would be a considerable 

outlay to appoint these staff members whilst no increase in income is expected. 

These appointments are key to allow the visitor number rise in Phase 1 

8.1.2 Phase 1 (Visitor number projection of 60,000) 

This is a 36-month period which will very much concentrate of an improvement to the existing 

church offer. The new business/meeting and event space building can be in the process of 

construction during this phase in anticipation of opening during phase 2. Phase 1 activity would 

include 

• Appointment of the events and business manager at the 6 month point of phase 1. This 

will allow for training and give sufficient time for the events and business side of the offer 

to be developed before the opening of the business/event space in Phase 2. This will 

ensure that this space will be fully utilised from the opening. 

• Improvement of the catering offer. The social aspect of the catering operator will be 

maintained. However, there will be a requirement to review and diversify the menu to 

suit local needs and marketing the catering facilities. Some investment will be needed to 

improve signage to the present café. 

30 | P a g e

• Improvement of the retail offer. This will involve looking at stock held and adequately 

manning the shop area with suitable trained volunteers. 

• Introduction of tower and heritage tours manned by suitably trained and knowledgeable 

volunteers. 

• Design and installation of new church-based interpretation and welcome point/donation 

places to encourage an uplift in donations. 


This phase would see the business and events development side of SMR launched with the 

opening of the new business/ event space. During this phase the Hogarth and Visitor centre can 

be under construction in anticipation of opening during phase 3. 

All of Phase 1 activities would be on-going during phase 2 and would be enhanced by the opening 

of the new business/event space. 

Phase 2 activity would include 

• Appointment of the Education offer (0.5FTE) 6 months into this phase to develop the 

education/school tours. 

• Open new business and events building. 

• Start business and wedding events service. 

• Start music events. 

• Appoint curatorial manager 6 months into this phase in preparation of the opening of the 

for the Hogarth visitor centre. 

During Phase 2 the Hogarth/ visitor centre would be under construction in anticipation of 

opening during phase 3 


This phase would see the opening of the Hogarth and visitor centre. The centre would house 

• A temporary exhibition centre 

• New and improved café and restaurant facilities 


This phase would see all areas of the new build open and running with visitor numbers increased 

to around 120,000. 

The new Hogarth centre would have an on-going temporary exhibition program and lecture 

series managed by the curatorial manager. 


This is the final phase of the six -stage plan. The marketing budget would be increased by 50% to 

publicise the new facilities and maximise visitor numbers. 

This would be a consolidation phase building visitor numbers through the increased marketing 

budget and strategy to the maximum of 140,000. 

31 | P a g e

8.2 Current SMR Organisational Structure 

Vicar 

Associate 

Vicar 

Operations 

Manager 

Director of 

music 


Researcher 

Education 

Officer 

Community 

Youth 

Worker 

Community 

Development 

Worker 

Assistant 

Organist 

Organ 

Scholar 

Admin 

Executive 

Admin 

Assistant 

Office 

Associate 

Marketing 

Officer 

Head Verger 

32 | P a g e 

Verger/ 

H&S Officer 

Verger/Head 

Steward 

Cleaner

8.3 Proposed SMR organisational Structure 

Vicar 

Associate 

Vicar 

Operations 

Manager 

Curatorial 

Officer 

(1.0FTE) 

Volunteer 

Manager 

(0.5 FTE) 

Visitor & Retail 

Manager (FTE) 

Business Events & 

Catering Manager 

(0.5 FTE) 

Director of 

music 


Researcher 

Education 

Officer 

1.0FTE 

Community 

Youth 

Worker 

Community 

Development 

Worker 

Assistant 

Organist 

Organ 

Scholar 

Admin 

Executive 

Admin 

Assistant 

Office 

Associate 

Marketing 

Officer 

Head Verger 

Verger/ 

H&S Officer 

Verger/Head 

Steward 

Cleaner 

33 | P a g e

34 | P a g e 

8.4 Project Phase Timeline

8.5 Projected Income and Expenditure for the six-phase plan 

Phase 0 Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 Phase 4 Phase 5 

Phase 1 Breakdown 

Jan-June 2020 July 2020-May 2023 June 2023-May 2024 June 2024-May 2025 June 2025-May2026 June 2026-May2027 Year1 Year2 Year3 

6months 36months 12months 12months 12months 12months 

Income 

Donations £17,500 £180,000 £80,000 £100,000 £120,000 £140,000 £60,000 £60,000 £60,000 

Heritage Tours £0 £57,150 £25,400 £31,750 £38,100 £44,450 £19,050 £19,050 £19,050 

Tower Tours £0 £57,150 £25,400 £31,750 £38,100 £44,450 £19,050 £19,050 £19,050 

Café Income £1,000 £6,000 £2,000 £150,000 £180,000 £210,000 £2,000 £2,000 £2,000 

Retail Income £3,000 £270,000 £120,000 £150,000 £180,000 £210,000 £90,000 £90,000 £90,000 

Schools income £30,000 £30,000 £30,000 

Business Economy 

Meeting Rooms 

Meeting Room Hire £31,875 £31,875 £31,875 £31,875 

Profit Share on Meeting Room Catering £2,625 £2,625 £2,625 £2,625 

Wedding Events 

Wedding Event Hire £25,000 £25,000 £25,000 £25,000 

Profit Share on Wedding Catering £3,150 £3,150 £3,150 £3,150 

Hogarth Visitor Centre Income £100,000 £120,000 £140,000 

Music Events £12,000 £12,000 £12,000 £12,000 

Total Income £21,500 £570,300 £327,450 £668,150 £780,850 £893,550 Total Income £190,100 £190,100 £190,100 

