St. Peter & St. Paul
with St. Andrew
Flitwick Parish Profile 2014
Flitwick Parochial Church Council
Page 2
Page 3 Flitwick Parochial Church Council
Preface 4
About Flitwick 5
Churches and Worship 8
Pastoral and Ecumenical 11
Finances 14
Future Priorities 15
The Vicarage 17
Mission Statistics 18
Profile Contents
In God’s name, we seek to
be a welcoming, loving,
active, Christian community
who aim through our life and
worship together, to love,
serve and care for everyone
Page 4
Nestled in the heart of Bedfordshire, the
Parish of Flitwick is seeking a committed,
dynamic and energetic minister to take the
lead in reinvigorating the Church within the
community. Building on our strengths, our
Church needs to tackle the challenges ahead
and establish itself amongst the people that it
serves.
Our Strengths
We have an open, friendly and inclusive
congregation that understands and
accepts the challenges we face, and is
willing to embrace change. Throughout
the years, Church members have always
risen to address those challenges both
financially and ecumenically.
The parish church is steeped in history
and being on a secluded road on the
outskirts of town makes it an idyllic
setting for those seeking peace and
tranquillity, and quiet reflection with God.
The location combines the ancient
church, maintained churchyards and
modern Chapter House.
Whilst the Church may be viewed from
the outside as traditional, there are
worship patterns and activities to suit all
age groups.
The Challenges We Face
Like many other commuter towns, the
draw on people’s time is immense and
as a result, fellowship and worship are
not seen as a priority. Over the years,
this has resulted in a dwindling
congregation with an age profile that
does not reflect the local demographic.
With constant financial pressures of
having to maintain a Grade I listed
building and the continued need to meet
the commitment for our ministry, our
budget deficit will see the Church
struggling to make ends meet within two
years.
Being secluded and away from the town
centre, the Church does not have an
obvious presence. Having said that, the
Christmas Carol Services are attended
by over 700 people, demonstrating that
its location is not an obstacle.
Whilst the level of commitment from
many within the Church is
commendable, the number of individuals
that have the capability and capacity to
help the Church develop is very limited.
The Way Ahead
Whilst as a Church we have a solid foundation
on which to build, we need to embrace
change whilst supporting our traditional
values. We see the appointment of a new
incumbent as a catalyst to enable that change
and an opportunity for our Church to reflect
and set its future direction.
This Parish Profile document describes our
parish in more detail for those that are
interested in the ministry of our Church and
may wish to apply for the vacant position of
incumbent.
Preface
Page 5 Flitwick Parochial Church Council
About Flitwick The Diocese of St. Albans
The Diocese of St. Albans comprises the
counties of Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire,
the Borough of Luton and part of the
London Borough of Barnet. Within the three
Archdeaconries of Bedford, Hertford and
St. Albans, there are 20 deaneries, more
than 400 churches and more than 330
parishes, of which about a third are rural.
There are about a dozen urban priority area
parishes, mainly in Luton, Bedford and
Watford. The population of the diocese is
1.5 million and the parish electoral roll totals
approximately 50,000. There are more
than 250 stipendiary clergy, approximately
100 non-stipendiary and more than 300 lay
readers.
The Deanery of Ampthill and Shefford
The Deanery of Ampthill and Shefford is one
of six contained within the Archdeaconry of
Bedford and comprises over thirty parishes,
between Woburn Sands in the West and
Shefford in the East.
The Parish of Flitwick
Flitwick, pronounced “Flit'ick,” is a small
town in Central Bedfordshire situated
halfway between Luton and Bedford and is
five miles from Junction 12 of the M1
motorway. It shares many services with the
neighbouring town of Ampthill to the North.
Other villages nearby include Maulden,
Greenfield, Steppingley, Westoning, and
Millbrook. St. Peter & St. Paul, the main
parish church, is in the South-West of the
town, with St. Andrew’s, a smaller daughter
church, just over a mile away in the North of
the town.
Community
There is history of permanent settlement on
Flitwick Moor as early as 4000 BC, but the
village gained importance when the Romans
built a road through Flitwick linking Ermine
Street with Watling Street (now the A5).
