Members of the congregation at St Mary’s have for about 30 years talked about constructing new accessible toilets and kitchen. There have been times when we have come close to delivering that desire. In February this year we finally achieved it. Construction began in May last year. The initial phase involved moving the Victorian font and a number of wall mounted memorials. We were required to do this by the church building planning process. Once these works were undertaken the construction of the toilets and kitchen began. The initial plan was to have both items completed by early December. There was a problem with the construction of the steel work that forms the basic structure of the building. This caused a delay which resulted in completion in February. The quality of the work has been very high, Trevor the site manager has been responsible for this. We have been very fortunate in that a number of organisations have generously given us monies towards the project, this includes the Association of Kent Churches and the Benefact Trust. There have also been some individuals who have made substantial donations that have made all the difference in the success of building these facilities. We have also raised a significant amount of money from the large number of events held in the church over the last couple of years. These could not have happened without the volunteers from the church congregation. The PCC is grateful for all the generous help we have received in achieving this project. Now the Kitchen and Toilets have been completed we have started to make good use of them. The accessible toilet has been used during the Literary festival by wheelchair users and others with restricted mobility. The toilets have also been open for all services and events in the church. The kitchen was used during the Literary festival making the serving of teas and coffees much more straightforward. We have also used the Kitchen for 2 Parish Lunches, serving around 70 people in the process. This has included cooking some of the food onsite. Seven people have also now completed their basic Food Hygiene certificate. Looking ahead we need to now think about how we make best use of the new facilities. We are looking at hiring the church out together with the kitchen. If you wish to hire the church then please contact us via stmaryofcharity@gmail.com
In September 2020 Faversham Rotary Club donated 1,000 crocus bulbs to the church. These had originally been obtained to promote awareness of the campaign to eradicate polio through vaccination, but COVID-19 and the lockdowns meant they couldn't be used as originally planned.They were planted in St Mary of Charity's churchyard (around the railings) and are currently looking 'bloomin' lovely (sorry, couldn't resist!)Thank you, Faversham Rotary Club for your generous gift.
