Why is Renewal needed?

We believe that the internal renewal of the Church Building providing a more welcoming, flexible and comfortable environment with many new facilities is vital for the long term sustainability of our village Church. In particular, the changes will open up the potential for the building to be used more creatively for Church services and also more widely by the community for social and cultural events.

How will the Renewed Church be more sustainable?

First, by growing the Church family we will have a larger, more active congregation to look after the Church and provide the future resources needed to maintain the building. This growth depends on attracting younger families by catering better for their needs. The Renewal provides separate spaces where children can be taught during services and families can be together for fellowship not possible currently. Our facilities for modern forms of worship, which appeal to younger families, will be enhanced. We have been successful in engaging parents with young children and introducing them to Christianity through Messy Church but only in local school halls which have safe and appropriate facilities. This will change after Renewal when we can move furniture in Church to create safe spaces for young childrens activities and teaching; this will make the transition into the Church family easier.

Second, by having a warm, comfortable, well serviced venue with great acoustics and a beautiful medieval backdrop we can both attract greater community use and more income both of which will promote sustainability.

What will it cost?

Carrying out work inside a medieval Grade 1 listed building has to meet high standards and it is not surprising that the Renewal costs will also be high. We estimate that the work, including design fees will cost over £650k (at 2020 prices).

Where will the money come from?

The majority of these costs will be met by the Church community through the use of reserves, donations and fundraising. Some will be met from grants. And, of course, we will need the support of the wider community in Purton and nearby. That local support will be vital to delivering the full scope of the project and the speed with which we can complete the work.

What will change?

The magnificent exterior of the building will not change at all - all the work proposed is inside and many of the interior changes are designed to enhance the appearance of the mediaeval architecture.

The biggest change will be the replacement of the fixed Victorian pews with good quality, upholstered, wooden chairs. Not only will chairs provide greater comfort but they also provide flexibility to open up the Church for a greater range of activities.

There will be better heating (new, more efficient boilers, more radiators, better draught-proofing). We will clean, make good and re-lime-wash the walls and ceiling - taking care not to damage the medieval wallpaintings! And the degraded lighting system with be replaced with new wiring and energy efficient lighting designed to enhance the architecture and improve light levels for services and secular events.

New toilet facilities will be created that are wheelchair accessible, that can cater for larger events and that are accessed from inside the Church.

There will be a small kitchen and a servery at the back of the Nave where we can prepare and serve simple food in the Church to support fellowship, mission activities and community events. And a platform will be added for better visibility at services and performance events.

When will it all happen?

We got formal approval for our plans in May 2019 and we went out to tender in December 2019. As we were completing the tender assessment things got put on hold by the coronavirus lockdown and restrictions. Eventually we were able to appoint a contractor and work began in September 2020. Our hope is that the work will be completed in spring 2021.