We have a programme of improvements and maintenance tasks scheduled for our church.  Below is an update on progress.

Update as of 1st April 2022

We are delighted to say that we now have water to the outside of the church –
finally. Whilst we still have to raise quite a lot more money before we can start
work on the inside of the church to install the kitchen and servery, having the
water in the churchyard will make serving refreshments in church a lot easier
as water will no longer have to be brought in in plastic containers, and it will
make catering for the art festival easier. We are trying to go for funding bids
to raise money for the project but we are open to ideas and help for fundraising.

March 2022 Update  Toilet and Servery Project

Pipework now installed and Anglian Water have agreed to move the date forward to connect the pipes, being able to get water inside the Church will help considerably with our hospitality efforts and save the carrying of water from houses to the Church.

Now we need to find funding to compete the project , we will need the sum of £65,000 and with each estimate being out of date only weeks after being submitted due to the current rising costs of materials this will not be an easy task.

If anybody enjoys writing bids for fund raising or can think of any fund raising events we would be most grateful. Contact Margaret or Linda.

Some pews from the rear of the Church have been removed which gives more space and will allow people to spread out a bit more after services when partaking in refreshments.

January 2022   Toilet and Servery Project

January 25th (update)

The projected trench was deep and, as it had to travel through
the churchyard to the Church Lane entrance, we needed to
employ an archaeologist. Work started well with only a few
odd bones discovered and hopes were high that we could be
finished quickly. As the ‘soft tooth’ bucketed small digger
progressed onto the long stretch of grass bordering the path,
the first burial was revealed. In the end, there were 25 burials found. Each burial was carefully excavated, recorded, GPS readings taken and the remains removed and laid inside the
church. By the end of the two weeks of digging, the pipes had been laid in the bottom of the trench, a layer of gravel placed over them and a layer of soil. The remains were then placed back in the trench in the same position that they were originallyand the topsoil put back in. There will be a short re-interment service in due course.
The trench had to connect to the mains drainage and mains water in the road but to do this involved exceptionally deep, 4 metre trenches from the Church Lane gate into the road. The burials ended at the gate and the deep trench ready to install the main junction was dug. Then the digger progressed into the road and straight through a water main. There was an immediate flurry of ‘WhatsApps’ as Church Lane and Pury Road residents found that they had no water. The Water Board was called and the water stopped but it took a long time to empty the huge hole at the top of Church Lane. Late in the evening the water was restored and the work carried on. We still have two or three more days before work is complete and Church Lane reopened. We are grateful to Lydons who accepted the challenge of installing the pipework, for their patient and friendly consideration.

January 15th (update)

Finally work has started on installing water to and from the church.  Lydons are working closely with a representative from the Museum of London to oversee the digging and ensure that anything that is unearthed is dealt with in the correct manner.   This has slowed down work a little but we can be assured that everything is in order.  We have been very lucky with the weather; although it has been cold, it has remained predominantly dry.

Archaeologist at work

December 2021 Update:

Installation of Toilet and Servery facilities.

Progress has been slow for a variety of reasons but we are delighted to report that we now have a start date for the first part of the works which will be to bring the water access to the Church.  10th January 2022,

December 2020 Update: The roof is currently being repaired during lockdown and we have had a new ladder with protective cage fitted toallow access to the bell tower. The wall in the chancel has been plastered over and now looks much better.

Regarding the installation of toilet/servery facilities, things are progressing frustratingly slowly; Roger Gavan is working on the situation and is trying to speed things up. We have just been informed that our faculty (permission to proceed) for the hospitality area/toilet has expired, and we now have to reapply. We have started clearing cupboards out (a very mucky job) but at least now we can see what we have got and have thrown some things out.

November 2020 Update: The alarm has been serviced and updated, and the Smoke cloak has been serviced. We have had plasterers in and they have made good the area in the chancel. There is some roofing work which is imminent, and a new ladder is being purchased to allow access to the bell tower.
The church has been thoroughly cleaned and it will be given a final clean to remove plaster dust before the next service.

There have been ongoing communications between Anglian Water, Highways and our contractor. Highways are insisting on a full road closure to connect the sewer – the pipe in Church Lane that they need to connect to is 2.5 metres down, so they will not accept a partial closure. This has greatly increased the cost, as Highways charges are significantly more than anticipated.

Due to COVID19 restrictions, Anglian Water will not carry out site inspections – we are having to produce photographic evidence along with boundary plans. This is a move forward but only takes the installation of water to the church boundary – we still have to get it into the church, but one step at a time! We are on our way to installing the toilet and servery facilities.