Wednesday 25th April 2018.
We continue to be most grateful for the generosity of the present Government that is expressed through the Listed Places of Worship Fund. In our last report we mentioned
that it was very much a case of a stitch in time saves nine as we discovered 2 foot of rotten wood in a major supporting roof beam due to death watch beetle. This cost a considerable sum to repair. Our expert builders have now discovered that the wall plate on at least the south facing nave is largely rotten and needs replacing. The pitch of the roof also has had to be altered due to the water run off not connecting with the guttering. This undoubtedly will further add significantly to our overall costs which have long exceeded the contingency fund. So it is very timely that LPOW have awarded us an extra 10% of funding.
With the late spring which has included significant snow and frost in March there have been additional delays. However, we are now confident that the builders will be able to make good time as we head into spring and early summer.
Despite the very significant increase in costs we are still confident that we will be able to fully achieve the full repairs to the main roof and tower roof.
Rev Ian (Rector of St Mary's and Bushbury Parish)