Late October 2017 Update
Information from the first Building site meeting.
- Work is slightly ahead of schedule
- The HLF planned spend is in budget
- The building contract have all been signed.
- The Electrical work and lightening improvement will begin in Novemeber.
- Robinsons the preservation company are not expecting any major new discoveries of dry rot.
The intail problem of the scaffolding have now been dealt with, but please do be vigialant when passing church and let us know anything untoward.
October 2017 Update
This month our Project Group met in early October to assess each of the agreed activinties/community projects. They assessed the timescales and resources that would be needed to complete these by Springtime. Some of these have been discovered to be critical to the start of others, for instance history and architecture are key projects to the others so we would encourage anybody who might like to help us to let us know.
The contactor has arrived on site and the scaffolding is being erected outside the building and the internal scaffolding will be erected at the end of the month.
September 2017 Update
Many members of the congregation have asked many questions regarding the impending restoration and improvement work on our church and about the current position with the funds from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF). So to provide the information for everyone here are the questions we have been asked and the answers we have at the current time.
Q. Do we have the funds from the HLF yet?
A. We have been awarded the full grant. The HLF will supply the funds in stage payments as the work progresses, and we already have the first payment in the Church's Bank Account.
Q. Why is there a delay in starting the work?
A. There were two delays, initially the HLF were not in a position to award the funding until the General Election was held and settled. Secondly due to the specialised nature of the work, the expertise required and the delay in the award being confirmed the winning contractor has been unable to commence work immediately.
Q. When will the work start?
A. We and our architects are currently in consultation with the contractor to determine the new commencement date, and we will let you know immediately we have it. The expectation at the moment is during October.
Q. How long will the work last?
A. The expectation is that the work will take approximately 6 months.
Q. Will the work disrupt the services?
A. No. There will be scaffolding inside the church for a time later on when they eradicate the dry rot from the walls facing Cressington Park, but services will continue as normal. It is possible we won’t utilise the pews on that side of the church when this work is in progress.
Q. What is involved in doing the restoration work?
A. The gutters on the outside of the church need repairing and altering to increase the size of the splash back. This will stop the water splashing against the stonework which has caused the dry rot. This work will be commenced first and of course is only outside the Church. When this is completed the contractor will move into the church and remove all the plaster from the river side walls to enable them to eradicate the dry rot. The plaster will have to be replaced and specially painted.
Q. Is there any other work being done?
A. Yes, as part of this project funded by the HLF we will be replacing and updating our lights in the Church to vastly improve the lighting and to make maintenance easier.
Q. Will this be the end of major work on the Church?
A. Our beautiful church is over 150 years old and to ensure it is here long into the future for the people of our community we need to be prepared to maintain it. As a Grade Il listed building it has to be maintained in the original fashion of its fabric, which can be expensive. So to assist in the funding of any future repairs and improvements The Friends of St Mary's Church has been set up. Please have a look at their leaflet.