Flitwick is mentioned in the Doomsday Book
as a “Hamlet on the River Flitt”. In
1150 AD, the parish church of St. Peter &
St. Paul, together with Flitwick Mill, were
gifted to Dunstable Priory by the Lord of
Flitwick. The Priory held the church until
the dissolution of the monasteries.
In the 2011 census, the population of
Flitwick was recorded as being 13,230 – an
increase of 2% since 2001 as a result of
350 new homes that were built in Flitwick
during this period. Most households are
owner occupied (76%), some are privately
rented (13%) and a small amount are social
housing (11%). There are also three
residential homes for the elderly and some
bungalow accommodation. The majority of
people who live in Flitwick are aged 16 – 64
© 2014 Google — Map data © Google
Page 6
(68%). Children aged 0 – 15 make up 19%
and elderly people 13% (an increase by 3%
from 2001).
Today, Flitwick is seen as a commuter town
and is split in two by the Bedford to
Brighton mainline railway that runs through
the centre. Many people commute by train
into Bedford, St. Albans or London
(St. Pancras). Trains to London run every
fifteen minutes with a journey time of forty-
five minutes. Many also commute to Milton
Keynes, which is 18 miles to the West.
However, there are numerous places of
work both in Flitwick and the surrounding
towns and villages.
A new addition to the area is the Woburn
Forest Center Parcs, which opened in
Spring 2014 and is situated to the North-
West of the town, near Millbrook. Despite
being a locally controversial project as a
result of reduced public access to local
woodland, it has provided numerous jobs
for people in Flitwick and to Bedfordshire as
a whole. As of February 2013, the
unemployment rate in Flitwick was lower
than in Central Bedfordshire and the rest of
England, with an average of 165 people
claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance.
Facilities
Flitwick has a Town Council who own and
operate from The Rufus Centre, which is
situated on the outskirts of the town. The
Town Council is administered by Central
Bedfordshire Council. As well as being the
Town Council offices, it is also a busy
conference and special events venue. The
Village Hall Committee is responsible for
maintaining and running the Village Hall,
which is located in the centre of the town. It
is available to hire for private and
community events or meetings and there is
a market held in its car park every Friday
selling local produce.
At present the town centre has a medium-
sized Tesco with a petrol station, a Barclays
bank, a library, a small Co-op, a few estate
agents and some smaller, independent
businesses including a veterinary surgery,
retail shops and cafés. Flitwick also has a
number of dentists and a health centre.
Despite the expansion in population over
recent years, retail facilities have not kept
up with the growth in the population and the
change of demographic. However, the
Town Council has drawn up plans to
redevelop the town centre and improve its
retail offerings. There is an industrial estate
in the East of the town with a branch of
Jewson Ltd. and a number of independent
retailers.
St. Peter & St. Paul
St. Andrew’s
© 2014 Google — Map data © 2014 Google
Page 7 Flitwick Parochial Church Council
There are a large number of organisations
in the town including the Scouts, Guides,
Brownies, Cubs, a youth club, a Golden Age
club for the elderly, the Women’s Institute,
the British Legion, Flitwick Vale Rotary
Club, the Flitwick Gardeners’ Association
and the Conservative Club.
The Church tries to make itself as visible as
possible in the town and uses the Village
Hall for its Christmas Bazaar, which is well
attended by members of the Church as well
as the residents of Flitwick in order to make
its presence known in the community.
There is frequent advertising and promotion
of Church events and groups in the local
“Flitwick Papers” magazine distributed
monthly.
Education
Central Bedfordshire education authority
maintains the three-tier system. As such,
Flitwick has three lower schools and one
middle school:
Kingsmoor Lower
Templefield Lower
Flitwick Lower School
Woodland Middle School
The local upper school with a sixth form,
Redborne Upper (Ofsted: Outstanding), is to
the North of the town on the boundary with
Ampthill and is attended by children from
Ampthill, Flitwick and the surrounding
areas. Children of Flitwick also attend
Harlington Upper (Ofsted: Good), which is
approximately 3 miles to the South of the
town, as an alternative to Redborne Upper.
The Church has good relations with the
lower and middle schools and members of
the Church have often visited to appear in
assemblies. Children are encouraged to
join some of the activities held at the
church, such as Messy Church through
assemblies and notices distributed at
school.
The Old School, situated near to the church,
has been refurbished from its state of
neglect and now serves as another
community centre, as a youth club and a
toddler group for the community.
