In 2017 we were awarded a grant from the Heritage Fund that would enable us to begin a massive program of repair, restoration and community action in the life of the church. On this page, you will find a record of that project and some records on local history. There are videos, text and documents all available for free.
Heritage Fund
Local History
Grant Award
The Heritage Fund awarded The Community Church a grant of £242,000 to begin a program of restoration and repair to the fabric of our church building and to initiate activities that promote community and heritage.
Working in partnership with them and our amazing team of volunteers, we have been able to have a successful project span.
Fabric Repairs
Most of the money went on to pay for the beginning of a program of repair and restoration on the fabric of the building. This was to ensure it was sustained as a community hub for future generations in the locality.
Initially, we had planned to have all our water-goods replaced and essential areas of pointing done, but development stage surveys discovered areas of dry rot within the roof. This meant redirecting funds to address these issues. This led to a third of the roof being repaired along with associated water-goods and pointing works. We employed Heritage Conservation to carry out the work under the auspices of KPS architectural services and have seen the most urgent issues of the building addressed and fixed, preserving our building for the future.
Activities
One of the fantastic aspects of the Heritage Fund award was that it enabled us to do some activities directed toward the local community. This instigated a kids club called Boredom Busters, a monthly club for adults with additional needs, a mentorship program, and the production of several videos and written resources in different languages on the history of the church and the local area.
Boredom Busters
This started off as a free weekly after school club that we ran that focused on bringing alive local heritage and having a space where kids could come and have fun. To increase uptake, we morphed this into a more intensive holiday club which proved very successful.
The Good Stuff
This was a club run for additional adults on the first Thursday of every month and was a means to facilitate and foster community across this group of people and provide some respite for guardians and carers. Each week they'd be games, loud and quiet and a craft activity that was geared towards heritage.
Local History
Below, you will find some videos that share on our local history as well as an updated history of the church written by former head of Scarisbrick School and leader of The Community Church, David Raynor. This has also been translated into Tagalog and Polish and are available as downloadable items.
Video Collection
Heritage Fund Grant
Why the Community Church?
Southport: a potted history