WHAT'S BEEN DONE UP TO NOW?

FIRST A COMMUNITY CENTRE

• This was completed with a dedication service on the 13th May 1995. The centre has proved a success, for its many different users.

  SECOND, CHURCHYARDS OLD & NEW

• Work began in August 1998 in creating a churchyard that is respectful, attractive, safe and maintainable. This work has now been completed..

  WHAT NOW?

• Most important, the next task is to restore the church itself. Re-roofing and repairs to the chancel and east sides of the north and south transepts, to the vestry, organ chamber and aisles: also work defined in the quinquennial report: reconstructing the parapet, gutters and new rainwater pipes; treating, eradicating and repairing dry rot infected structures, replastering and redecorating; lightning conductor, new boiler, heating system, electrical installation as required.
• It sounds - and is - a lot of work which means we have a financial target of £400,000 to raise.

  SO, HOW DO WE HELP?

• Well, it's all down to prayer and numbers...
• Financial Numbers: The Restoration Fund : see right-hand panel for latest total.
• People Numbers: Without financial help from ourselves and other sources this cannot succeed.
• Likewise we will depend on the prayer power of ourselves and others.

  Ahead is a vibrant time for the church with many opportunities to assist within the project and together achieve wonderful things for the work of God. We are working towards a special moment in the history of our Church and embarking on a journey that will deepen our faith...

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  DO YOU WANT TO JOIN US?

• There are a number of ways to contribute to the restoration of St Paul's:

• Regular giving using weekly envelopes
• Regular giving using Standing Orders
• Regular giving direct from your salary
• One-off, or occasional gifts.

  Tax payers can enhance the value of their contributions by letting the Inland Revenue also contribute on their behalf through Gift Aid.

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Update

March 2009

The Historic Cheshire Churches Preservation Trust has given us a grant of £10,000 towards our restoration programme.

The penultimate phase of the work - the tower and other stone work - is due to begin on 20 April 2009.

August 2008

There is an important update on the situation with the church roof in the News section here.

May 2008

The Restoration Fund reaches £300,000

February 2008

Two years ago we undertook repairs and redecoration to the chancel, north transept, crossing and vestry of the church.

We had hoped that by now we’d be underway with similar work on the next phase – the south transept and organ chamber. However, we have been held back somewhat by our church architect suddenly moving abroad! His replacement is unfamiliar with St Paul’s, and therefore not yet able to draw up plans for the work. The work may now have to wait until next year.

But in the meantime, we are doing well with our Restoration Fund. We’ve pretty largely got the funds required for that next phase described above. The total now raised is very close to £300,000, which is 75% of the profected final total of £400,000.

After the south transept phase, there will still be some residual repairs to be done on the tower and high-level stone-work, but at least the visible insides of the church will all be completed!

Let’s all keep up the good work on fund-raising, and regular giving. On this topic, it’s also worth reminding ourselves that if we’re making or altering a will, a legacy to church is always a good thing to include, and can be an enormous help with our financial commitments!

March 2007

It’s been a bit of a time of snakes and ladders on the restoration front recently!

Earlier this year we had some disappointing financial news, in that English Heritage turned down our appeal for financial support with the next phase of our restoration scheme.

They helped us significantly last time round, and we were hopeful that they would do so again, but sadly there were just too many applicants for limited funds, and we missed out. So we are having to delay the next phase, which we had hoped to tackle at the beginning of next year.

On the positive side, our new boilers are now working well. We had a teething problem when the new, more efficient boilers ruptured a weak joint on a pipe under the floor in church, causing steam to rise from the grating (a little alarming to those who were unaware of the cause!) But at the time of writing, that seems to be all sorted out!

March 2006

• On 26 February, we celebrated the completion of the penultimate phase of our restoration programme. This was marked with a service on the Sunday morning, at which the Bishop came to preach and preside, along with the Archdeacon of Chester, and the Diocesan Secretary. With impeccable timing, the last of the external scaffolding came down on the Friday before, and the last skip was taken away on the Saturday!
• It was wonderful to gather together in church - there was a congregation of around 230 - and give thanks for the work which has been successfully carried out over the last 5 months, and to enjoy again the sight of newly refurbished chancel and north transept.
• Just the south transept to go now! We’ll be embarking on that just as soon as we’ve raised the money still needed. Our current estimate is that the final phase will cost around another £150,000.
• Restoration Fund has now reached £225,322
  

January 2006

• We are nearing the completion of this phase of the project. Inevitably, at this time of year, the weather has created the odd hold-up and hiccup, but the contractors are predicting a finish around the turn of the January. So sometime in February, when the contractors have departed and we have put the church straight again, we should be back in business in the whole church.

