Help St Margaret's church, Northam Raise the Roof

by Descant in Bideford, England, United Kingdom

Total raised £175

 
Gift Aid
+ est. £33.75
£250,381 target 23 days left
0% 7 supporters
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 5th March 2025 at 9:12am

The existing roof is in dire need of urgent repairs with recent storms & gales having caused damage, missing slates and water penetration.

by Descant in Bideford, England, United Kingdom

The Church

 St Margaret's Church building is Grade 1 listed and dates from 1250 and is set within a beautifully maintained churchyard.. It commands an excellent position overlooking the sea with views of Lundy Island in the distance. The 170 feet high tower is early 15th-century and houses eight bells, which are rung for weddings and occasionally for funerals. Because of its prominent position overlooking Bideford Bay St Margaret’s was used for centuries as a guide for shipping in the Bristol Channel. 

The Beautiful west window seen in the recital videos represents the Good1738693059_sanctuary_st_margaret_of_antioch_northam.jpg Shepherd and Apostles and is in memory of Margaret Wren 1862.

A NEW CHURCH ROOF

Consultants have now advised the PCC that the roof tiles over the Chancel and Lady Chapel need replacing.

It is estimated that this will cost at least £250,381

A small group is looking at how this money could be raised. We are seeking your support for this work and to answer some of your questions.

Why do we need a new roof now? Why can’t we live with this?

This will prolong the longevity of the Church and allow us to remain open, providing a place of Comfort to our local community.

The roofs over the main aisle and north aisle were replaced in 2020 but there was not enough money to replace tiles over all the church. 

Recent strong storms and gales have caused damage with missing slates and water penetration over the chancel and lady chapel roofs, resulting in a bill of £3,000 for spot repairs.  these are expensive but fail to stop the over-all problem. If we don’t update the existing roof in these areas it is highly likely that at some point in the not-too-distant future, a gale will remove further tiles, and the roof will pose a hazard from falling debris and the church will be unable to be used.

 How are we going to raise £250,381? Surely our congregation can’t be expected to pay for this?

 Unfortunately, the £250,381 cost is well beyond the means of the small regular congregation and we are therefore appealing to a wider audience to help us preserve this historic building for future generations. part of our on-going fundraising includes 4 recitals a year.

What other sources of funding are being looked at?

We are exploring the possibility of grants from various charities but as a general rule they would expect us to have raised about half the amount needed before they would help. We will seek donations from organisations which use the Church buildings. We also plan to mount Church events to raise funds.

Singing to raise the roof

I have sung in church choirs from a very young age.  The youngest of 5 children I grew up in a small Staffordshire village.  Maybe not surprisingly, with a mother who was both organist and choir mistress and a father, who was a Lay reader and captain of the bell ringers, church and church music played an important role in my upbringing and I can still recall many anthems, settings of psalms and hymns including descants without looking at the music.  

When I moved to Devon I was delighted to be welcomed into the choir at St Margaret's.  Now I organise 4 recitals a year to  kelp fundraise.

 We would appreciate any donation you feel able to make.

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