The much loved Tudor church of All Saints East Horndon was sadly used for an illegal rave on New Year‘s Eve. Essex Police made arrests and seized equipment, but now a massive clean up is required after hundreds of revellers trashed the place and caused damage to the building.

The locks will need to be replaced as it seems an illegal copy was taken of the keys, a window was broken and used for an air extraction system, the walls have been damaged when blacking out the windows, and the electrics have been tampered with to power their equipment.

We are only a small group of volunteers who look after this beloved building and rely on donations to pay for the repairs that are required to the window, the door lock, the electrics and a massive deep clean operation.

In non Covid times the church is opened up for events throughout the year, such as open days and plays, and we hope to be able to get the church back in a presentable order this year so we can welcome people in again once we are allowed.

Astrid Gillespie

Friends of Al Saints, East Horndon