• It will almost seem strange to be in the big church again, after a few months of intimacy at the back! The only thing that isn’t due to be ready until the end of the month is the organ, which will have some work done on it during the week beginning the 20th.
• The PCC have decided that we’d like to honour the wonderfully dedicated work that Iain Frith put into the restoration project (and so many other aspects of church life), until his death last year, and so we’re planning to put up a plaque in his memory, probably in the North transept. It seems a fitting way to remember a marvellous man. The wording on the plaque is expected to be:
• In loving memory of Iain G Frith,
  former Churchwarden of St Paul’s,
  who contributed so much to the
  restoration of our church.
  24.5.1941 - 15.5.2005
  

December 2005

• I’m writing this having just come down from the church roof, after another site meeting to monitor the progress of the restoration work on the building. (The site meeting, you understand, was in the church, not on the roof!) The updated projection for a finish to the work is now early to mid February. Originally, it was scheduled to finish by Christmas, but that proved to be a little optimistic, given the restrictions of daylight hours and bad weather at this time of year. One or two other unexpected things cropped up to delay progress a little, but all being well, we should be back to normal by mid-February.
• Someone asked me again the other day what exactly the work is that is being done. In a nutshell, repairs are being carried out to the north transept and the chancel. Externally, the contractors are repairing the roof (replacing timber where required etc) and re-slating it (using partly old and partly new slates). Internally, they are re-plastering (those who’ve seen the church in recent years will remember the gaps in the plaster!) and re-decorating. When this work is done, we will be left with only the south transept and organ chamber area to restore. That will be the last phase - which we’ll hope to be able to address in another couple of years’ time - and then we should once again have a sound church building!
  
  Richard.
  

September 2005

• Fund passes £209,000 mark. Work on the next phase of the restoration project begins.

July 2005

• In June it was announced that our Restoration Fund had topped £200,000.
  
  That means we're half way to the total we anticipate we'll need to do all the remaining restoration work. And in the mean time, we're ready to proceed with the next stage of the work. We've been suffering this year from delays outside our control, and the work scheduled to begin in the late spring is still not yet underway. However, we were recently given to understand that the architect and contractor expect to be ready to start by late August or early September.
  
  It's been frustrating for everyone having to wait, but we're confident that we'll get there in the end. Please keep praying for these projects - including those in the churchyard. God hears our prayers, and will honour our perseverance

January 2005

• At the end of December 2004, the Restoration Fund had reached a total of £184,246.

It is hoped to start work on Phase 1 of the Restoration Project after Easter 2005. This part of the project involves repairs to the chancel, vestry and north transept roofs along with associated high-level stonework and timbers. (The south transept and organ area will be the subject of Phase 2 and will require us raising a further £200,000).

A Maintenance schedule for the church building and churchyards has been developed. Party of this will be the keeping of a log book to record any concerns about the building which need to be addressed and to prevent small problems growing into larger and more costly problems. The log book will be available at the entrance to church.

July 2004

• Restoration Fund now stands at £159,092

April 2004

• Succesful grant applications bring in over £60,000 for the Restoration Fund. See News page.
• Fund stands at £152,469 at the end of April 2004.

February 2004

• Restoration Fund reaches £109,889

January 2004

• Restoration Fund reaches £106,700

  August 2003

• Restoration Fund reaches £86330
• Restoration work begins with repairs to bell tower. Work expected to be complete by end of September 2003.
• Application for grant to fund repairs to chancel, vestry and north transept made.

July 2003

• Restoration Fund reaches £80,000

April 2003

• Restoration Fund reaches £75000
• Landscaping of church yard nearing completion.

March 2003

• Tenders for roof works received.
• Survey of safety issues including an audit for disabled people to be carried out.
• Report on condition of tower expected : programme of works to be decided
• Heating system checked.