In August 2022 Totterdown Methodist Church closed its doors for the last time as a place of worship for the Methodist community after 150 years of continuous use. Over the next two years negotiations continued for Lighthouse Vineyard to purchase the building with an exciting, fresh vision and a new name: The Harbour Totterdown. In August 2024, Lighthouse Vineyard completed the purchase of the building and are now the proud new owners!

We are planning to build on the historic and current use of the building, creating a much needed and wanted gathering place for the local community. An array of community projects and organisations already use the various spaces in the building on a weekly basis, including a new Vineyard church, the Scouting & Girl Guiding movements, a martial arts group, a music psychotherapy service, a food bank and a refugee hub, along with regular one-off events. We have plans to further increase the usage of the building, making it a focal point and go-to venue for South Bristol. We intend to carry out renovations to make the spaces more accessible, flexible, welcoming, energy efficient and warm through the winter to allow for a more diverse range of users.

Lighthouse Vineyard is a small, local church and through the generosity of a mere 5 families and a donation from Severn Vineyard Church they have raised over £150000 alongside two charitable fund gifts of £8150 (towards the purchase costs) and £11604 (towards updating the heating system). The church's heart for the building is to be more than just a place for the local church to meet, but a place where the people of Totterdown, South Bristol and beyond can gather.

We secured a personal loan from one of the Lighthouse Vineyard families to cover the remaining funds needed for the purchase (£175000) and we are now appealing to friends, family and communities to contribute to this vital project by helping us raise these funds, thus making the building more financially secure and safeguarding its future. Buildings like this are so often snapped up by developers - we are passionate about this building remaining an asset for the local community and we have an opportunity to make this happen - with your help! Your generosity will help us with the following:

• safeguarding the building as a place of service to the local community for future generations

• reducing the size of the loan and thus making the building more financially viable

• renovating and updating the building to allow a wider range of people and organisations to make use of it as well as improving the experience of the existing users

We invite you to partner with us and contribute to safeguarding this community resource for future generations.