Leisure and Recreation
There is a sports centre located just outside
the town towards the North, which has a
25m swimming pool with a children’s pool
attached. It also houses a gym, squash
courts and tennis courts. The outside
football pitches adjacent to the sports centre
have recently been sold for residential
development and replacement facilities are
being developed on an area of land close to
the upper school where a new leisure centre
is to be built.
Flitwick has four adult football teams and a
number of youth teams. Flitwick also has a
cricket club located on the road to
Westoning , which has over sixty adult
members. There is a large recreational area
behind Flitwick Library and a skateboard
park has been developed on part of which
and is extremely popular with teenagers.
Flitwick has four pubs: the Crown, the
Swan, the Bumble Bee and the Blackbirds,
and a mix of restaurants and takeaway
establishments. There is also a social club
situated on the High Street.
Page 8
Churches and Worship There are currently ninety-seven names on
the Electoral Roll between the two churches,
with most residing in Flitwick. The current
liturgical tradition is a surplice and stole.
St. Peter & St. Paul
The church and connected buildings are
Grade I listed, with the original church
building dating back to the Twelfth Century
with the chancel and South aisle being
added in the Fourteenth Century. The tower
was built in 1380 and, approximately a
hundred years later, the porch was added.
Records show little was changed until 1858
when the North aisle and vestry were built.
In 1867, the nave and South aisle were re-
roofed and in 1885, a new roof was put on
the chancel.
The tower has six bells, the oldest of which
dates back to 1608. In 1906, the original
ground-floor ring was raised to its current
height in order to increase seating capacity
under the tower. In 1982, the Chapter
House and link way were built. Also in the
same year, the churchyard
was closed for burials.
The current cemetery,
which is managed by the
Town Council, is opposite
the church; a new
cemetery is being planned
and will be located on the
outskirts of Flitwick. In the
1990s, a major
programme of restoration
works was commenced,
which included re-roofing
of the chancel, nave and
tower, as well as major
repointing of all buildings and replacement
stone work to the tower.
In 2013, two further major restoration works
were commenced. Firstly, the bells were
retuned and rehung by the bell ringers and
the Chapter House and link way were
extensively reroofed in order to resolve
issues with water ingress.
Sung Holy Communion from Common
Worship is held at 10.30am at St. Peter &
St. Paul every Sunday apart from the first
Sunday of the month where there is a thirty
minute Sunday Celebration (Family Service)
followed by Said Holy Communion from
Common Worship. The average number of
Communicants is forty-three. There is also
a smaller mid-week service at St. Peter &
St. Paul with said Holy Communion taking
place in the Chapter House at 10am every
Wednesday.
For the Sunday Celebration services, the
content is led by lay members of the Church
and a special welcome is extended to the
Page 9 Flitwick Parochial Church Council
families of the newly
baptised, who are invited
specifically to the first
Sunday Celebration
service after the baptism.
The Music Group, made
up of members of the
congregation, leads the
singing as well as
providing musical
accompaniment before
and after the service.
On all other Sundays, the
music is led by a unison
Choir, accompanied by the
organ. The Choir meets each Friday evening
during term time and leads the singing of the
hymns and psalm at all services, including
during school holidays. They also sing an
appropriate Choir piece each week after the
Communion hymn. The Choir is affiliated to
the Royal School of Church Music and
members are encouraged to develop their
skills and gain ribbons and medals.
Weekly pew sheets are available at
St. Andrew’s and St. Peter & St. Paul each
Sunday and include information about the
week’s events and future events. They also
include a short summary paragraph about
the day’s readings and Gospel. The Collect,
Post-Communion prayer and Blessing are
printed also.
St. Andrew’s
St. Andrew’s is located in the North of
Flitwick and replaced the original mission
church that existed on the site. St. Andrew’s
is a prefabricated building with a kitchenette
and toilets. The building is used for Said
Communion from Common Worship, which
takes place every Sunday at 9am. For
Festivals, hymns may be sung. The
average number of Communicants is
sixteen.
Special Services
Special Services usually take place at
St. Peter & St. Paul and are incorporated
Page 10
into the Sunday services. The
Christingle and Harvest
services are usually Sunday
Celebration services as these
are well attended by families.
Mothering Sunday is observed
and flowers are given to all
ladies in church.
