St Marys Church gets a Massive Boost

Father Jim Barlow is delighted to reveal funding of nearly £1 million from The National Lottery Heritage Fund for the restoration and development of the facilities at St. Mary’s after two years of development work.

The total project will cost £1.6 million and will repair and reorder the nave of this much-loved building, to make it more accessible and welcoming and to promote heritage engagement and community use. The reordering work will enhance the space and make it more flexible for the arts, community, and culture.

About one-third of the pews will be removed and some remaining ones will be modified to be moveable to create larger spaces withing the Church. These improvements will enable larger performances for events like orchestras and large choirs at the front of the Church. The Font will also be re-located nearer the main doors making room for a disabled toilet and open space for multiple uses such as art exhibitions and food & drink service at the rear.  The shop area will also be tidied up into a more formal arrangement. Father Jim admitted that some of these “changes met with some resistance but plans were adapted to meet some of the concerns raised.”

Whilst the the lottery award has enabled the long desired works to begin, the rest of this year will feature more events to reduce the need for an expensive £100,000 bridging loan with a forthcoming Art Auction, The Summer Sounds Festival and talks from Brian Mclaren and Martin Shaw much of which has been organised by Mike Gibbons.

The new arrangments will enable activity programmes to help engage diverse audiences, address local needs and improve wellbeing. In partnership with Totnes Renewable Energy Society the church will install eco-friendly heating and power, to make the building more sustainable for the future and the whole project will help boost the local economy and skills.
Rector and interim project manager, Fr. Jim Barlow says: ‘This is such fantastic news. A lot of people have worked very hard to make this happen. St. Mary’s is the jewel at the heart of Totnes. It is such a special place. The planned work and activities will enhance its character and make it possible for more people to use the building more often and for a wider range of life-enhancing activities’.
‘Our community has been busy raising the rest of the funds for this project and there have been many generous donations already from local people and local trusts as well as applications to other grant making bodies. Local fundraising activities continue and include spoken word and music events at the church and an art auction on the 21st September, with Sherree Valentine Daines.’

Stuart McLeod, Director of England – London & South at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “Places of worship are some of our oldest and most cherished historic buildings. Thanks to money raised by National Lottery players we are pleased to support this project which will secure a brighter and more sustainable future for St Mary’s Church, protecting its heritage and creating fantastic opportunities for the local community and beyond.”

The church anticipates that preliminary works will begin in November with the last services being at Christmas. The building will be closing for up to six months, so that the floor can be taken up and re-laid. Much of what will be found is currently unknown with possibilities like a flooded crypt. Father Jim hopes that the 6 month period will be shorter but during the works there will be public opportunities to see any interesting discoveries made as the work proceeds.

Sitting on Historic England’s ‘At Risk’ register, this funding is a key step towards saving the church. Whilst stabilising the church and ensuring it is fit-for-purpose, the project will also provide vital training opportunities to improve community wellbeing, whilst boosting the local economy.

The Nation Lottery say “We help protect, transform and share the things from the past that people care about, from popular museums and historic places, our natural environment, and fragile species, to the languages and cultural traditions that celebrate who we are. We are passionate about heritage and committed to driving innovation and collaboration to make a positive difference to people’s lives today, while leaving a lasting legacy for future generations to enjoy.”

Father Jim was also keen to make his thanks known to Cllr John Birch who instigated a new direction for re-invigorating the fundraising a few years ago. He was also very grateful to many others including the Friends of St Marys