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needs to be complete by the end of March 2026 as the government has indicated that our ability to reclaim VAT is to be withdrawn.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.