Remembrance Sunday is
marked by the reading of
names from the memorial and a
moment of silence to remember
the fallen. Each year there is a
Memorial Service held for all
those who have died in the
previous year and those for
whom a special request has been made to
be remembered. This usually takes place at
6pm near to All Soul’s Day.
Occasional Offices
All Occasional Offices take place at
St. Peter & St. Paul. Baptisms usually take
place after a Sunday service at 12.30pm
and a lay assistant helps the incumbent.
Weddings and Blessings are usually held on
Fridays or Saturdays and, occasionally, on
Sundays. Funerals are booked through the
incumbent. Confirmation Services have
been held in the church in the past and
when there is a Confirmation Service taking
place in the deanery, candidates do attend
from Flitwick where possible.
Laity
Lay people assist in Sunday Services at
St. Andrew’s and St. Peter & St. Paul as
readers, intercessors, servers and chalice
assistants. There is a rota for these
positions, which is distributed on an eight
week basis. Lay people also take Home
Communion to various residential homes in
Flitwick and the surrounding area. Laity are
also involved in baptism preparation and
some general visiting within the community.
There is currently no formal pastoral team in
the parish, but this is an area where the
parish would like to grow.
Documentation
The day to day running of the Church
comprises approximately eighty different
roles, most of which are undertaken by
members of the Church. In order to ensure
that any member of the Church is able to
perform any of these roles, documented
procedures are available in printed and
electronic formats should the need arise.
In addition to this, historical documents and
church guides are available via the church
website.
Page 11 Flitwick Parochial Church Council
Pastoral and Ecumenical Organisations
The Church hosts a number of groups that
offer a variety of both religious and secular
activities to the people of Flitwick. Aimed
principally at members of the Church,
groups include the Sunday School, Mothers’
Union, the Music Group, Choir and Little
Fishes (a mother and toddler group that
meets during the week).
To the wider community, the Church
provides a Scrabble group, bell ringing and
monthly Messy Church sessions.
Website and Social Media
The Church receives the majority of its
enquiries for Occasional Offices through the
website, which is maintained by a member
of the congregation during the vacancy.
The Church also advertises events and
Services through Facebook and Twitter,
which serve as a practical mechanism for
members of the congregation and the wider
community to receive updated information
regarding events in the parish.
Magazine
A parish magazine is produced ten times a
year and includes many articles including a
contribution from the incumbent, puzzles,
life stories and recipes, as well as
advertisements. This is available to all
Church members and is distributed around
the community to individual subscribers.
The magazine is also available in a number
of public places, such as the library, dental
surgeries and health centres.
The current circulation is 350.
Churches Together
Within Flitwick and nearby
Ampthill, there are generally
good relationships with other
Christian churches and
ministers of the churches meet
regular, roughly at six week
intervals. The ecumenical
local forum (Churches
Together) meets twice yearly
and United Services are held
from time to time. However,
due to various changes in
ministers, links to other
Christian churches need
reviving as a result of some
degree of apathy.
Page 12
Historically, the congregation of St. Peter &
St. Paul has welcomed members of the
Roman Catholic and Methodist churches.
Leadership and Laity
Currently the PCC is made up of twelve
members plus the incumbent and meets ten
times a year. The members age from
mid-twenties to mid-eighties. It has the
responsibility of promoting the whole
mission of the Church – pastoral,
evangelistic, social and ecumenical. It also
has the responsibility for the maintenance of
the church of St. Peter & St. Paul, the
Chapter House and for St. Andrew’s.
The PCC operates through a number of
subcommittees which meet from time to
time during the year. These include the
Standing Committee and Social Committee.
There are currently no other ministerial
colleagues, but in the past there have been
curates, retired ministry and a retired
reader. The parish is hoping that, if one is
needed, it may apply for a curate. There
Page 13 Flitwick Parochial Church Council
are also authorised
members of the laity who
take Holy Communion to
people in residential
homes.
Laity in the community play
a vital role in the
maintenance of the church,
its buildings and the
churchyards. There is a
cleaning team that clean
the church on a weekly
basis. This involves
dusting, polishing wood
and brass work and
vacuuming the carpet
runners along the aisles.
