Work has now started on the roofing repairs needed to make St. Mary's watertight again. Last year we finally finished repairs to the lime mortar and stonework outside. This latest phase of the works is to repair damaged caused by lead theft over the years (considerable) and blocked drains. It is being tackled in 3 sections: first will be the tower where water run off has been overflowing the gutters for years and penetrated through into the nave. This has caused damage to the high-level rafters inside church. At the same time work will be going on to repair the roofing over the vestry (back of church on the rectory side) where the theft of lead has caused real problems. During heavy rain water actually pours down the walls inside church. This has meant scaffolding inside the church as well- see the pictures!We have not been able to obtain grants for these two sections but fundraising and donations have enabled the work to go ahead. We are hoping that the Diocese may also help us. Costs for this will be around £15,000.The final section will the roof above the organ chamber where rain has penetrated for many years. The organ is protected by thick plastic sheeting but has suffered some damage. We are applying for grants to help us with this as we expect it to also cost around £15,000.All this work needs to be complete by the end of March 2026 as the government has indicated that our ability to reclaim VAT is to be withdrawn.There is now no lead flashing on the roof and we hope that this will deter the idiots from even attempting more thefts. Insurance is now nearly £400 a month and does not cover incidents where we do not discover the damage for years.
West Rainton is fortunate to have a Village Partnership- an organization to which every 'group' in the village belongs. The Partnership co-ordinates events and publishes the Village News and holds monthly fairs and the Annual Village Show. St Mary's is a proud and very active supporter of the Partnership. If you would like to read the 2024 review just click on the file below or visit https://online.flippingbook.com/view/852989829/You will be amazed!
Following very successful fundraising, grant applications and hard work the repairs to our stonework and limestone mortar are now complete! the walls are wind and rain tight again.Now we have to address three parts of the roof where lead theft and weather damage over the years have led to an increasing number of buckets around the building.During the snow in January, water started pouring in through the ceiling in the choir vestry which was totally new to us. Theft of the lead above the vestry has caused problems for a long time but this new area was something else to witness!Our organ, quite rare and well thought of, was damaged by rain coming through the roof above. We paid for plastic sheeting to be installed to cover it and for immediate repairs.At the back of church, where the tower meets the nave, broken guttering lead to water penetrating the roof and rotting timbers. This is also fairly major.These three areas are going to cost around £53,000 to fix in three stages. We have applied for permission, obtained quotations and are about to start work on the most urgent.Now that the government has confirmed that the Listed Buildings fund will continue for another 12 months, we will, at least, be able to get the VAT back.
