Green grant for church refurb project awarded

An East Kilbride church is celebrating a cash boost of more than £50,000 which will give its heating system a much-needed revamp.

The grant from the Whitelee Renewable Energy Fund for £50,750 to Claremont Parish Church in St Leonards was included in a paper which went before councillors at a meeting of the community and enterprise resources committee yesterday.

It was one of three grants being considered by South Lanarkshire Council at the meeting.

The grant will allow the church – which was built in the 1970s – to continue with an ongoing programme of refurbishment and upgrade its increasingly unreliable heating system to one which is more energy efficient.

In total, the replacement heating system will cost £182,412.

The report to councillors also states the work will safeguard the future of the building as a venue for a number of community groups.

It states:“A comprehensive and gradual process of upgrade and refurbishment is ongoing with significant improvement in insulation having been achieved to all but the main sanctuary.

“The project is to replace the ageing heating system that serves the Claremont building complex.

“This is essential work that will allow use of the facilities to continue and expand.

“A wide range of groups use the facilities on a regular basis, ranging from mother and toddler groups to a community cafe and councillor surgeries.”

The report adds: “Proposed works will safeguard the future use of the building.

“All elements of the present heating system are inefficient and increasingly unreliable.

“The proposed works will contribute to the building remaining fit-for-purpose for the next 20 years.”

Work is scheduled to start next month and finish by April 2018.