Our church is a historic and much-loved building dating from 1666 and is Grade 11* listed. It remains an active place of Christian worship and an important part of the heritage and community life of Queenborough.

The present vestry annex is in a dangerous state with a sagging roof, plant life growing through both the walls and ceiling and of particular concern is the floor which has totally collapsed, there are no facilities and the annex has become an eyesore and unusable due to safety issues relating to its condition.

At present the church has no toilet facilities. This creates a serious barrier for many people, particularly older members of the congregation, disabled visitors, families with young children, those attending family events such as weddings, baptisms and funerals from outside of the local area and those attending community events such as exhibitions and concerts which are held in the church. The lack of facilities limits our ability to welcome school groups, local organisations, heritage visitors and the disabled for many events.

We therefore propose to demolish the old dilapidated dangerous annex and replace it with a new timber-built annex incorporating a new accessible access, a fully accessible WC and baby changing facility, kitchenette and storage facilities, along with a small meeting space. The design will respect the historic character and significance of the church while providing modern, inclusive facilities and increasing the sustainability of the building as a public space.

The project will:

· Make the church accessible and welcoming to a wider range of people.

· Allow the elderly and disabled to continue to interact socially and worshipfully as they have done for most of their lives.

· Support weddings, funerals, baptisms and longer community events.

· Increase opportunities for school visits, heritage activities, concerts, exhibitions and community gatherings.

· Provide appropriate vestry and storage space for clergy and volunteers.

· Provide a small space which could be utilised for counselling or advice sessions for those in need.

· Help secure the church’s continued use and sustainability for future generations.

This is a modest but transformational project. Providing an accessible entrance and toilet and suitable vestry space would remove one of the greatest obstacles to the church’s wider use and enable this historic building to remain a living, useful and welcoming place at the heart of its community.

If you felt able to offer us any form of help or sponsorship, we would be very grateful for the opportunity to discuss the proposal or provide plans, quotations, accounts, photographs and evidence of community support so please contact our churchwardens.