Expenditure 

Visitor Economy 

Heritage Tours Printing Costs £159 £1,143 £508 £635 £762 £889 £381 £381 £381 

Tower Tour Printing Costs £159 £1,143 £508 £635 £762 £889 £381 £381 £381 

Heritage Tour Guide Costs £2/tour attendee £0 £22,860 £10,160 £12,700 £15,240 £17,780 £7,620 £7,620 £7,620 

Heritage Tour Guide Costs £2/tour attendee £0 £22,860 £10,160 £12,700 £15,240 £17,780 £7,620 £7,620 £7,620 

School visits £2,625 £2,625 £2,625 

Staffing 

Visitor & Retail Services Manager 1FTE £17,500 £105,000 £35,000 £35,000 £35,000 £35,000 £35,000 £35,000 £35,000 

Volunteer Manager 0.5FTE £8,750 £52,500 £17,500 £17,500 £17,500 £17,500 £17,500 £17,500 £17,500 

Events and Business Manager- 1.0 FTE £17,500 £35,000 £35,000 £35,000 £35,000 £17,500 

Education officer 0.5FTE £8,750 £17,500 £17,500 £17,500 

Curatorial Officer £17,500 £35,000 £35,000 £35,000 

Café Expenditure 

Food £45,000 £54,000 £63,000 

Staff £52,500 £63,000 £73,500 

Other costs £1,000 £6,000 £2,000 £15,000 £18,000 £21,000 £2,000 £2,000 £2,000 

Retail Expenditure 

Costs of services and supplies £9,000 £108,000 £48,000 £60,000 £72,000 £84,000 £36,000 £36,000 £36,000 

Business Expenditure 

Meeting Room - Admin & Service Costs- 10% of Turnover £3,188 £3,188 £3,188 £3,188 

Wedding Room Costs- Admin & Service Costs- 10% of Turnover £2,500 £2,500 £2,500 £2,500 

Maintenance & Service Costs of Meeting & Events Space £10,000 £10,000 £10,000 £10,000 

Hogarth Visitor Centre 

Management and Running costs £20,000 £20,000 £20,000 

Security £5,000 £5,000 £5,000 

Temporary Exhibition Budget £30,000 £30,000 £30,000 

Marketing £5,000 £60,000 £20,000 £20,000 £20,000 £30,000 £20,000 £20,000 £20,000 

Total Expenditure £41,568 £397,006 £220,774 £432,483 £472,317 £522,151 Total Expenditure £126,502 £126,502 £144,002 

Total Income minus expenditure -£20,068 £173,294 £106,677 £235,668 £308,534 £371,400 Income -expenditure £63,598 £63,598 £46,098 

Reserves -£20,068 £153,226 £259,903 £495,570 £804,104 £1,175,503 Reserves £43,530 £107,128 £153,226 

Notes 

Phase 1,2,3 Café income shown as £2000/annum which is current 

revenue 

Phase 4 shows Café in Hogarth visitor centre and income increased 

Music venue -based on 6 events per year at £2000 per event 

35 | P a g e

8.6 Assumptions for Income & Expenditure Tables 

8.6.1 Phase 0 Assumptions 

• 6-month phase 

• Modest increase in visitor numbers from present figures (5000 increase). 

Income 

Expenditure 

No increase in café income 

Visitor services manager employed 

Increase in retail income 

Volunteer manager employed 

Small marketing budget included 



• Increase in visitor numbers to 60,000 

Income 






• New business centre opens 

Expenditure 



Business, catering & events manager employed 6 

months from the end of this phase. 

