Shropshire church reveals its smart new look
A village church has been restored to its former glory – after eight months and nearly £250,000 of work.
St Michael and All Angels Church in Chetwynd, near Newport, has been covered in scaffolding for the last eight months, hiding much of the repair work in progress.But now, following its removal, the work has finished and the newly repaired church has been revealed to parishioners.
The structural problems came to light following an inspection in 2011 and a small team from the village came together to plan the necessary work.
Repairs to the spire and tower as well as replacement water goods and drainage eventually cost more than £226,000. The project was financed by grants, donations and fundraising events.
Robert Watson Jones, churchwarden, said: "The initial backing of English Heritage with a grant of £108,000 was crucial to funding the whole project.
"Their commitment gave us the green light to seek support from other charitable bodies in helping repair the Grade II-listed building.
"We are particularly grateful for contributions from Shropshire Historic Churches Trust, National Churches Trust and Garfield Weston Foundation which all made sizeable grants. We have also benefited from being part of the Listed Places of Worship scheme to enable us to reclaim all the VAT incurred."
He said that despite this significant external funding, church leaders also undertook major fundraising locally.
Mr Watson Jones said: "The call went out for help and we have been truly amazed by the generosity of the wider community in getting behind this project.
"As well as supporting the numerous fundraising events held, many donations have also been received, some from people living hundreds of miles away.
"We are currently about £4,000 short of our target which, when compared to the total cost, seems a relatively small amount to raise. However, now the work is finished, we hope that people will not assume it is all paid for and will continue to support."
Events will be held to help with the fundraising, including a concert by the Eccleshall Singers on April 24 at 7.30pm.
A coffee morning will be held on Wednesday at 10am to give residents an opportunity to see the work close up.
