Appeal day a great success

April 29th, 2008 David

The sun came out on Saturday for Rev Beverley’s Church Restoration Appeal Day.

“We are delighted with the result,” reported Beverely. “Clare and I had people to chat to for the whole six hours!

“The fund now stands at £3970, plus about £875 in reclaimed tax,” explained Beverley.

“I’m now trying to get the churchyard tidied for a wedding on Saturday. On Friday the inside of the church is being cleaned and polished.”

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YouTube video of scaffolders at work

April 26th, 2008 David

With the scaffolding now nearing the top of the spire, I asked Scott, one of the scaffolders who’s been here since they first started some three weeks ago, if he would take some video, giving us a close-up of the work, as well as some panoramic views of the village.

Unfortunately, no sooner had he agreed than the clouds darkened and the heavens opened, and it turned into a typically grey and showery April afternoon.

I’ve just posted the video on YouTube, and although both Scott’s and my shaky camera work leave a lot to be desired (at least Scott has a good excuse :o), and the weather was fairly grim, I hope you’ll agree that it provides a fascinating record of the work in progess.

Simply click on the image on the right to view the seven-minute video clip.

Photo slideshow 2

Scott also took the photographs on our Slideshow 2. These were taken earlier in the week - on Tuesday 22 April, when the weather was kinder. They include some stunning photos of the village and surrounding countryside, as well as some great close-ups of the gargoyles. Click here to view them.

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Old photos added to the site

April 16th, 2008 David

We’ve just added some old photographs of Waltham and the Church to the site. Click here to view them. Clicking on any image should display a larger photograph (try clicking on the photo on the right).

Framed prints are available on any of the images. With all profits going to the Church Restoration Fund.

We’d like to create a wide collection of these images for everyone to enjoy. Please get in touch if you have any old photos you can add. And also let us know if you can add any dates or captions.

We understand that some people may be reluctant to let us copy their photos. But we will take great care of them, and return them as soon as they’re scanned. They wouldn’t be copied or sold without your permission. And the size they appear on this site means they couldn’t be printed without loosing a lot of quality.

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Notes from public meeting

April 12th, 2008 David

Notes of Public Meeting on 7th April at Waltham Village Hall – Harry Hunt Room
Re The Future of Waltham Church – Set in Stone?

Beverley opened the meeting by giving some background information on the church and advised that the problem with the spire has highlighted our dual problem of:

Repairs to the ancient building competing for time, efforts and finance.

Our desire to improve the church to suit the 21st Century ie.

1: It needs to be warm, welcoming & useful whilst keeping its ancient beauty.

2: It needs to be flexible for worship as well as for other uses. (A building that has lots of money spent on it needs to be used as often as possible.)

Beverley concluded by stating that our hope is that those who love our ancient church will help organise and support an appeal to repair and improve St Mary Magdalene church for the future.

A presentation was then shown and talked through by Shuna George, details of which can be supplied.

Read the rest of this entry »

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Work starts…

April 3rd, 2008 David

The scaffolders finally arrived yesterday - Wednesday 2nd April.

The latest estimate for how long it’s likely to take to finish the scaffolding is three and a half weeks.

There will be four separate towers at each corner of the church. There will also be scaffolding inside the tower. But it doesn’t seem as though there will be any need for scaffolding inside the church itself.

We’re planning to put a banner high up on the scaffolding showing our website address - www.SaveOurSpire.org.uk.

We’re hoping people may see this and visit the site. And may even be tempted to make a donation to the church repair fund.

Although the cracked spire is covered by insurance, we still need to raise more than £35,000 for other repairs. So perhaps the publicity created by the earthquake damage might help us raise awareness. And help save one of Leicestershire’s most historic buildings.

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