Cost for tours included 

Marketing budget increased 

Income 

Expenditure 





6 music events/annum planned Business, catering & events manager employed 

Business & event income 

Education officer employed 6 months into phase 

Curatorial officer employed 6 months into phase 


Maintenance of business centre included 

Marketing budget constant 




• Hogarth visitor centre opens 

Income 

Expenditure 

Increase in café income 






Education officer employed 

Hogarth visitor centre income 

Curatorial officer employed 

Schools income 


Increase in café expenditure 

Maintenance of business centre 

36 | P a g e

Maintenance of Hogarth centre 





Income 

Expenditure 



















Income 

Expenditure 















Marketing budget increased 

37 | P a g e

8.7 Income and expenditure Comparisons 

I N C O M E V S E X P E N D I T U R E 

Income 

Expenditure 

£1,000,000 

£893,550 

£900,000 

£780,850 

£800,000 

£700,000 

£668,150 

£570,300 

£600,000 

£522,151 

£472,317 

£500,000 

£397,006 

£432,483 

£400,000 


£300,000 

£220,774 

£200,000 

£100,000 £21,500£41,568 

£0 


Income £21,500 £570,300 £327,450 £668,150 £780,850 £893,550 

Expenditure £41,568 £397,006 £220,774 £432,483 £472,317 £522,151 

Income minus expenditure 

£371,400 

£308,534 

£173,294 

£235,668 

£106,677 

-£20,068 


Series1 -£20,068 £173,294 £106,677 £235,668 £308,534 £371,400 

38 | P a g e

8.8 Income & Expenditure Distribution 

Income distribution 

Expenditure Distribution 

Phase 0 Income Distribution 

Visitor numbers 50,000 

£1,000 

£3,000 

£17,500 

Donations Café Income Retail Income 

Phase 0 Expenditure distribution 

Visitor Numbers 50,000 

£9,000 

£1,000 

£5,000 

£318 

£26,250 

Total visitor economy expenditure 

Total staffing expenditure 

Total catering expenditure 


Marketing 



Phase 1 Expenditure Distribution 

Visitor Numbers 60,000 

£60,000 

£48,006 

£270,000 

£180,000 

£57,150 

£108,000 

£175,000 

£57,150 

£6,000 

£6,000 

Donations Heritage Tours Tower Tours 

Café Income Retail Income Music Events 



Marketing 



39 | P a g e

£25,000 £3,150 £12,000 

£2,625 





£15,688 

£20,000 

£21,336 

£31,875 

£80,000 

£25,400 

£48,000 

£113,750 

£120,000 

£25,400 

£2,000 

£2,000 

Donations 


Tower Tours 

Café Income 

Retail Income 

Meeting Room Hire 

Profit Share on Meeting Room Catering 

Wedding Event Hire 

Profit Share on Wedding Catering 

Music Events 







Total business expenditure 

Marketing 



£20,000 

£26,670 

£3,150 

£25,000 

£2,625 

£31,875 

£100,000 

£12,000 

£100,000 

£31,750 

£31,750 

£15,688 £55,000 

£60,000 

£140,000 

£150,000 

£112,500 

£150,000 

£30,000 

Donations 


Tower Tours 

Café Income 

Retail Income 






Hogarth Visitor Centre Income 






Total Hogarth centre expenditure 

Marketing 

40 | P a g e

£3,150 

£25,000 

£2,625 

£31,875 

£30,000 



£180,000 

£120,000 

£12,000 

£120,000 

£180,000 

£38,100 

£38,100 



£15,688 £55,000 

£72,000 

£20,000 

£32,004 

£140,000 

£135,000 

Donations 


Tower Tours 

Retail Income 




Café Income 




Music Events 







Marketing 

£3,150 

£25,000 

£2,625 

£31,875 

£30,000 



£210,000 

£140,000 

£12,000 

£140,000 

£210,000 



£15,688 



£84,000 

£55,000 

£30,000 

£37,338 

£140,000 

£157,500 

Donations 


Tower Tours 

Café Income 

Retail Income 







Music Events 







Marketing 

41 | P a g e

8.9 SMR Reserves 

Reserves 

£1,400,000 

£1,200,000 

£1,175,503 

£1,000,000 

£800,000 

£804,104 

£600,000 

£495,570 

£400,000 

£200,000 

£0 

-£20,068 

£153,226 

£259,903 

-£200,000 


Series1 -£20,068 £153,226 £259,903 £495,570 £804,104 £1,175,503 

42 | P a g e

9 Key Milestones and Dates 

These key milestone dates have been projected combining the capital work program and the 

business plan phasing. 

Year Dates Milestones 

2019 March 2019 Instruct Purcell to develop plans to RIBA stage 3 

Start fundraising campaign 

April 2019 

August 2019 

October 2019 

Submit Project Enquiry Form for application to 

NLHF to improve interpretation offer and heritage 

offer. £250k) 

Submit planning application 

Submit full NHLF application 

NHLF grant awarded 

November 2019 

Advertise for visitor service manager (1.0FTE) 

Advertise for volunteer manager(0.5FTE) 

2020 Jan 2020- June 2020 Phase 0 of business plan 

• Employee visitor services manager 

• Employ Volunteer manager 

• Interpretation design 

• Improve access to tower 

July 2020-Dec 2020 Start of Phase 1 of business plan 

• Review retail offer 

• Review front of house welcome & donation 

point 

• Interpretation improvements launched 

• Train volunteers 

• Start Heritage tours & tower tours. 

• Start marketing 

2021 Jan 2021-Dec2021 Phase 1 of business plan continues 

• Improve retail offer 

• Improve front of house welcome & 

donation point 

• On-going Heritage tours & tower tours 

• Continue marketing 

Feb 2021 

Obtain planning permission and DAC approval 

Feb 2021 

Review point of fundraising 

August 2021 

Complete detailed design process 

September 2021 

Start tender process -2 batches if fundraising 

December 2021 

Appoint main contractor 

2022 Jan 2022-Dec2022 Phase 1 of business plan continues 

• Ongoing Heritage tours & tower tours 

• Continue marketing 

February 2022 

March 2022 

Mobilisation and initial archaeological survey 

Start on site 

43 | P a g e

October 2022 • Advertise for Business, Catering & Events 

Manager 

December 2022 • Employ Business, Catering & Events 

Manager 

2023 Jan2023-May2023 Phase 1 of business plan continues. 

• Bookings for new business centre start to 

be taken in preparation for Phase 2 

• Marketing of new business centre on-going 

June 2023 

New business & events centre opens 

November 2023 

Advertise for Education Officer (o.5 FTE) 

Advertise for curatorial Officer(1.0FTE) 

