PEOPLE have bought and signed bricks, and even paving stones, as
donations towards the building and refurbishing of churches. At St
Michael and All Angels, Witton Gilbert, in the diocese of
Durham, they have been signing roof slates.
Although the suggested donation was £5 a slate, they have been
given up to £50 and more, and with 700 slates already purchased
they have raised more than £8000 towards the £100,000 needed for
replacing the church roof.
A member of the PCC, Robin Minney, came up with the idea of
"Your name in the sky", and it has captured the imagination of
people from as far afield as Manchester and Worthing. Another PCC
member, Stephen Ellis, says that the initiative has also encouraged
grant-making bodies such as English Heritage, which has awarded
£55,000 towards the work.
It is all part, the Team Vicar, Canon Caroline Dick
(pictured), says, of a £262,000 investment to support the
church's Breathing Space programme, designed to make the building
more accessible to the public with new flooring, heating, seating,
and a kitchen/meeting room.
Breathing Space is a health and well-being project that involves
organisations' working with a variety of people, including those
with mental-health problems, and takes advantage of the church's
setting next to a nature reserve. It offers courses in art and
relaxation, along with healing sessions and teaching people about
wildlife.