ROOF APPEAL
We are excited to announce that work on St John's church roof is now underway! We apologise for an inconvenience caused during this time. The church will be closed for work during the week, but open for services on a Sunday. Midweek Communion will take place in the Parish Room (which will be unaffected and open as usual). The Parish Office will be closed while work takes place. The administrator will be working remotely and can be contacted via email (see the contact us page).
A big thank you to everyone involved in the fundraising and giving that has made this possible. In particular we would like to thank:
- Garfield Weston Foundation for their grant of £7500.
- Allchurches Trust for their grant of £3000.
- Yorkshire Historic Churches Trust for their grant of £4000.
- The Diocese of Leeds for their grant of £1000.
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- The congregation of St John's and the Menston community for the sum of £121,128.
But we’ve still got further to go! Donations are still welcome— see the details below for more information!
2020 marked the beginning of the fund-raising campaign to re-slate our church roof and so equip St John's to serve the parish for another 150 years. As we do this, we also plan to insulate the roof space as part of our ongoing commitment to the environment.
Please support the roof appeal in prayer. Without prayer, this campaign will not succeed. We are not like any other institution in many ways, but the key one is that we are privileged to approach God direct for the things we need. So please pray for our roof, the life and mission of the church, and the people of Menston as part of your commitment to being part of the church community.
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Why the need ?
The main part of the roof dates back to 1871 and the side-aisle roof was added in 1886. The structure has lasted very well, but over recent years has begun to show its age.
Some slates are splitting, the nails are corroding and slate slippage is becoming an increasing problem, only evident when we get drips and damp patches on the inside. When the lead sheeting in the roof valley was stolen in 1990 it was replaced by a material which, while less valuable on the black market, has proved to be less durable. In addition, some of the gutters and downpipes are cracked, allowing water to run down the exterior walls. These recurring events are not good for the fabric of the building.
The church architects have drawn attention to the deteriorating condition of the roof over the last 10 years and replacement of individual slates has been a regular requirement.
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Why now?
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The church architects now feel that a full replacement of most of the roof covering is urgently needed if irreparable damage to the fabric of the building is to be avoided. In addition, it will provide an opportunity to improve our ecocredentials by adding insulation to the roof space and reducing our heating bill.
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How do we intend to pay for it ?
- Fabric Fund - We have been building up this fund over the years, knowing that roof repairs would become necessary, but we do not currently have sufficient to fund such a major project.
- Applications to Charitable Funding Bodies - We are applying for grants from agencies that aim to preserve and refurbish church buildings.
- An appeal to the congregation - The church community are responding to an appeal for funds.
- Fundraising events - We have many events in the pipeline to raise money! Keep an eye out on the news page/parish notes for information about upcoming events. If you have any ideas of your own for fundraising events - please get in touch!
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What can I do ?
Make a donation to the Church Roof Appeal,
- By BACS: to Menston PCC
HSBC bank
Sort code: 40-22-28
Acc. No: 40572640
Ref: Roof-[Surname]
- By cash/cheque: payable to Menston PCC via church office.
- On-line via this link.
- By text - text CHURCHROOF 10 to 70450 to donate £10 (or any whole number up to 20). You will be billed the donation amount plus your standard network rate by your mobile service provider.
Please consider gift aiding your donation if you are a taxpayer. Gift Aid declaration forms available from colinalexander266@btinternet.com
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Give as you live (GAYL)
"Give as you live" really is a pain and cost free way of raising money for charities while surfing the web and using internet shopping and commerce.
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How does it work, where's the catch? https://www.giveasyoulive.com/how-it-works
Give as you live was founded by philanthropist and digital marketer Polly Gowers. They negotiate small commissions with businesses that sell via the internet (e.g. Amazon but with many others) to encourage GAYL members to spend with them. The commissions vary from 0.5% to 5% of the purchase value and sometimes, with a new car or home insurance policy the payment can be as high as £20.
When you sign up with GAYL you select the charity that you want to support (ie St John's) and the donations you earn are paid directly to 'your' charity. There are thousands of businesses on their list. You can install a 'Donation Reminder' in your computer browser to remind you when you are on a website that is part of the system. Once you have completed a purchase on a participating website you get a thank you email with the amount raised and your personal grand total.
They have a referral scheme to encourage us to spread the word, so if you would like to give it a try email the Parish Office (office@stjohnmenston.org.uk) and we will send you a link that means they will pay an extra £5 to St John's once you have joined and generated £5 yourself.
They also have a system similar to JustGiving (but at lower cost to the charity) where anybody can set up a donations page for a sponsored event, run etc in favour of St John's.