June 2023-Dec 2023 Phase 2 of business plan starts 

• 3 music events delivered 

• Business centre meeting rooms occupied 

• 5 weddings delivered 

December 2023 

Employ Education Officer 

Employ Curatorial Officer 

2024 Jan 2024-May 2024 Phase 2 continues 

• Education Officer co-ordinates uplift in 

school visits 

• Curatorial Officer prepares for Hogarth 

centre opening 

• 3 music events delivered 

• Business centre meeting rooms occupied 

• 5 weddings delivered 

June 2024 

Hogarth Centre opens 

Phase 3 of business plan starts 

June 2024-December 2024 Phase 3 of business plan continues 

• Café relocated to Hogarth centre 

• Hogarth centre income starts 

• School visit uplift realised 

2025 Jan 2025-June 2025 Phase 3 of business plan continues 

June 2025-December 2025 

Phase 4 of business plan starts 

• All buildings fully operational 

2026 Jan 2026-May 2026 Phase 4 of business plan continues 

• All buildings fully operational 

May 2026-December 2026 Phase 5 of business Plan starts 

• Consolidation phase 

2027 Jan 2026-May 2027 Phase 5 of business plan continues 

• Consolidation phase 

44 | P a g e

10 Risks 

Risk Likelihood Impact Consequence Mitigation Responsibility 

Fundraising targets not 

met 

Medium High New centres will not 

be opened delaying 

Phases 2-5. 

Fundraising campaign 

started early in the project 

SMR board 

Income from the 

business and visitor 

centre will not be 

realised 

Failure to recruit 

experienced staff to new 

roles 

Medium Medium Pace of development 

will stagnate, events 

will be of lower 

quality, earned 

income levels will not 

be realised. 

Robust recruitment process, 

widely advertise, ensure 

probation period is clear and 

enforced if need be. 

Existing staff can fill into 

roles until recruitment is 

complete 

SMR board 

Failure to recruit 

adequate volunteers 

Medium Medium Inadequate staffing 

for tours and shop 

Robust recruitment process, 

widely advertise. 

Volunteer 

manager 

Visitor numbers not 

reaching expected targets 

Medium High Generate lower than 

projected earned 

income. Donations 

will be lower than 

projected. 

Marketing and information 

through networks, social 

media and website key. 

Ensure that evaluation and 

feedback is taken to ensure 

the visitor expectation is 

being met. 

Visitor 

services 

manager 

Failure to meet business 

and events targets 

Medium Medium Generate lower than 


income 

Marketing and information 

through networks, social 

media and website key. 

Ensure that evaluation and 

feedback is taken to ensure 

the facilities match 

expectations. 

Business, 

catering and 

events 

manager 

Failure to meet retail 

targets 

Low High Generate lower than 


income 

Careful consideration of 

stock in the shop. 

Advice taken from retail 

expert on stock held and 

charging points 


catering and 

events 

manager 

Failure to meet 

café/catering income 

Medium High Generate lower than 


income. Poor 

customer rating 

Ensure new space is 

designed to meet projected 

numbers. 

Ensure catering offer meets 

market needs 


catering and 

events 

manager 

Ensure that the right 

operator model is put in 

45 | P a g e

place with contract break 

clauses inserted. 

Failure to meet expected 

school & adult learning 

numbers 

Medium Medium Generate lower than 


income 

Build up good rapport with 

schools and adult learning 

groups. 

Education 

Officer 

Ensure the school offer fits 

with the National 

curriculum. 

46 | P a g e

11 Monitoring and Evaluation 

Objective Timing Outcomes Monitoring Implemented 

by 

Implement 

Organisational Change 

through the introduction 

of a new staffing 

structure 

New structure will build 

with each phase of the 

project. 

Full staffing structure in 

place by the end of 

phase 4. 

Robust staffing 

structure to deliver 

the desired 

outcomes 

Increase in revenue 

funds as a result of 

appoinments. 

Increase in visitor 

numbers 

SMR board 


numbers 


experience and 

satisfaction 

Visitor numbers 

increase from 45,000 to 

140,000 by the end of 

phase 3 

This should be evident 

by the end of phase 0 


numbers results in 

increase in revenue. 

Increase in return 

visits. Increase in 

spend (café/shop), 

increase in 

donations. 

Increase in shop revenue End of phase 0 Increase in shop 

revenue 

Increase in business and 

events revenue 

End of phase 2 

Business and events 

space booked 

Counting visitor 

numbers . Quarterly 

report to board. 

Feedback forms 

Donation increase. 

Careful bookkeeping - 

income and expenditure 

tables 

Careful bookkeeping - 

income and expenditure 

tables 

Visitor services 

manager 

Visitor Services 

manager 

Business, events 

and catering 

manager 

Business, events 

and catering 

manager 

47 | P a g e

12 Conclusion 

St Mary Redcliffe (SMR) is a famous landmark and a highly diverse parish within the heart of 

Bristol. The 800-year-old church is a Grade I listed ‘gothic masterpiece’ of international 

architectural significance and the focal point for an expanding parish, with a population of 3,000, 

within the rapidly changing city centre area of Redcliffe. 

Project 450 provides the church with a once in century opportunity to transform its visitor 

welcome and increase the number and diversity of people who can visit and enjoy the cultural 

and religious heritage that the church has to offer. It involves developing a new heritage offer 

and building new facilities to welcome and host a range local residents, businesses and tourists 

through its doors. 

Bristol itself is transforming itself into a centre for culture, heritage and business for the South 

West. Attracting over 18 million-day visits per year from both national and international visits its 

now become the 5 th most visited city in the UK. Its own population will grow to over 550,000 by 

2039 and it enjoys a relatively young and diverse demographic. 

Significant and local regeneration schemes are already planned/underway and which bound SMR 

to the north, east and west of the church. A vibrant economy is help to drive new investment, 

business and residents to the area. These are significant new markets for the church to welcome 

in. 

