Banhim History.

Basingstoke and North Hampshire Industrial Mission (BANHIM) came into being with the appointment of the Revd. Brian Leathley in c.1984 as Industrial Missioner in Basingstoke. Brian and his family lived in the centre of Basingstoke and he was originally licensed to St. Michael’s Church in the town centre, so that he had a worshiping community in which to be grounded.

Brian quickly established good working relationships with managements and workforces in several significant employers in Basingstoke, as well as with the unions, the world of education and the other Christian denominations in the town. He brought together a number of seminars and workshops and laid the groundwork for the expansion of the work that was to follow.

Initially the work had been almost entirely centred on Basingstoke, with only limited involvement in Andover and Fleet. When the Revd Chris Savage was appointed to succeed Brian in 1991, part of his brief was to extend the geographical spread of the work, particularly into Andover. Such was his success in doing so, that it eventually became apparent that a separate chaplain was needed for Andover and in 1997, the Revd Dr. Derek Overfield was appointed jointly to minister to the URC Church in Andover and to act as a BANHIM Chaplain. Under Derek’s leadership BANHIM’s work has continued to flourish and expand.

To reflect this expansion and whilst the BANHIM acronym was retained, the name was formally changed to Basingstoke Andover and North Hampshire Industrial Mission, which is it’s current name and style.

Part of both Brian’s and Chris’s work in Basingstoke was within the retail sector in the Town Centre but it was recognised that there was insufficient resource to be able to develop this work effectively. After considerable negotiation, it became possible in 2000 to appoint the Revd. Conway Brown as BANHIM Basingstoke Town Centre Chaplain, working in a dual role capacity as Pastor of North Basingstoke Baptist Church. This has not only facilitated the increased profile of BANHIM in the Town Centre but has also led to a developing co-operation between the two organisations.

Given the growth of BANHIM and to accommodate the changed circumstances with its attendant need for different structures, the Constitution was modified to provide for semi autonomous Area Committees in both Basingstoke and Andover, working with a central Executive. Those committees, with their own separate and distinct identities, now form a vital part of the life of the organisation.

Throughout its early history, Bill Jowett was Chairman, firstly of the Management Board and subsequently the Executive. He provided much needed continuity up to the AGM in 2002, when he stood down and Mike Roberts was elected as the new Chairman.

At the outset, the entire endeavour was Anglican based and funded. Over the years, however, ecumenical funding has grown and now includes URC, Baptist and Methodist involvement, as well as the continuing Anglican commitment. BANHIM is also an organisation in association with CTHI, through its affiliated membership of that body.

Following the departure of Chris Savage and after a thorough review, the Revd. David Tonkinson was appointed in 2002 as co-ordinating Chaplain, based in Basingstoke, so that the history and development of BANHIM enters a new and exciting phase.