A CASH windfall is set to open doors for a Rugby church as it aims to knock down walls to welcome in the community.
In the month of its 25th anniversary, St Peter and St John’s Church in Clifton Road has landed just over £45,000 from WREN’s FCC Community Action Fund – its first major funding boost since launching a campaign last year to re-configure its building as a community resource.
Project Welcome is a plan to open up the original front entrance of the church – known locally as PJs – which has been blocked up since 1984 when a fire destroyed the original church hall.
The WREN grant will fund phase one of the project – the building of a new toilet block – with the ultimate aim of transforming part of the church into a new community hall for the Clifton area.
PJs minister Rev Sheila Bridge said: “PJs is the only community building in this part of Rugby. We have a great community space that we know people would like to make better use of. But the toilets are horrible and the entrance is unwelcoming.
“Thanks to WREN, we hope to reach our fundraising target of £100,000 for the first phase by September. It’s 25 years this month since St Peter’s merged with St John’s.
“Many local people have fond memories of the church before the fire, so it’s very fitting that we should mark this by re-positioning the church at the heart of the community, which is where it should be.”
Joe Newby, WREN’s grant manager for Warwickshire, said: “We’re delighted to be supporting St Peter and St John’s Project Welcome and pleased our funding will help to revitalise this valuable and much needed community space.
“WREN is always happy to consider grant applications for projects that benefit local communities and we’re looking forward to this one having a positive impact very soon.”
WREN is a not-for-profit business that awards grants for community projects from funds donated by FCC Environment through the Landfill Communities Fund.
Building work for phase one is expected to start in the Autumn and take around three months to complete. Fundraising will continue for Phase 2 – re-opening the main door and improving the interior layout – and for Phase 3 – for a smaller community room on the first floor.
Friends of PJs are invited to a celebratory service on Sunday (June 25) at 10.30am to mark the Project Welcome milestone, followed by a ‘bring and share’ lunch. Special guest will be the Rev John Burniston, who was Vicar at the time of the merger.
