Church project in £3,000 cash boost

A FUNDRAISING project to save the spire of a church in Whitchurch has received a grant of £3,000 from the parish council.

The Save Our Spire appeal was launched to raise a surplus of £200,000 in May for the Grade II listed St Mary the Virgin Church in Whitchurch.

The tower and spire of the church were built in 1858, and the 6,500 cedar shingles, which have not been replaced in 167 years, have started to deteriorate.

The fabric of the spire was first raised as an issue in 2007, but a further inspection in 2023 said it now needs to be addressed.

The cedar shingles have become heavily weathered, with pieces splitting. There are also missing, slipped and broken tiles, which are creating gaps for water ingress and birds and small mammals are gaining access, creating further damage.

At the full parish council meeting in the village hall on September 11, Sue Cockeram, the head of funding, said she is grateful for the donations to the project, which is “at a critical point”.

She said: “I would like to thank the parish council for their support in this initiative as we wouldn’t have got as far as we have without their support.

“The timing is quite important for us because we’re at a critical point with the National Lottery application, where they look at the status of the funding, whom we’ve got on board and the project.

“This is a community project as the church is used by churchgoers and non-churchgoers and has a lot of history encapsulated in the historical building.

“When we get the shingles off next year, we can recycle and repurpose them for use by the community to further engage another generation in the interest in the building.”

The fundraising team is still waiting for an update on the application to the National Lottery Fund, the National Churches Trust and the Oxford Historic Churches Trust.

To donate, visit
tinyurl.com/mvy527x6