St Mary's Welwyn Preservation Fund
We are often reminded that getting old can be expensive. This is as true for buildings as for people. As churches go the current St Mary’s building is not particularly old but it does, and will continue to need devoted care and money to keep this striking building dry and useful for the people of Welwyn.
Work has just been completed on essential repairs to the roof and stonework costing in excess of £100,000. Through careful stewardship, money has been put aside for such eventualities but this expense will leave the coffers dangerously threadbare. We are therefore appealing to the whole community to help, whether regular Church attenders or those who just appreciate the existence of this landmark building in the centre of our village. This is possible in a number of ways and we thank you in advance for your generosity:
Donate a lump sum towards the current costs
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Online donation here please Gift Aid it if you can
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By cheque payable to ‘Welwyn St Mary’s PCC’. Donations can be dropped into the post box on the church railings or posted to St Mary’s Church, Church Street, Welwyn, AL6 9LX. Do please give us your contact details so we can ask if you are eligible for GiftAid, thereby increasing the value of your donation by 25%.
Start a regular payment by standing order to the ‘St Mary’s Welwyn Preservation Fund’ to help towards present and future costs of maintaining the building. Download a form here or contact our Treasurer, Donald Bell, at treasurer@welwyn.org.uk or 01438 217936 or 07812 344628
Talk to our Treasurer about increasing your regular giving to St Mary’s.
Project Details
The five-yearly inspection of the church building identified movement cracks and decayed stone and flint work leaving the building susceptible to water damage in several areas. Repairs are also needed to the tiles, lead-work and gutters.
If left any longer the decay would have accelerated resulting in inevitable damage to the structure and interior of the church.
The scaffolding design is complex and needs to withstand heavy loads without further damaging the building. Safety is paramount for both operatives and church visitors, and it is costly to ensure all these things. The tower scaffold alone involves 2,568 metres of tubing, which if laid out end to end would be over one and a half miles long – almost to Codicote!