Church Roof Appeal
Phase 1 of our project to reach Carbon Net Zero
The main church roofs which were installed in 1867 are now in a poor state and require replacement. The sensible way forward is to use the opportunity of roof replacement to incorporate insulation to reduce significantly our energy consumption, energy bills and carbon footprint.
In early March we launched a congregational appeal encouraging people to respond to the need and to indicate ownership of the project. This is part of our journey towards being a Carbon Net Zero church by 2030.
A big ‘thank you’ to those who responded in raising a total of nearly £63,000 so far, and for others who have indicated their support in a variety of ways.
A small fundraising team has been formed and the first planned event is an ‘Autumn Fair’ on Saturday September 27th.
Grant Application
This is a major project, needing grant funding in addition to what we can raise ourselves. Irving Patrick Consulting have been appointed to help us with grant application. They advise that we should prepare an ‘Expression of Interest Application’ to the National Lottery Heritage Fund, since they were the only body likely to make a substantial grant to a project of our size.
As part of the application process we are encouraged to include ‘all’ our dreams of how the overall project could address the many challenges our church building faces as we seek to grow numerically and widen the use of the building by the community. At a recent PCC meeting a revised comprehensive budget of £1.9M was approved in the hope that would pass the first stage in the NLHF application process. The request would be for a £1.7M grant phased over the various stages of the project.
This wider project has a new title which covers aspects appealing to grant funders, including NLHF:
Heritage, Community and Climate
A Sustainable Future for Otley Parish Church
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Can we encourage you to pray earnestly over the next few months as approaches are made to the NLHF.
Fundraising Continues
Should you feel able to make any further donations to the ROOF FUND, please do so by bank transfer, cheque or cash, clearly referencing ROOF FUND. Where possible make these gifts under Gift Aid which adds 25% to the value of your gift.
Bank details:
Parochial Church Council of Otley
Sort Code: 20 37 13
Account Number: 10088811
Reference: Roof Fund
We trust that as we seek to pass on our heritage building to the next generation in good condition, we will be encouraged in our faith journey together.