Here in St Agnes Church you will hopefully appreciate the way we are using the building as a community space for music, exhibitions, local groups, as well of course for worship. It has become apparent that some of our facilities are not as good as they could be which makes using the space more difficult than it should.
The church has already gone through some significant changes in the last few years, which we hope you will agree have hugely improved the beauty and use of the building. The removal of the pews and restoring the wonderful floor was a huge change that has transformed the space, both in the light and comfort it has brought, but also the flexibility it has given us. We have so far managed these changes ourselves, funding through PCC money, fundraising and generous donations.
We are in desperate need of: an accessible toilet, which would also serve as a 2nd toilet, we need to improve our ability to serve refreshments, and to make our building more accessible for those with mobility issues.
The church has been discussing for some time what to do, drawing up plans, getting permissions, and are now in a position to launch:
Project Access – Removing barriers, welcoming all.
It’s been a long journey but finally we believe we can move things forward. We are excited to share the plans, which will include an accessible toilet outside, a kitchenette and other improvements to the back of church.
There is of course a cost to making changes to a building, increased by the fact it is a Grade 2* historic one. The quotes (subject to some change due to VAT variances) have come in at around £180,000-£200,000!
That is huge, but we believe achievable. We have a 3 pronged approach to funding the project. The Church Council has committed to cover half the costs from reserves, we are applying for grants in the hope they will also cover a significant amount, and we are hoping and trusting that we will receive gifts and donations to meet the rest.
We have thus set ourselves a target to raise £50,000 from donations so that we can begin work in 2027.
If you would like to donate to this project, you can do so in a number of ways:
- You can use our dedicated donation page for donations up to £1,000 by credit or debit card - click here
- If you would prefer to use a BACS payment from your bank then please request our bank details - click here
- You can make cash or cheque donations in St Agnes church by placing them in the wall safe by the main door
If you are a UK taxpayer you can increase the size of your donation by 25% by filling in a gift aid form. You can do this when making an on-line gift, or by filling in the gift aid form and returning it. Click here for gift aid form
Thank you for any donation you are able to make.