Church restoration begins at last
One year on from the launch of a £150,000 restoration appeal, builders have begun work at a popular Preston church.
Scaffolding has gone up at St John Baptist Church in Broughton, and the first phase of repairs is under way, much to the delight of the local community.
Together they have already raised 40,000 for the appeal, and if fund-raising continues at this rate the repairs will be completed much faster than in the original five-year plan.
Sporting a hard hat, Rev Sidney Fox explained the work was to tackle "the ravages of time" at the church, which boasts an 80 strong choir.
Set back from the busy A6 Garstang Road, parts of the church are grade II listed with the tower, the oldest part, dating back to 1533.
Phase one involves tackling a damp problem by repairing the nave roof and gutters.
This will be followed by the replacement of the tower roof in phase two.
Construction teams will tackle the pointing and external stonework under stage three, with the final two stages focusing on decorating the interior of the church and improving footpaths in the churchyard.
Rev Sidney Fox said: "It's a vibrant church with many things happening. We are very fortunate.
"Seeing the building deteriorated with the water has been a bit dampening, and it's nice to see now we are going to get the work done."
Last year brochures detailing the restoration plans were sent to every household in the parish asking people to contribute to the appeal over the next five years.
Around 34,000 of the funds raised so far came as gifts from within the parish, with the remaining coming from various fund-raising events.
Rev Fox praised the community for their efforts and urged everyone to continue supporting the appeal.
For more information about the restoration appeal and ways in which you can help, visit www.broughtonparish.org.uk
Email to a friend
Print this page - Popular
- Most comments
- Most shared
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Local pages
Looking for a...
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Preston
Thursday 29 July 2010
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 15 C to 17 C
Wind Speed: 28 mph
Wind direction: West
Tomorrow
Light rain
Temperature: 15 C to 19 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: South
