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ST
PETER AND ST PAUL'S MASONRY FALL
By now we are
sure everyone will have heard about the piece of masonry that
fell from the clerestorey of our church on the 2nd of October
2004. The lump of stone that crashed to the ground in the Nave
weighed some 121b and it is a mercy that no one was underneath
at the time. The consequences don't bear thinking about.
St. Peter & St. Paul Church is without doubt the most important
historic building in Northleach, and a much-loved landmark in
the area. For over 550 years it has been at the core of the town
and has been maintained in excellent condition by generations of
townspeople. But time has taken its toll, and now a considerable
amount of work must be done to preserve the church.
The major problem is
with the high-level clerestory windows, which have been damaged by
the erosion of water and condensation to the point where substantial
masonry has been lost; unfortunately they are in a dangerous state
and must be repaired urgently. There are also problems with the
"climate" in the church, which has led to substantial mould growth
on the roof beams: the "faltering" 70 year old heating system must
be replaced. The last of the "urgent" problems is the chancel roof,
which must be re-tiled within the next 2 years. The PCC has been
advised by leading experts on what needs to be done and when. The
cost is unfortunately very large, and may exceed £300,000 for the
windows alone, and over £500,000 in total; well beyond the resources
available. So an Appeal is being launched to raise the money through
the "St. Peter & St. Paul Northleach Charitable Trust" a newly
registered charity number 1109450.
The Trust will raise money specifically for "the maintenance
restoration and improvement of the church of St. Peter & St. Paul
Northleach over the long term, but clearly in the short term it is
for the restoration of the windows and for the resolution of the
other urgent problems. The Trust, governed by the strict rules of
the Charity Commission, is considered to be the best form of
organisation to attract funds from as many sources as possible and
to avoid unnecessary tax. Because the building is Grade I listed a
number of grant-making trust funds are being approached. In all
cases grant-making organisations wish to see commitment from the
local community, and funds being raised by the efforts of local
people.
Therefore the Trustees are developing a programme of activities in
the town over the next 2 years aimed at involving the community in a
positive way, and for having some fun along the way. There are 3
ways to be involved and to contribute:
With time: entertainments, fairs, dinners, concerts, golf days, are
fun as well as fund raisers but take a lot of organising. We are
looking for willing volunteers to give of their time in whatever way
they feel fit.
With talents: there are a lot of them about - if you are
particularly good at something which might help the Appeal please
let us know - musicians, artists, craftsmen, performers, cooks,
administrators, - who knows!
With money: obviously at the end of the day the objective is to
raise money for the restoration. All money given by individuals to
the Trust can be gift-aided and therefore the Trust can claim an
additional 28 from the Inland
Revenue.
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