THEY started last February to knit "a brand-new imaginary roof"
for St Olave with St Giles, Marygate, in York, to
help meet the cost of repairs after a large quantity of the lead
had been stolen. They had to replace about 80 per cent of the lead
on the roof of the chancel, a large area on the nave, and also
repair the organ, which had been damaged by the rain.
Not that they expected the knitting to
keep the rain out. The Priest-in-Charge, the Revd Jane Nattrass,
suggested that if they knitted enough sponsored squares - she
reckoned that they would need about 5000 to cover the roof - it
would go a long way towards raising the £60,000 that they
needed.
The idea received a great deal of
publicity (
News, 2 March), and contributions of knitted squares, together
with cheques, came from a number of places - including Norway.
Together with fund-raising concerts and other individual donations,
they raised about £10,000 to put together with £20,000 from
Ecclesiastical Insurance, and £30,000 from a local trust in York.
So they are in the happy position of being able to go ahead with
their repairs, and they hope to have the organ in use by
Christmas.
Meanwhile, the squares have all been
sewn into blankets. Some are to go to a children's hospice, but
most are to go to the Knit-a-Square project, which provides warm
clothing and blankets for children in Southern Africa affected by
AIDS.