The end is finally in sight for the restoration work at St Thomas – we hope that things should be completed by the end of July. It’s been a long haul – the contractors began working in September 2024.

As often happens, the need for more vital structural work was discovered when scaffolding allowed the contractors a closer look. We hold our breath as we await the final invoice, but it was work we just had to go ahead with in order to prevent the cost racking up and further damage being done.

We live in hope that grant funding and generous financial support from elsewhere will help us pay the final bill and that we won’t have to keep the diocesan loan that has filled a gap in the short term. We'll let you know how it all works out!

But in the meantime, it was so affirming that Friends of Heathwood Gardens have spontaneously raised £570 for St Thomas Church via a Just Giving page. Their friendship and generosity means so much.