This business plan has considered the demographic of the Bristol area, considered ways of 

enhancing the present offer at the church and ways to invest in the church to introduce new 

income opportunties. For each proposed new income stream research has been undertaken to 

understand the present market in the area and draw comparisons from similar operators. This 

has generated potential income figures for each of the new income streams. 

The visitor economy is one from which SMR can significantly benefit from. This business plan 

charts a vision and methodology where the current visitor numbers increase from 45,000 at 

present to potentially 140,000 over a 7.5-year period. This is intertwined with a synchronised 

capital building programme that will enhance the offer and provide the facilities from which to 

significantly increase levels of earned income from the visiting public and local businesses. 

Investment will be needed into creating new buildings to house the proposed business and event 

centre and the Hogarth visitor centre. This will require a fundraising strategy by the church board 

to undertake the new build. 

Income is derived from an increase in visitor donations, heritage tours, retail & catering 

enhancements, music events, the letting of business space, an enhanced learning offer and the 

provision of an attractive wedding offer. It also involves returning the Hogarth to its original 

home and developing a symbiotic and vibrant Visitor Centre that supports its interpretation and 

gives Bristol a new and distinct cultural venue. This vision requires investment and commitment 

from SMR. 

To mitigate the risk a 6-phase programme has been devised to allow the business plan to grow 

organically and regular reviews to be undertaken before proceeding through the phased stages. 

It will also assist with the fund raising for the capital works and allow funders to increase their 

investment incrementally as SMR grows in confidence and success. This six phase approach will 

enable the church to fulfill meet it’s fundraising target and generate income to support new 

posts with the visitor numbers increasing with each new phase. 

48 | P a g e

The business plan involves increasing the SMR team with 5 new posts proposed all focussing 

around the visitor offer and the business opportunities. Increasing the volunteer workforce will 

be paramount to the sustainability of the development phases and into the long term. Many of 

the new volunteers can be drawn from a wider demographic including those from neighbouring 

estates. 

This approach will mean that in the first six months (Phase 0) the church will run at a loss as it 

employs the relevant staff to enable Phase 1 to be successful. From Phase 1 onwards the visitor 

numbers increase, the new income streams from church tours, business and events, the Hogarth 

visitor centre and an enhanced café and retail offer will produce a healthy surplus annually which 

builds with each phase generating a solid foundation for the future of St Mary’s. 

The right offer delivered in the correct manner will pay dividends financially as the income and 

expenditure projections will reveal. The journey will be hard but the rewards both socially and 

commercially will be high and ultimately will support SMR in delivering its wider mission. 

49 | P a g e

13 Appendix 

13.1 JD Visitor Services & Retail Manager 

Job Description 

Job title: Visitor Services & Retail Manager 

Location: St Mary’s Redcliffe, Bristol 

Responsible to: Vicar 

Salary: £30,000 

Hours 37.5 /week 

Job Summary 

The postholder may be required to undertake other reasonable duties which are compatible with 

the overall scope of this appointment and, in addition, all employees are expected to work within 

the terms of their contract of employment and adhere to St Mary Redcliffe’s policies, Values and 

Behaviours 

The successful candidate will be expected to 

• Lead and inspire the Visitor Services team to uphold and embody St Mary Redcliffe Vision 

and Values and create a motivated, enthusiastic team with a passion for excellent visitor 

services. 

• Ensure the Visitor Services and retail offer provides an effective, professional and coordinated 

service to colleagues and a welcoming, inspiring and engaging visit for our 

visitors. 

• Ensure a successful donation strategy and ensure all staff and volunteers are trained to 

make and appropriate and successful ask. 

• Play an active role in the development and ongoing support for the interpretation offer 

• Manage the retail service at the church through effective displays, selection of stock and 

management of volunteers 

• Effectively market the visitor offer to local, national and international visitors. 

• Ensure the health, safety and wellbeing of all on site plus taking responsibility for the 

overall look and feel of the visitor offer to ensure standards are maintained to the highest 

level. 

• Take responsibility for the development and delivery of an excellent experience 

throughout the visitor journey, from a genuine welcome to a fond farewell, inspiring 

sincere affection for the site and leading to repeat visits/onward recommendations. 

• Contribute to the financial success of the church by achieving set income targets and 

managing resources efficiently within the set budgets. 

50 | P a g e

Area of responsibility/tasks 

The main areas of responsibility within the role will be 

People management and leadership 

• Lead and inspire the Visitor Services team to be a high performing team at all times and 

ensure morale and motivation remain high throughout the year. 

• Lead regular team meetings and ensure effective communication channels within the 

Visitor Services department. 

• Work with and assist the Volunteer Manager in planning and managing the Visitor 

Services and retail rosters plus maintaining training and other applicable documents 

• Assist the Volunteer Manager in co-ordinating the induction timetable for all volunteers 

including leading sessions on areas such as safeguarding, disability awareness and 

customer service. 

• Lead on departmental training, both at induction and throughout their service, for all 

Visitor Services volunteers, to ensure they are equipped to do their roles successfully. 

• Utilise the appraisal process to seek out opportunities to develop new skills and enhance 

performance, both personally and for the whole of the Visitor Services team. 

Visitor experience and customer care 

• Ensure an exceptional standard of visitor service, experience and customer care across 

the church 

• Constantly monitor effectiveness of the whole visitor journey from the car parks/railway 

station to the church and back. 