The Chapter House is also
included in this regime as
this facility is often let to
Church and secular groups alike. The
flowers in the church are co-ordinated by a
team who regularly create arrangements
appropriate to what is in season and the
time of the liturgical year. Donations are
sought from the congregation, should they
wish to sponsor a particular arrangement,
and details of the arrangement are
published in the parish magazine.
The churchyard has traditionally been
maintained by the churchyard manager, who
oversees the conservation of the wild
meadows and co-ordinates the mowing rota,
which comprises a team of approximately
six individuals who attend to the churchyard
grass over the summer months.
The church bells that are rung for Sunday
services, for weddings and other
Occasional Offices on request, are
maintained by the bell ringers who practise
every Friday evening.
Page 14
Finances Present Position
During the course of 2013, the total amount of
money held by the Church fell by £37,239, with
the greater part of the reduction occurring in
the Restricted Funds. This was due to the
repairs made to the Chapter House roof. The
Church has tried to use up as many Restricted
Funds as possible for these repairs, leaving
our Unrestricted Funds available for daily
running costs.
Due to the repairs, the Church undertook a
large fundraising effort in 2013 and raised
£30,000 for the repairs alone. As well as this,
donations and weekly collections also added
towards our domestic funds and the Church
received a good income from magazine
advertising and subscriptions as well as rents
from the hire of the Chapter House and
St. Andrew’s.
The Church is continuing to fundraise this year,
mainly to address the domestic budget, which
is currently running at a deficit. Many of the
Church’s outgoings are increasing year on
year, notably as a result of the Parish Share,
insurance and administration, while the
Church’s income is unfortunately reducing.
In order to reduce the ongoing deficit, the
Church is encouraging as many people as
possible to sign up to the Stewardship scheme
or to give via Gift Aid envelopes. It is vital that
money given is stewarded in the best possible
way and those giving are reminded of the
importance that Gift Aid makes to their
donation. There are currently seventy-five
people on the Stewardship scheme: thirty-one
give by monthly direct debit and forty-four use
the envelope system.
In 2013, the PCC decided to reduce the
amount donated to mission and charity projects
in proportion to the change in the Church’s
budget in order to help reduce the forecasted
deficit in the domestic budget. It is hoped that
once this deficit has reduced, mission and
charitable giving will increase. It should be
noted that Church members give generously to
other charitable causes through the Church,
such as the Marie Curie Daffodil Appeal, the
Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Historic
Churches Trust, Christian Aid, the Children’s
Society and the Bishop’s Harvest Appeal.
Summary of the financial position as of 31st
December 2013:
The Parish Share for 2014 is £44,866.
Expenses of Office
Expenses are currently reimbursed by the PCC
for travel (45p/mile), administration, worship
supplies, internet and phone usage relating to
the parish and any other sundry costs. These
are paid at the end of each month after an
invoice is submitted to the Treasurer with
accompanying receipts/paperwork.
The PCC is happy to pay for a secretary and
one has been engaged to assist the retiring
incumbent, currently working with him for six
hours a week.
2013 2012
Unrestricted Funds £56,455 £61,867
Restricted Funds £8,150 £39,977
Total £64,605 £101,844
Page 15 Flitwick Parochial Church Council
Future Priorities Strengths and Weaknesses
The benefice of Flitwick possesses many
strengths. The church of St. Peter & St. Paul
with St. Andrew is the only Church of England
church in the town and prides itself on being
both a welcoming and liberal church that is
accepting and inclusive to all. The two
churches of St. Andrew’s and St. Peter &
St. Paul have viable congregations, the
support from which has meant that the parish
has never defaulted on a payment of the
parish share. Church members support social
events at the church, such as the Summer
Fête and the Christmas Bazaar, and create a
network to other organisations in Flitwick that
provide links to the Town Council and the
British Legion to name a few. Through Messy
Church, visiting local schools and other
events, young families attend and enjoy
Services at Flitwick. Indeed, the Christmas
Carol Services are attended by over 700
people. The recent refurbishment of the bells
and Chapter House are seen as major
testaments of the dedication of the
congregation in supporting the continued
development of the Church for the immediate
church community and wider area.
The church buildings and churchyard are
historic, well kept and cared for with
conservation forming a central part to the their
maintenance.
