8th March 2025

Construction of the new parish and community hall finally began early on 17th February. Father Tom blessed the site, and the builders, praying that they would be strong. The first bricks arrived on site and the plans were placed on the back wall. The hedge from around the perimeter of the car park was removed to allow for fencing to secure the site. A former parish administrator seeing the hedge being removed was very pleased, as finding anyone to give it a yearly trim to prevent it blocking the footpaths was not an easy task.

The next few days included the digger, dumper truck and portable toilet arriving on site, Gabriel, the architect, taking some more measurements, and the start of the groundwork. The top layer of tarmac from the car park was removed and preparatory work for the foundations began. The brick planters at the side of the church were also dismantled, with John carefully digging up the bulbs so they can be planted somewhere else. A temporary, unplanned, interruption to the water supply meant the boiler had to be turned off to protect it.

The next stage of the project is to demolish the boiler house and kitchen at the side of the church. This will mean there will be no heating until autumn. Before this begins, an inspection of the rose window will take place to check its condition and whether any special requirements are needed to protect it from the work which is being done.