It’s been over three years in gestation but slowly and surely we are making progress with the roof project with the works currently scheduled to be undertaken between February and June this year.
Business As Usual
Following the award of the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) grant in September last year we have been liaising with architects and contractors to fine tune the work specification and price and to agree the programme of work. The construction contract has been finalised and the contractors appointed.
New roof tiles are on order. The building’s grade I listing limited the choice of replacement tile but after consultation with Historic England we selected a quarry in Northumberland to supply the tiles from level bedded sandstone. The stone is cut from the quarry by hand. It can be a laborious process which is heavily dependent on the weather conditions. Hence we are praying for mild weather to ensure that there will be no disruption to production over the next two months.
The new tiles are intended for one half of the roof; the intention is to re-clad the other half of the roof with existing tiles re-claimed during the stripping process. The works will begin on 27 February with the tiles being delivered soon after that (God willing).
The church will continue to operate its full range of services during the period of the works and every effort will be taken to maintain business as usual.
Additional Funding
The HLF grant of £181,000 represented 65% of the total project cost. With £50,000 pledged from the Friends of All Saints, gifts from private donors and recovery of VAT from a government sponsored scheme the project was adequately financed. But as with all such projects there is always an element of financial risk from contract variations and the like.
To mitigate this risk as much as possible the PCC applied to other grant funding bodies for additional finance and, so far, we have been delighted to receive generous donations and pledges from All Churches Trust, Archdiocese of York, Garfield Weston Foundation and National Churches Trust.
Thank You
To the Friends of All Saints, the various grant funders, private donors, volunteers who have given their valuable time the PCC extends a huge thank you. They would not have got this far without your help and support.