By James Murdoch, Churchwarden
You might have noticed that some repairs are already underway. Here’s the update:
After the original contractor backed out, the alternative offers looked frightening but a local builder, John Walsh, stepped up and offered a competitive bid with some clever cost-saving measures. With support from the Architect, the Archdeacon gave his approval, and work finally started!
With re-inspection, we found that we really needed to do something to prevent a Handen Road collapse like the one at Wantage Road, so we’ve been working on preventative repairs on the Handen section, even though it was supposed to be a stretch target. ‘A stitch in time saves nine!’ And we’ll be starting work on Wantage Road as soon as possible in September.
Our thanks for all your amazing fundraising efforts, including the GoFundMe appeal; with the addition of a £5,500 grant from a successful application to the Benefact Trust, we’ve managed to cover our original target! We’re so grateful to all 47 GoFundMe donors who stepped up and supported us and to those who gave some fantastic donations directly to the church (most of which are anonymous). We should like to mention the Rainbows, Guides, FUSS Fair, and SMAG (a local artists group).
All this amazing support means we can go ahead with the works with the back stop of running down church reserves in the short term. We’re still open for contributions to the Handen Road stretch target which would mean that can preserve the reserves for other investment in the church and community.
A huge thank you to everyone who has supported us on this long and sometimes challenging journey. We couldn’t have done it without you!
This article first appeared in the Good Shepherd Church magazine In the Pews.
Awesome to read.