Parishioners sing praises of revamp

A CHURCH has officially re-opened after undergoing an £80,000 refurbishment.

St John’s Church, in Trent Vale, staged an open day for the community to view the results of a five-month project to improve the 17th century building.

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   DELIGHTED: Team rector Sandy Dutton with the church’s new oak chalice which was made by carpenter Jay Knight. Pictures: Malcolm Hart

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   RE-OPENED: St John’s Church.

The 30-strong congregation has been meeting at the St John’s Centre, on the A34 opposite the church, for services since the building closed on February 6.

They were able to take part in their first communion service at the refurbished building yesterday.

As part of the project, rows of pews have been removed and the floor has been levelled off to make the church more accessible for disables people.

Work to install improved lighting, a disabled toilet and a new kitchen area – which has been created using wood from the old pews – has also been completed.

Project leader Sam Johnson, aged 39, of Waterhayes, said: “The whole aim of the project was for us to become a disabled-friendly church. It used to be difficult for wheelchair users because all of our pews were mounted on a raised floor so that is the first thing we wanted to do.”

The church, which will celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2014, won a £55,000 grant from the Coalfields Regeneration Trust for the project and parishioners raised a further £25,000 through a variety of events.

Sam added: “We ran out of money for the last part of the project so work is still needed on the vestry and the organ but it’s work in progress.

“At first, we underestimated how much work there was to do cand at times I didn’t think it would ever be finished but I am more than pleased with the finished result.”

Many of the original features of the church, including the stained glass windows, have been retained and new beams have been introduced.

Church warden Janet Capewell, aged 58, of Trentham, said: “Now the floor is level we want to utilise the extra space we have to welcome community groups here.

“St John’s Centre is fully booked most of the time so we want to be able to offer our space out at the church too.”

Contractors tried to recycle as many materials as possible for the work at the Grade II listed building in order to keep the costs down.

The builders even managed to carve a brand new communion chalice out the old solid oak floor which will now be used in regular communion services.

Team rector Sandy Dutton said: “The transformation of the church is incredible.

“It has been a long journey to get to this stage, but I feel it just shows the church’s commitment to becoming a vital part of the community.

“It has been hard at times, and we have had a difficult time raising the money to fund the project, but the finished product is a testament to our dedication to our faith.”