We are so grateful to all those who have donated so far and for all the efforts of those who have contributed towards raising the funds and applying for grants
This has been an immense effort and we praise God that these efforts have been rewarded and the amounts needed have become achievable.
Our May fair was a huge success and raised £2,459.32 towards our building projects. thank you to everyone who helped and contributed to the May Fair.
We are nearly there and with a little bit more fund raising we hope to have the thatched roof made watertight, the east window repaired and the organ cleaned and repaired by spring 2025.
So far:
We have permission (a faculty) to carry out works to the thatch and window
We hope to have the faculty for the organ work in June
We have been awarded 4 grants by:
o The Norfolk Churches Trust (£5000)
o Paul Bassham Charitable Trust (£2000)
o Benefact Trust (£2,500)
o The St Edmund’s Church Heritage Trust (£30,000)
·Our total fund raising to date has now reached £75,879
·We still need another £20,000 (at least) to complete all three projects.
For full details please see the attached document which includes information on how to donate to St Ed's
In detail
The East Window
The window is badly buckling, with a few cracked pieces of glass and now needs repairing, re-leading and surrounding stonework repaired.
The window was installed around 1873. It depicts two tiers of biblical scenes, with the Ascension of Christ in the upper sections and three scenes below celebrating women in the bible: the woman who washed Jesus’ feet with her hair, Mary the mother of Jesus and the Samaritan women at the well.
Reverend John Micklethwait commissioned it in memory of his mother Lady Charlotte Marianne Harriet Micklethwait. Lady Charlotte died in 1830, after the birth of her thirteenth child. She was the daughter of the first Earl of Stradbroke, in Suffolk.
Cost of works: Around £33,000 + VAT
Planned start date: Autumn 2024The Chancel Thatch
The thatch is now at the end of its useful life and has started to leak, putting at risk the inner fabric of the church. The plan is to replace the old thatch with 14 inches of Norfolk reed, and a new ridge of sedge.
At one time most churches had thatched rooves, but slowly they have been replaced with cheaper tiles. This was the case for St Edmund’s, when the nave thatch was replaced.
Now it is suggested that there are only 100 churches with thatched rooves, and most of these are in East Anglia.
Cost of works: Around £32,000
Planned start date: May/June 2024
The organ
The organ at St Edmund's Church is a fine and increasingly rare example of a Holdich small organ. It was originally installed in 1859 as both a barrel and manual instrument, but for many years has been a manual organ only. It is now in a poor state requiring extensive cleaning and repairs.The plan is to completely overhaul and clean it, with the addition of trumpet stops to improve its overall performance.
Cost of works: £29,000 + VAT
Planned start date: Winter/spring 2025
A printable, slightly expanded, version of the project update is attached for your reference.