Father Andrew's Big Half for Building Beyond!

Aim

I am running The Big Half for St Peter’s, Walworth to preserve Sir John Soane’s church for worship, community heritage, & community life

On 6 September, I’m running my first-ever half marathon: The Big Half in London, from Tower Bridge to Greenwich, to raise £10,000 for St Peter’s, Walworth's 'Building Beyond: Soane Reimagined' National Lottery Heritage Fund project to open up and restore St Peter's Church at 200 year's old! I'm even taking a Sunday off church, this is so important!!

I’m raising essential match-funding for a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant supporting a £4.55 million restoration of our Grade I listed church, designed by Sir John Soane. Our overall target is £1.5m for a grant of £3m! So for every £1 donated the NLHF grant is double the amount, so if you donate £100 that is equivalent to helping unlock roughly £200 of NLHF funding! And of course if you Gift Aid your donation is worth nearly £125 + NLHF funding! This is an amazing opportunity to help unlock a major grant to restore this jewel in the crown of Walworth - one of only four Grade 1 Listed buildings in Southwark, including Tower Bridge and Southwark Cathedral!

St Peter’s has a lively and committed congregation, but we are financially poor. We serve a parish where 31% of children live in poverty. Our vibrant, inclusive church is a place of worship, welcome, hospitality, help in times of need, and community—and we want it to become more accessible and useful to the people who live around it, as well as restoring Soane's beautiful church to its full glory!

The restoration is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to care for this extraordinary building and open its story to a wider audience. It will help us improve accessibility, share the story of the church and its architecture, and create more opportunities for people to encounter Soane’s remarkable work. Most importantly, it will support the continuing worshipping life of the church and help this congregation serve its community for generations to come, becoming financially self-sustaining through the project and associated activities.

Please sponsor my first half marathon and help us unlock this vital match-funding! Every donation, large or small, will make a difference. If you are a UK taxpayer, please consider adding Gift Aid so your donation can go further.

Thank you so much! Andrew (Rector of St Peter's, Walworth)

PS the YouTube video above is from our original launch - we are now seeking to raise £1.5m for a grant of £3m from the NLHF! I haven't had time to make a new video yet!! Too busy fundraising, ministering, and training for The Big Half!!

PPS This sponsored run is for match-funding for Building Beyond: Soane Reimagined which has received a National Lottery Heritage Fund Development grant in order to apply for the Delivery Grant to do the full restoration and opening up and heritage activities plan. If we do not reach our match-funding target, all monies will be used alongside other grants for restoration and accessibility at St Peter's Church, Walworth. If the project is over-funded, monies will be used towards further building restoration and maintenance needed outside the scope of the current grant, or towards ongoing maintenance costs of the building.

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made