However, despite the numerous strengths to
be found in the benefice, there are areas that
the parish wishes to improve. The main issue
that is attributed to having given rise to the
problems faced by Flitwick is that the
demographic of the congregation does not
match that of the community of Flitwick. This
may be as a result of the increasing
secularisation of society or a sign that the
parish is not engaging with the local
community in the correct manner. In addition
to this, Church groups that aim to engage with
the wider community, such as Messy Church
and Sunday School, do not seem to result
definitively in increased congregation
numbers. Also, despite high attendance by
the congregation, the two yearly social and
fund-raising events of the Summer Fête and
Christmas Bazaar are not supported
tremendously well by the community.
Within the scope of management of the
Church, it is acknowledged that readily
available manpower is lacking. Often jobs fall
on a few committed members of the
congregation who have acquired more and
Page 16
more responsibility over the
years. As a result, the PCC is
becoming acutely aware of the
need for increased
professional assistance in the
parish, perhaps in the form of
a curate or non-stipendiary
ministry. Most concerning of
all is the continuing financial
deficit that must be addressed
quickly before the remaining
capital is depleted.
Mission Action Plan
The parish’s goals for the next
twelve months are to:
Continue to contribute to a local food
bank
Review worship patterns and content
Seek ways to increase our contacts
through Messy Church
Address the deficit in our domestic
budget
Meet the challenges and opportunities of
the forthcoming vacancy
The parish hopes that a new incumbent will be
able to address the following priorities that are
felt important for this exciting and new phase
of ministry:
To be an unconditional lover of people
with the necessary skills to value
everyone’s needs
To build up the congregation both
spiritually and numerically by teaching
and evangelism through developing the
faith
To support and promote outreach into
the local and wider community,
particularly seeking contact with schools
in Flitwick
To assist in redressing the financial
issues of the Church
To enrich and revitalise worship patterns,
particularly during festivals
To the new incumbent, the benefice is
expecting to provide a great deal of support,
not least in ensuring a smooth transition
during the beginning of new ministry.
The congregation, although established in its
traditions, is willing to adapt and support the
incumbent when the vision, aim and goal is
understood and appreciated. Consequently,
the new incumbent must be able to inspire
and communicate well, be energetic and an
enabler of change, be a good listener and
empathetic to the needs of the congregation
and community.
Page 17 Flitwick Parochial Church Council
The four bedroomed family vicarage is located
close to the Church on Dew Pond Road. The
original dew pond is still present at the top of
the road and serves as a small duck pond
today. The property comprises:
Entrance hall
Study
Cloakroom
Kitchen with utility room to garden
Dining Room
Lounge with French doors to patio
The first floor landing leading to:
Master bedroom with en suite shower
room
One double bedroom
Two single bedrooms
Family bathroom
The property possesses a double garage, part
of which has been incorporated into a study,
and an established garden laid out to lawn
with shrubs, vegetable patches and fruit trees.
At the rear of the property, there is a gate to
one of the smaller roads out of Flitwick, over
which is the Church and Flitwick Manor.
The Vicarage
Page 18
Mission Statistics The following tables are a summary of the
mission statistics for 2013 provided to the
diocese for the parish of Flitwick.
Electoral Roll
Attendance
Communicants
Occasional Offices
Baptisms 45
Thanksgiving for Gift of Child 2
Confirmations 1
Marriages 18
Blessings 0
Marriage Thanksgivings 1
Funerals 33
Total 100
Service St. Peter
& St. Paul St.. Andrew’s Total
Easter 83 20 103
Christmas 702 20 722
1st Week in October
124 15 139
2nd Week in October
51 11 62
3rd Week in October
54 12 66
4th Week in October
136 16 152
Resident Non-Resident Total
82 15 97
Service St. Peter
& St. Paul St.. Andrew’s Total
Easter 79 20 96
Christmas 81 20 101
Weekly Average
43 16 59
Page 19 Flitwick Parochial Church Council
Flitwick Parish Church
Church Road
Flitwick
MK45 1AE
Flitwick Parochial Church Council
Email: [email protected] | Website: www.flitwickchurch.org
Facebook: Flitwick Parish Church | Twitter: @FlitwickChurch
Ciaran Diver (Churchwarden) 0798 345 7799
David Watson (Churchwarden) 0775 418 6863
Helen Sims (Treasurer) 0770 101 0196
Date: November 2014
Status: Issue 3.0
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