You will be aware that our parish has raised over £26000 with a view to having repairs done to the roof so as to prevent the sort of leaks that have caused damage within the church in recent years. We are very thankful for all that effort and for the generosity of our parish. However, following a thorough inspection of the roof, and having taken professional advice it is clear that the problem will not be resolved by the repairs originally envisaged; such repairs would inevitably be needed over and over again, and each time the risk of expensive consequential damage within the church would be real. Essentially, we are now certain that we need a new roof to deal with the problem in the most cost effective manner. This is our duty as custodians of the church buildings, and so we have had to see how this could be taken forward. In discussing this with the Archdiocese t is dear that while such major work is underway it would be advantageous to also replace windows, gutters, down pipes which all are in need of remedial work, improve insulation and deal with some other minor safety matters.
The damage caused by water ingress also needs to be addressed and so replacement of some suspended ceilings the repainting is also required. As partial replacement and redecoration would be unsightly the plan would be to fully replace and redecorate. The Archdiocese recognises that the work is necessary and
that to wait until we have saved up enough to carry it out would be reckless, as at any time more damage could be caused by further leaks. It has therefore been agreed that we can borrow the money needed (well in excess of £200,000) from the Archdiocese now, at very advantageous interest rates, so that we can proceed with the works as soon as possible.
In order to pay back the debt due to the Archdiocese we will have to improve and sustain our fundraising efforts in future years; but the total cost will be less for us than if we tried to do repairs piecemeal every time a problem arose. We are certain this is the most cost effective way to do this. The Archdiocese has also helped by giving our parish a grant of £25,000 from the poor parishes fund, for which we are most grateful. Works will start the first week in January and will be completed in phases over several months. The contractor’s compound will occupy part of the car park during this time, and at various
times there may be the need to move some services to other buildings when works inside the church are underway. Please watch the Newsletter for any such changes and take the utmost care around the church and the car park during this time. We are very thankful for the hard work of those who have progressed this as a proposal, for the support of the
Archdiocese, and look forward to seeing the successful refurbishment of our church in 2018.
