Building Project
New building design
We have now received planning permission, based on these drawings…
…….. 
Why are we doing this project?
Our current building was officially opened in 1952. At the time it was a wonderful achievement, and testimony to the prayers, faith and sacrificial giving of many people. However, times have changed, and our building is now far from ideal. For many years we have been considering a major update, and now it’s finally starting to take shape!
It has a number of significant problems that we are hoping to resolve:
- The roof leaks
- There is not enough space to meet and greet people
- The kitchen is too small
- There is not enough seating in the main hall
- The whole building is hardly insulated!
- We don’t have enough small rooms to use on Sundays
- The heating and electrical systems in the building are old and inefficient
We hope that when the work is complete, we can:
- Open the building up to more community groups
- Start a lunch club for older people
- Run cooking courses for local adults & children
- Expand our youth clubs so more local children can take part
- Create a space for families to use for children’s parties
- Provide space for community services, like debt and marriage counselling
- Provide a music studio/live area for local adults & children to use
- We would really like a cafe area where people can informally meet
- We would also like space where small community groups can meet
- We’re open to ideas! Come and talk to us if you have any suggestions!
Many of these ideas have come out of the Residents Survey we did in 2010.
When will it all happen?
Although we’d love to do all the work in one go, we just don’t have the financial resources to do it. The roof is the most urgent part of the project so it will be tackled first, along with as many other things as we can afford. This is our current plan:
Phase I (starting Summer 2012)
- Complete refurbishment of the main hall including new audio-visual systems
- Replace the roof, which leaks!
- New entrance lobby area with “meet & greet” area
- New roof, windows, heating, security, IT and electrical systems
- Additional office/meeting room
- Better disabled access
- New front wall
Phase II
- New kitchen & coffee bar
- Café area, with inside/outside seating
- Refurbish the car parking area
- Add 2 new small rooms for church and community use
- Extra toilet facilities at the front of the building
Phase III
- Landscaping to the rear garden area
- Add 2 new rooms, that back onto the garden
- Cycle park
How can I help?
Offering practical assistance
- Anything from building skills, to decorating, to cleaning
- Needlework skills, making curtains, blinds etc.
- Making tea, coffee and cakes – we’ll have a hungry workforce!
- Anyone is welcome to help – whatever your skills – it really is a team effort!
Financial
Obviously, all these things cost a lot of money. The cost of Phase I of the project is £304,000. For an independent church with little access to outside finance, this is a huge challenge, and a big step of faith! You can help by:
- Taking part in fundraising events, or even organizing one!
- Speaking to local businesses who might be able to help us out with items we need.
- Donating money – remember to gift-aid it if you are a tax payer.
If you would like to help us out with finance, we would be very grateful.
We have started to write to various grant-making trusts and organisations that might be able to support us. Have a look at our Case for Support which details why we think this is a worthy cause!
If you need more information about helping us financially, Email our Treasurer