Age is taking its toll and the church is now in need of significant and expensive repairs. Our five- yearly architect’s report has identified that repairs estimated at £505,050 are needed, of which £359,650 are required to be carried out within 12 months (this excludes VAT, professional fees and scaffolding costs which will increase the overall cost significantly). If you are able to help and would like to make a donation towards these repairs, and help to save our church please go to our website and click the support button: https://www.longstrattonandpilgrimteam.co.uk/our-churches/st-marys-church-long-stratton/building-repairs-project/

The roof on the north side needs completely stripping and re-laying, many of the windows need major repairs, the spire is split and some of the walls are damp and decaying. Thieves also stole lead from the roof of the extension last year which will cost several thousand pounds to replace. 

St. Mary’s is also very expensive to keep open. Each parish is allocated a sum of money it needs to pay to contribute towards the cost of clergy salaries, pensions and housing etc. For St. Mary’s it is £2,100 per month, and the latest electricity bill was almost £1,500 (mostly heating costs). The congregation struggles to meet the running costs alone and there are no funds in reserve.

The Parochial Church Council (PCC) is working hard to obtain grants to fund the repairs. Often it takes many months to receive a decision from a grant application. Phase 1 aims to get the building watertight to prevent further damage and deterioration and to replace the extension roof. Following some successful grant applications, work will start soon to replace the stolen lead with a material less attractive to thieves.

Some grant providers require evidence of the amount of money raised locally before they will support us financially. Therefore, we are asking for the help of the people of Long Stratton to restore the church to a good state of repair. If you are able to help, please give a donation, large or small, and if you are a taxpayer, you can Gift Aid your donation which enables St. Mary’s to claim 25p for every £1 donated from HMRC at no extra cost to you.

We will update this page periodically to show progress with achieving our funding targets and news about repairs.

Thank you

Chrissy Briggs and Steve Dugdale (Churchwardens)