St Mary’s church is an old and important building at the heart of our village community. The building dates back to 1300 and its evolution and development over the last 700 years also reflects the changing fortunes of this small South Cambridgeshire village.
At the end of June we discovered that the entire lead roof to the church had been stolen, leaving the church open to the elements. After reporting the theft to the police and our insurers, the most pressing concern was to get the church watertight, and we were fortunate to find a roofing company who understood our problem and came within 48 hours to start work on a temporary felt roof.
Unfortunately our insurance policy will only cover a small proportion of the cost of a permanent replacement roof, and we are therefore faced with finding approximately 75% of the overall cost for re-roofing the church. We are a small village of only 250 houses, and will not be able to fund all of this from within the local community. But the church is a nationally important historic building, Listed at Grade I, and its future survival is important not just for our village, but as part of our shared cultural heritage. We therefore need to seek financial support from others who share our interest in historic structures and buildings that are a focus for rural communities.