• Ensure all St Mary Redcliffe employees have a minimum level of heritage knowledge in 

relation to the history, story and activities of the church. 

• Train and develop volunteers to ensure their knowledge is of sufficient level to anticipate 

and engage visitors’ interest. 

• Lead by example and coach the team to provide a proactive, genuine style of 

engagement with our visitors to ensure they are confident and adept at sharing their 

knowledge with visitors. 

• Champion appropriate upselling of retail and visit0r donations as part of excellent 

customer service and ensure sales are incorporated into the visitor services strategy. 

• Use all available visitor/employee/volunteer feedback to identify and deliver 

improvements in service and care. 

• Deal with general visitor service-related compliments and complaints, keeping the Vicar 

informed as needed, including monitoring TripAdvisor and other social media outlets. 

• Champion compliance with the Disability Discrimination Act. 

• Ensure all signs, information leaflets and visitor areas are well presented, comply with 

SMR brand guidelines and are visitor focused. 

51 | P a g e

Events Organisation 

• Devise and deliver an innovative events programme to increase visitor numbers out of 

high season, add value to the visitor experience and deliver required profits. 

• Coordinate the operation and management of all visitor focussed events. 

• Provide support to Business & Events Manager where required 

Finance Contribution 

• Contribute to the creation of visitor and retail budgets and effectively manage them 

throughout the year to ensure effective use of resources and deliver income targets. 

• Strive for sustainability and efficiency, reviewing contracts and procurement to deliver 

efficiencies while maintaining consistently high service levels 

• Oversee all admission procedures and work closely with senior management in accurately 

recording visitor figures and related data. 

• Pro-actively contribute to the development of opportunities to grow the visitor business 

with a specific focus on the groups market during shoulder and winter months, and drive 

the implementation to ensure the St Mary Redcliffe becomes a market leader in Bristol 

and the South West of England. 

Fire, Security and Health & Safety Awareness 

• Comply with St Mary Redcliffe standards on Fire, Security, Health & Safety, and lead on 

ensuring the visitor services operation does comply also. 

• Be responsible for visitor safety by ensuring all visitor services employees/volunteers are 

aware of H&S, fire evacuation and emergency procedures, arranging training/drills as 

necessary. 

• Be responsible for the completion of risk assessments and H&S compliance in connection 

with all visitor related activities and areas. 

General 

• The post holder is expected to use their best judgement to make all necessary decisions, 

whilst deferring those that can wait to the Vicar or appropriate departmental manager. 

• Build and maintain excellent relationships with stakeholders, both internally and 

externally. 

• Actively participate in local tourism networks to exchange best practice, create value 

through collaborative working and sharing industry information. 

52 | P a g e

Personal Specification 

Essential 

Desirable 

Qualifications and training Good general education Management qualification 

Customer care qualification 

First Aid qualification or 

willingness to be First Aid 

trained 

Experience 

Technical skills and abilities 

Previous management 

experience in a front of house 

role in a visitor attraction or 

similar environment 

Previous experience of 

running a retail offer 

Experience in a line 

management role, with a 

proven ability to lead, 

motivate and develop a team. 

A track record of working 

through others to deliver a 

high-quality visitor service in a 

fast paced, public facing 

environment 

Experience and an 

understanding of Health & 

Safety, fire and security 

standards as they affect a 

public venue 

Ability to deliver excellent 

customer care 

Able to handle customer 

complaints with ease and 

authority 

Well organised with the 

ability to prioritise, coordinate 

and delegate tasks 

in order to meet deadlines 

while staying calm under 

pressure 

Experience of working in a 

heritage setting. 

Knowledge of another 

European language (including 

British Sign Language) is 

desirable 

53 | P a g e

Able to assess situations, use 

discretion and judgement to 

find solutions to problems 

Calm and confident in dealing 

with emergency situations 

Ability to manage a budget 

and account for finances 

within set processes 

Enterprising and able to 

maximise opportunities for 

income generation 

Computer literate – 

knowledge of Windowsbased 

applications 

Personal Qualities 

A commitment to flexible 

working, team spirit and 

personal development, 

interpersonal skills and other 

characteristics 

Excellent communicator to 

both groups and individuals 

with a passion to inspire 

others. 

Collaborative approach and 

able to work effectively as a 

part of a team. 

Excellent interpersonal skills 

with the ability to deal 

effectively and confidently at 

all levels. 

Discreet with the ability to 

demonstrate tact and 

diplomacy with sensitive 

issues. 

Honest 

Considerate 

Responsible 

Resourceful 

54 | P a g e

Energetic 

Motivated and committed. 

An interest in and 

commitment to St Mary 

Redcliffe’s Vision and Values 

55 | P a g e

13.2 JD Volunteer Manager 


Job title: Volunteer Manager 



Salary: £30,000 pro rata 


Job Summary 




Behaviours 

The successful candidate will be expected to 

• Establish key infrastructure for volunteer management, recruitment, retention and 

development of volunteers to build a diverse and sustainable volunteering model. 

• Develop a creative and proactive community volunteering recruitment model. 

• Work closely with the Visitor Services Manager to ensure that volunteers are deployed 

effectively to meet the needs of the church. 



People management and leadership 

• To review all volunteer practice. Establish a system for the recruitment, retention and 

training of all volunteers based on best practice and in collaboration with Volunteer 

Centre Greenwich and implement the system 

• Diversify the volunteer workforce so that it more directly reflects the audiences 

targeted for the project. 

