£50,000 appeal to save village church
AFUNDRAISER has been launched to save a church located in the heart of a village which is at risk of becoming a ‘derelict’ building after major water damage was discovered.
Baxenden St John’s Church is in need of urgent repairs to the tower where the floor has clasped and there is structural damage.
Roof repairs across the building are also needed.
Water regularly runs down the walls of the internal entrance to the building, coming from the upper tower.
The roof of the entrance has rotted and church warden, Austin Cook, says this will soon become unsafe.
Austin said: “It gets worse every week, parts of the building are crumbling inside and water is running down the walls.
“Water ingress has
caused dry rot in places.
“Without repairs the building will become unusable and lost to the community.
“It could end up being a large derelict building at the heart of Baxenden.”
He says the major issue is the tower over the main entrance, but the damage has spread around the building due to roof leaks.
It is estimated that repair work will cost around £350k.
The structural issues in the tower are allowing water to seep in, as well as
the high level roof damage built up over the years.
Major damage was detected at the end of 2021, but Austin says the issue probably dates back as long as five years.
The full extent of the issues with the building were not found until end of 2021 after a major inspection of the building.
The church began planning in 2022 and working with architects and structural engineers in 2023 after discovering the issue.
Austin continued: “This village doesn’t have a com
munity centre or village hall; the church fulfils this role. It’s a vibrant place in which the community meets, with over 120 hours of community activity per month.
“Baxenden St John’s is the site of an important war memorial, has a large children’s work programme and has close links with the local primary school only metres away.
“The church is a wellused community facility, with local singing, yoga, and playgroups using the building and its facilities. “The church is used for an after school club, birthday parties and is a meeting place for vulnerable families.
“The response to the fundraiser from the community has been great and fast.
“It demonstrates how people feel about the building and its community importance.“
The church has submitted bids for grant funding with the support of Baxenden Councillor Kath Pratt and MP for Hyndburn and Haslingden, Sara Britcliffe.
Some work has been carried out to remove the collapsed internal floors that rotted, but the tower is becoming structurally unsound and is in need of urgent repairs.
A Go Fund Me page has been set up to raise money to cover the cost of the repairs. More than £800 has been raised so far with a target of £50,000.
To donate visit: https:// gofund.me/e674bdf0