St Laudus' Roof Report

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Work has begun on removing and relaying slates on two parts of the church roof. The main area on which work is in progress is the entire southern slope of the main roof. This is the slope which is most exposed to the prevailing wind and which has most often had to be repaired by the replacement of slipped or fallen slates (usually after storms). The existing slates have been removed but will mostly be reused. A permeable membrane is being installed underneath them. The other repair currently in progress is to a section of the bell tower roof which has been responsible for water ingress into the bell tower below.

These works are being carried out by Roger Searle of Falmouth, who has for many years patched the roof quickly and very reasonable rates when we have suffered storm damage. The cost has been borne entirely out of the Roof Fund, which is a separate account containing restricted funds donated specifically for this purpose. The cost of this work willbe £10,500 which will exhaust most of the money currently in the Roof Fund. The main roof is in three sections with valleys in between; so relaying this slope will leave five more slopes to be re-laid when funds permit. Further donations to the Roof Fund would therefore be more than welcome.

A good deal of the money donated has been from the “Donate a Slate” initiative which has been less active in recent years; so a new round of donations, large or small, would be very much appreciated. Help of a different kind would also be welcome. Applying for grants towards the cost of relaying the rest of the roof might well be fruitful but is likely to be very time-consuming. The guidance which we have received is that it is very unlikely that massive grants will beobtainable for the entire project of bringing the roof up to scratch.

A more realistic target is that a number of smaller grants might be available to do the rest of the roof, either in phases or (if we are extremely successful in our fund-raising) in one go. We would love to hear from a volunteer or volunteers willing to assist. Previous experience in grant applications is desirable but not essential, since guidance in the form of transcripts of training webinars and the names of possible grant-making bodies can be made available. If willing to donate or volunteer for grant applications, please contact honorary treasurer Greg Adams on 07770 638443.