• Manage and develop the recruitment and training programmes for volunteers. 

• Ensure all administrative tasks in relation to volunteers including rotas are carried out 

efficiently and effectively. 

• Develop relationships with external organisations to maximise the opportunities for 

volunteering and make sure that these opportunities are made available to a wide 

range of people. To carry out all necessary administration tasks and record keeping. 

Visitor experience and customer care 

• To be an advocate for the active involvement of people at St Mary Redcliffe. 

• To develop existing and create new, flexible and open volunteer opportunities to 

maximise the ability of people to contribute in a positive way and meet the needs of the 

church and visitor offer. 

56 | P a g e

Events Organisation 

• To work with the visitor and retail manager to ensure the smooth organisation and running 

of any events. 

Fire, Security and Health & Safety Awareness 

• Be aware of Fire and Health and Safety regulations and ensure that all volunteers are 

trained in both. 

General 




externally 


Essential 

Desirable 

Qualifications and training Good general education Management qualification 

Experience At least three years’ 

experience of managing 

volunteers. 

First Aid qualification 



Experience 

and 

understanding of best 

practice in the recruitment 

and training of volunteers. 


Experience of establishing 

and managing a diverse 

volunteer workforce 

Excellent verbal and written 

communication skills, with the 

ability to present and explain 

to different audiences, and 

understand and capture what 

people are saying. 

57 | P a g e 

Good IT skills. Competent in all 

Microsoft programs, email 

and internet. 

Personal Qualities Ability to establish and 

maintain 

positive 

relationships with, and 

enthuse, people from diverse 

backgrounds.

Understanding and good 

judgement with regard to the 

political and personal 

sensitivities that can arise in 

working in communities. 

Be aware of equal 

opportunities 

Initiative in prioritising one’s 

workload, and developing 

solutions. 

Self-motivated, with an 

energetic and proactive 

approach to delivery. 

A sense of responsibility and 

commitment to delivering 

work of consistently high 

quality. 

A team-player, with resilience 

and enthusiasm, and a 

willingness to work 

collaboratively and with a high 

degree of flexibility with 

colleagues. 

Organised approach with the 

ability to set up and 

implement robust systems. 

Willingness to work 

occasional unsociable hours, 

i.e. evenings and weekends. 

58 | P a g e

13.3 JD Business, Catering & Events Manager 


Job title: Business, Catering & Events Manager 



Salary: £30,000 


Job Summary 




Behaviours 

Forming part of St Mary Redcliffe’s team, the Business & Events Manager will have responsibility 

for securing and delivering successful profitable business and private events. The purpose of the 

post is to ensure the achievement of St Mary Redcliffe’s targets for business performance. 

The Business, Catering & Events Manager will have strong customer relationship skills, the desire 

and ability to make a difference and good organisational skills. They will arrange the delivery of 

strong, high quality business and private events (including music events) whilst assisting in 

maximising income potential and controlling overheads to achieve financial targets. They will 

have responsibility of maximises the quality and return from the catering offer. 

The post holder will also act as a Duty Manager as required to help ensure successful delivery of 

the hospitality events programme, in partnership with Front of House colleagues. 



Finance Contribution 

• Contribution to the achievement of bottom-line profit for St Mary Redcliffe by securing 

corporate and private event sales so as to ensure income targets are met. 

• Identify opportunities for the development of the events business to achieve targets and 

ensure business growth. 

• Ensure that the catering offer meets the needs of SMR and its visitors. Ensure that the 

income derived from the café and wider site catering maximise profits whilst being 

balanced against the wider mission of SMR. 

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• Develop and manage all bookings effectively and make sure that all events are 

adequately staffed and resourced. 

• Identify opportunities for cross-selling and upselling to corporate and community clients; 

• Monthly reporting of profit and loss reports to identify and put into effect actions to 

mitigate losses and maximise profits; 

• Maximisation of the profitability of individual events by creating and tracking budgets 

for each event. 

• Creation, implementation, and maintenance of an enquiry handling procedure in order to 

ensure that agreed conversion targets are met, and to maximise revenue and profit. 

Health & Safety 

• Ensure the successful implementation of the company’s Health and Safety Policy; 

• Practical understanding and knowledge of current Health and Safety legislation, 

Licensing regulations and Food Hygiene legislation and their application in the café and 

catering offer. 

Representing SMR interests at events 

• Representing St Mary Redcliffe at trade shows, wedding fairs and other relevant events 

• Liaison with support staff to ensure timely and correct set up and delivery of operation 

aspects of events including lights, sound, staging etc. 

• Handling enquiries from the public and from corporate clients for hire of the venue 

• Provide on-site management to ensure the correct delivery of events. 

• Ensure, at all relevant times, a visible and accessible management presence throughout 

the venue in order to foster good relations and to provide support, advice and assistance 

to all customers and visitors. 

• Be a key holder for the unlocking and locking up of the venue 

Record Keeping 

• Creation and maintenance of a database of current and previous users for use in 

promoting special offers. 

• With other staff/volunteers, correct and timely administration of all events from enquiry 

stage through to final financial settlement and customer feedback – including 

production of invoices and processing of banking in accordance with agreed standards, 

procedures and policy; 

General 

• The post holder will be expected to undertake training and development as appropriate 

and keep abreast of developments in his/her field of expertise. 




externally. 

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Essential 

Desirable 

Qualifications and training Good general education Formal business qualification 

qualification 

Formal Health and Safety 

training to an intermediate 

standard, e.g. “Safety at 

Work”. 

