Here's a report on our current building projects for St Mary's Church
Tower roof. The repair and replacement of the tower roof is a major project and is estimated to cost up to £100,000. The detailed repair specification will inform the timescale and exact costs for this work. The main task for 2024 will be fundraising.
Audio Visual improvements. Installing LED TV screens and speakers to allow a more attractive and immersive presentation of church services and community events. Quotations have been obtained from contractors and approval given from the diocese for the work. The next stage will be to obtain the funds from charitable trusts.
Eco Church. In line with Church of England policy, we are taking action to make sure that the church building and churchyard are environmentally-friendly. Eco Church is A Rocha UK award scheme and will involve us in assessing our current strengths and weaknesses and where we can make improvements. This will lead to taking action to reduce our carbon footprint and promote greater awareness of sustainable measures.
Friends of St Mary’s Church. We are looking to set up a Friends Group to allow our local community to engage in preserving the history, architecture and natural environment of the building and surroundings. The exact nature and role of this Group will be determined over the coming months.
Maintenance and repair work. On an ongoing basis, there will be a number of tasks and small projects to repair any damage to the building and churchyard. Some of these will have been identified in the five-yearly inspection of the building carried out by our architect. Many of the repairs will arise as a result of weather conditions however; for example, storm damage to trees and roof slates. Routine maintenance tasks are listed in an annual plan and there will also be some work for health and safety reasons and to improve certain parts of the building and churchyard.
Report dated February 2024 by Ken Whetter