Latest news with #churchrenovation
BBC News
20-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Donor offers £1.2m to complete St Michael le Belfrey project
An anonymous donor has offered to pay £1.2m towards the cost of renovating a church in York after the project stalled due to a change in tax at St Michael Le Belfrey began last year but alterations to a government grant scheme left the future of the project hanging in the church - famous as the place where Guy Fawkes was baptised - was left with a £1.4m shortfall after the government changed the rules around recouping VAT on the Rev Andy Baker, priest at St Michael Le Belfrey, called the donor's offer to pay the outstanding funds if necessary "an answer to prayer". He said the renovation, which includes stonework repairs and cleaning, replacing the roof and adding insulation, would have had to be "significantly scaled back" if the money had not been found."It would have been very disappointing really to have had to go through such a long process to then end up with a reduced finished product," he the cap was imposed in March, the church reduced the shortfall by £200,000 through making advance payments to unnamed donor pledged the donation the day before St Michael Le Belfrey was due to instruct the design team that the scope of the project would need to be reduced, Mr Baker said. Mr Baker said while he was "relieved" the project - which has a completion date of summer 2026 - could continue, he was sympathetic to other churches that faced a similar dilemma."Churches aren't just beautiful buildings - we're working with our community, in our community. These aren't just vanity projects," he said.A spokesperson from the DCMS previously said the changes took place against a "tough financial background" and "competing priorities" within the said 94% of claims were expected to be unaffected by the change, adding that the the government had extended the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme until 31 March Baker said St Michael Le Belfrey would continue to campaign "for an outcome where the government fully recognises the value that our churches make to society, spiritual development and the economy of this country"."We are so thankful to all those who have supported us in particular local MP Rachael Maskell, who has worked tirelessly on our behalf," he said."We pray that their passion and wisdom will be heard and understood."The latest offer is the second time an unnamed benefactor has stepped in to help the church, which was previously gifted £1m that it used to set up a social action programme. Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
BBC News
12-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Beeston church renovation unearths items from early 1900s
Renovations of a church in Nottinghamshire have unearthed a number of old items dating back to the early 1900s. A redevelopment project at Beeston Methodist Church, on Chilwell Road in Beeston, started in February as part of plans to create a "bright and accessible space" for the members of the church planned to bury their own time capsule before the work began, and since then, evidence of a much earlier youth group has been uncovered. The organisation said the "interesting" items found under the church balcony floor included cigarette cards - collectible cards once issued in cigarette packaging - biblical quotations and a possible love letter. Chris Bridges, chairman of the church's redevelopment group, said: "We think this must have been where the youth group met." A member of the redevelopment group at the church, Dave Lowe, added the team "smiled and had a laugh" when they discovered the their own time capsule, the current church group has selected a Bible, a hymn book, a statement by the minister - the Reverend Andrew Checkley - a selection of current coins, a photograph of junior church members and staff, and photographs of the church before the redevelopment started. As part of the redevelopment, the floor of the church is being flattened to make it more accessible, which has involved removing the church was under the floorboards that builders found an old boot, believed to have been placed there when the church opened in 1902. An old tradition of concealing shoes in walls and other areas of buildings was said to have brought good luck and warded off evil church said the boot that was found had been registered with the Concealed Shoe Index at Northampton Museum - started as a result of hundreds of concealed shoes being discovered - and will be replaced under the church floor so it can be rediscovered in the future.
