Our aims

Our church, built in 1910, and our 1960s prefab hall were no longer fit for purpose to support our growing and extensive community outreach. Every area of the buildings needed attention at a total cost which was well beyond our church reserves. We were alerted to Congregational & General by our Northern Synod United Reformed Church.

Grant application process

We found this to be sensible and appropriate in terms of the information sought, which was detailed but in a less complicated way than many grant funders we have encountered. The team at C&G were very helpful and approachable. 

Grant funded elements

Our major expense lay in the removal of asbestos then demolition of our crumbling hall which had become a liability. The largest part of our grant application related to this cost. In addition, our toilets needed to be brought into the 21st century; our integral hall was ready for conversion into a properly usable space for church and community; and our community partner Social Chef was desperate for cordoned off storage space to meet local authority regulations. A contingency element was also built in to the application together with professional fees for our project manager.

Progress 

Thanks to the grant funding received, our excellent project manager and good contractors, we have been able to transform our buildings and enlarge our garden after the removal of the large prefab hall. Light floods in to our church sanctuary from the area once occupied by the hall and we have multiple options to reshape our garden including a new community growing space. Our facilities are modern, inviting and comfortable and have been a superb backdrop for a Council funded levelling up grant through 2024 supporting people in need either through isolation or the impact of the cost of living crisis. We can now accommodate growing numbers of attendees without concerns over poor quality facilities as they were for many years.

Learning points

We were grateful to be signposted to this important grant funding by our Northern Synod, which otherwise would have not been visible to us. We are very happy to promote to anyone who asks the excellent work done by Congregational & General Charitable Trust. Working with an experienced project manager was invaluable in such an extensive project which lasted for 12 months, with still some minor matters to be dealt with. He dealt effectively with any issues with contractors, not all of whom were committed to delivering the best service possible. His fees were very well worthwhile in hindsight.