Member Article

Binfield church earns pre-Christmas boost

A church in Binfield has moved a step closer to securing the money it needs to carry out vital repair work thanks to a grant from one of the UK’s leading housebuilders.

All Saints Church has been selected to receive £1,000 as a part of Persimmon Homes Thames Valley’s Community Champions scheme.

The Persimmon Homes Community Champions scheme is a national programme where charities and groups can apply for funding up to the value of £1,000 to match money they have already raised themselves. Nationwide the company will donate a total of £750,000 this year.

The church is suffering from leaks from the roof, while water is also rising under the flagstones in the floor and cracks are evident on the outer walls.

Members of the church are hoping to raise £230,000 for phase one of the work and £750,000 to carry out the complete refurbishment.

Reverend Luke Taylor said: “We were alerted by a survey carried out at the end of last year that there were problems with the building and we have seen recent issues.

“We have done a whole host of fundraising activities from sponsored walks, a community barbecue and 10km runs but grants are vital to the money we need to raise.

“We are hugely grateful to Persimmon Homes for providing support to our quest to raise this money.”

Rachel Faulkner, sales director at Persimmon Homes Thames Valley, said: “All Saints Church is an important part of the Binfield community and we are delighted to have played a part in helping trying to repair a building which has stood for hundreds of years.”

And she urged other groups to apply for the Community Champions initiative which is open to any charity or community group which raises funds.

Rachel added: “If applicants were unsuccessful last month, we urge them to visit the Persimmon Homes website and to try again and hopefully they will become our next Community Champion.”

Organisations can apply for funding by completing a simple online form at www.persimmonhomes.com/charity

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by James Garrison .