Our Twenty Twenty Vision is nearly there – but more in the pipeline!

Restoring this splendid ancient building and making it a safe and welcoming place for both worshippers and visitors alike has already taken considerable time and resources. More than £750,000 has been raised since 2016, thanks to the many trusts and foundations and individuals that have given so generously:

Work in progress or remaining to be done

Now that the major works to repair and weather proof the main structures are complete, our attention turns to making the church a more comfortable place both to visit and to worship in.

Parish ministry and public expectations in the 21^st century are very different from that envisaged by Lady Isabel de Pembrugge in 1410 or even the Victorians, who were responsible for the last major restoration of the church interior.

If we are to welcome all-comers – old and young – able and differently-abled, people travelling from near and far, the building needs to adapt and modernise its facilities. Here is our ongoing wish-list:

Install an accessible toilet

We have no toilet facilities in the church and so this has to be a key priority that we hope to address in the near future.

Hospitality corner

We need a radical solution to ensure minimum impact on the beautiful interior, so we are now looking again at an exterior annexe in which to create a ‘hospitality corner’ with a fold-away servery counter, sink and drain – so we can continue to offer refreshments but with minimal set-up and clearing away.  

Private prayer space

We plan to adapt the seating in the Golden Chapel for private prayer and counselling.

Restore and upgrade the heating system

At a recent PCC meeting in October we concentrated on the thorny matter of heating which has been on the anvil for 30 years if not more, and which we are really trying to crack. Robert Parry has put an immense amount of work into researching Ground Source heating helped by Malcolm Groom, but the meeting decided that both the necessary outlay of £150,000, (even with a government grant repayable over 20 years), and the somewhat problematical nature of what is fairly new technology and what it would deliver in the end decided in favour instead of an LPG heat source, but with all agreed new pipework installed in the building. As we had just received the go-ahead from the DAC for the Ground Source heating plan, it is back to nearly Square One. Other people have also been busy on the heating front too with visits to Kenilworth, Pattingham and Brewood and much hunting of the WWW. Our fund-raiser advises that we might be able to raise some funding for heating provided it is coupled with other community-type resources such as toilet and kitchenette ( with attendant sewage disposal and water). This will be our next big project!

St Bartholomew’s Church, Tong is committed to Safeguarding and has adopted the National and Diocesan Safeguarding Policies. Our Safeguarding Coordinator is Lisa and she can be contacted on 07535 159421.