The roofs of All Saints had been gradually failing for several years but the extreme weather in recent times had exacerbated this to such an extent that action needed to be taken. In October 2013 we first looked at the Heritage Lottery Fund’s Repair Grants for Places of Worship scheme and registered the Roof Repair Project. As the next PCC meeting approached, Giles Proctor (English Heritage) visited the church and advised that help could be sought for funding from the HLF. This encouraged the PCC that an application could be successful and a small group of volunteers came together to work on the project.
After submitting our initial project enquiry in January, which indicated that the church and the project were eligible for funding, we had our first meeting in early February 2014. Liaising with our Inspecting Architect, Andrew Boyce of Ferrey and Mennim Ltd, we started to put together a plan of what the project would entail.
An application to the HLF can seem a daunting prospect when faced with the pages and pages of the application guidance and the huge sums involved. Our volunteer group broke it down into sections and steadily worked through the application. Mention here must be made of the Diocese of Lincoln's Church Buildings Department whose own application guidance was tremendously helpful.
Statements of Significance and Need were drawn up, photographs taken of the damaged sections and Letters of Support requested from the appropriate authorities. The project was cut down in order to meet the funding limitations several times and finally we were able to submit our application on 21st May 2014
In early July we heard from Giles Proctor who was coming out to look at the church once more. There then followed a few alterations to the specification and budget, following the English Heritage report and then an anxious wait for the committee’s decision after the meeting on 10th September.
Thankfully our hard work was rewarded and we were informed that our project had been successful at the first round and we would receive initial support from the Heritage Lottery Fund. After allowing ourselves a pause for celebration we began on the next phase – the Development Stage.
After submitting our initial project enquiry in January, which indicated that the church and the project were eligible for funding, we had our first meeting in early February 2014. Liaising with our Inspecting Architect, Andrew Boyce of Ferrey and Mennim Ltd, we started to put together a plan of what the project would entail.
An application to the HLF can seem a daunting prospect when faced with the pages and pages of the application guidance and the huge sums involved. Our volunteer group broke it down into sections and steadily worked through the application. Mention here must be made of the Diocese of Lincoln's Church Buildings Department whose own application guidance was tremendously helpful.
Statements of Significance and Need were drawn up, photographs taken of the damaged sections and Letters of Support requested from the appropriate authorities. The project was cut down in order to meet the funding limitations several times and finally we were able to submit our application on 21st May 2014
In early July we heard from Giles Proctor who was coming out to look at the church once more. There then followed a few alterations to the specification and budget, following the English Heritage report and then an anxious wait for the committee’s decision after the meeting on 10th September.
Thankfully our hard work was rewarded and we were informed that our project had been successful at the first round and we would receive initial support from the Heritage Lottery Fund. After allowing ourselves a pause for celebration we began on the next phase – the Development Stage.