Experience 

Experience in the leisure and 

hospitality sector including 

event management 

Minimum one year’s 

experience in sales 

Proven record of positive 

sales impact 

Experience of working with 

profit and loss accounts 

Proven track record in 

financial performance 

Experience of staff 

management incl. training & 

development 

Experience in sales and 

marketing 

Experience of a multifunctional 

catering operation 






communication skills. 


Microsoft programs, email 

and internet. 

Excellent organisational skills 

Ability to work effectively as 

part of a team 

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Ability to prioritise own 

workload and meet deadlines 

Proven ability to respond 

positively to a pressurised 

environment and adopt a 

positive approach to problem 

solving. 

Flexible approach to duties 

and hours and a willingness 

to work anti-social hours 

A professional image and 

approach to sales and 

marketing 

A willingness to undertake 

developmental opportunities 

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13.4 JD Education Officer 


Job title: Education Officer 


Responsible to: Associate Vicar 

Salary: £30,000 (prorata) 

Hours 17.5 hours /week 

Job Summary 




Behaviours 

Forming part of St Mary Redcliffe’s team, the Education Officer will have responsibility for 

securing and delivering successful education program for the church. The purpose of the post is 

to engage local schools and adult learning groups in educational visits at the church. 

The Education Officer will have strong customer relationship skills, the desire and ability to make 

a difference and good organisational skills. 


Specific responsibilities 


• create a learning strategy in line with the ethos of the church 

• develop programmes of talks, activities and workshops around particular exhibitions or in 

response to particular themes or annual festivals 

• liaise with schools, colleges and teachers to promote the use of the church in line with 

the national curriculum 

• create and develop educational resources for visitors, schools, families and special 

interest groups 

• deliver talks, workshops and activities in partnership with storytellers, craftspeople and 

artists 

• launch new initiatives such as work with new communities 

• facilitate activities in the local community in response to requests from schools and 

community groups or to promote particular exhibitions 

• collate, evaluate and apply feedback on the educational activities provided 

• work with other members of SMR staff to develop and market the church offer and the 

events programme 

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• represent and promote the church on external educational bodies in order to establish a 

network of useful and productive partnerships. 

Health & Safety 

• Practical understanding and knowledge of current Health and Safety legislation 

General 

• The post holder will be expected to undertake training and development as appropriate 

and keep abreast of developments in his/her field of expertise. 


whilst deferring those that can wait to the Associate Vicar or appropriate departmental 

manager. 


externally. 

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Qualifications and training 

Experience 

Technical skills and 

abilities 


Essential 

Good general education 

Educated to degree standard in a 

relevant subject. 

Experience in the educational 

sector 


adults, families, young people 

(including groups of school 

children) and special needs 

groups. 

Proven record of developing 

educational programs 

Teaching skills to plan and deliver 

educational activities in an 

engaging manner. 


communication skills. 


Microsoft programs, email and 

internet. 


Confidence in dealing with the 

public and addressing groups of 

people. 

Ability to work effectively as part 

of a team and independently 

Ability to prioritise own workload 

and meet deadlines 





solving. 

Flexible approach to duties and 

hours and a willingness to work 

anti-social hours 

Desirable 

Qualification in education 



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A professional image 



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13.5 JD Curatorial Officer 


Job title: Curatorial Officer 



Salary: £30,000 (prorata) 

Hours 37.5 hours /week 

Job Summary 




Behaviours 


Specific responsibilities 


Organise and deliver the initial exhibition relating to the Hogarth painting, including coordinating 

the development of exhibition content. 

Lead on creating the wider interpretation strategy, manage the installation programme and 

coordinate the volunteer stewards in conjunction with the Volunteer Manager. 

Ensure the painting meets all the curatorial and conservation standards appropriate for a work of 

such importance. 

Devise and deliver an effective annual temporary exhibition programme that complements the 

Hogarth painting and helping to place SMR as an important cultural venue within Bristol. 

Assist in fundraising to support the work and long-term development of the Hogarth Centre. 

Work with the Visitor Services Manager to effectively Integrate the Hogarth exhibition into the 

wider SMR interpretation offer. 

Develop effective and working relationships/partnerships with Bristol City Museums Service and 

other related galleries across the UK 

Organise a series of supporting lectures throughout the year 

Help deliver tours for special interest groups and corporate events at SMR. 

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General 




externally. 


Qualifications and training 

Experience 

Essential 

Degree in relevant discipline 

Museum Studies or 

equivalent at MA level 

Proven experience of 

exhibition organisation. 


exhibition designers. 

Working knowledge of 

modern museum standards 

and practices 

Good knowledge of British 

history 

Knowledge of either medieval 

history or legal history 

Desirable 


religious heritage setting. 


mixed media collections 

Technical skills and abilities Excellent organisation and 

planning skills 

Knowledge of fundraising for 

cultural projects 

Excellent project and time 

management skills 

Ability to prioritise and meet 

strict deadlines 

Ability to manage budgets 

effectively 

Good IT skills 

Excellent attention to detail, 

methodical, with a creative 

approach to problem solving 

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Confidence in dealing with 

the public and addressing 

groups of people. 

Ability to work effectively as 

part of a team and 

independently 

Ability to prioritise own 

workload and meet deadlines 





solving. 

Flexible approach to duties 

and hours and a willingness 

to work anti-social hours 

A professional image 



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St Mary Redcliffe Project 450 Business Plan

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