Church in £200,000 drive for toilets and bell repair

A CHURCH in Woodcote is embarking on a fundraising mission to raise almost £200,000 to enhance its facilities and preserve its heritage.

St Leonard’s Church in South Stoke Road, which was rebuilt in flint in 1845, needs to install toilet facilities and repair its historic bell.

It serves the congregation in Woodcote village and further afield but currently lacks any internal toilet facilities which it says is deterring older worshippers, young families and those travelling from further afield for events such as weddings.

The work is expected to cost in the region of £150,000 to £180,000 due to the complexity of the installation.

Martin Fowmes, who has been the church warden for
14 years, said: “To get the toilet in the limited space that we’ve got, we have to remove an internal wall that separates the current kitchen area from the church.

“We have to relocate the font because it will be in the way of where the floor is that needs to be lowered and we need to move the organ, which is currently sitting in the middle of that space.”

Mr Fowmes said moving the font could be controversial. He said: “It’s a very specific thing within a church that has to be visible from the door as you enter. The architects wanted to put it in the top right as you walk into the church, so we’re having to rethink where and how that might work by reordering to make everything fit.”

Mr Fowmes said the new facility would be vital for the future of the church. He said: “We used to have the house opposite the church, called the Folly, which used to be the vicarage at one point but it was sold.

“We get people who come from all ends of the country for weddings, funerals and baptisms, including our own congregation here, which has expanded further afield, so if we don’t have facilities like that, it’s a problem.”

Around £30,000 has been raised for the toilet project so far through donations and community events.

Mr Fowmes said: “The church costs around £80,000 a year just to keep running it, so we have to up our fundraising.

“The Friends of St Leonard’s is important to us and we’re very grateful for the people who take part in that.

“Our congregation also donates regularly, monthly or at services for the general upkeep and our great fundraising team, who run coffee shops and events in the village like quizzes, selling cakes and raffles throughout the year, bring in more money from lots of different strands.”

The church aims to raise
50 per cent of the total cost independently before applying for grants from charitable organisations.

It is working with architects to prepare plans for the Grade II listed building by April next year, when the Diocesan Advisory Committee, along with the Archdeacon, will approve the works.

Mr Fowmes said: “Once we’ve raised that amount, we can apply to a number of grants, which are already being prepared. We can’t do that until we have permission from the committee, though.”

The church’s single half-tonne bell is currently non-functional, as its clapper has fallen out. There has been no significant work been done on it in more than 170 years.

It is estimated to cost between £10,000 and £12,000, including scaffolding to remove it and transport it for specialist repairs in Oxford.

Mr Fowmes, who rang the bell 400 times the day after Queen Elizabeth II died on September 8, 2022, said: “The bell clapped out and is currently sitting quite safely underneath the bell on the top of the roof.

“There aren’t many bell repairers around but Whites of Appleton estimated around £5,000 to fix the bell, which is a big part of what we offer our community, as it’s significant for weddings and Remembrance Day to honour our dead in the village.”

Mr Fowmes joined the church in 2009 after the death of his mother, Georgina Pitt, six days before he married his wife, Gillian.

He said: “It was quite a life-changing event to lose a parent under those dramatic circumstances. On the same day my wife picked up her wedding dress, I picked up my mother’s death certificate, so it was quite heartbreaking.

“The congregation threw their arms around me and it just felt right. My mum always said, ‘When the time is right, you’ll know’ and I did. So, I got christened in Dorchester Abbey by one of Kate Winslet’s cousins and not long after that, I became the churchwarden.”

Mr Fowmes is committed to the church’s practical and community aspects, aiming to ensure it remains a welcoming and supportive space for future generations.

He said: “People get too caught up in religion. For me, church is the religion but most importantly the community and the people. To be able to help and support people is a big thing and why I like being part of the church. I want to make sure that it is fit for people to come in and share time with each other.”