Ashington Parish Church has been awarded a major grant towards the renovation of its church building by Viridor Credits Environmental Company, a subsidiary of Viridor, one of the UK's largest resource and waste management companies.
Ashington Church is benefitting from a grant of £22,442 which has been awarded to pay towards the electrics and east wall repairs.
Now in the 20th week, the renovation of Ashington Church is more than half way through and is still on schedule for a spring finish, despite the dreadful weather at the beginning of January.
The intricate multi-layered flooring, with its new under-floor heating system, has been the focus for much of the work since the start of the Christmas period and during the last few weeks. Now completed and totally covered up for protection, the floor has been built up with a number of different layers including hi-tech materials and piping, and terracotta heat releasing tiles all topped by large pale coloured limestone slabs. As well as greatly improving the quality of heat available in the colder months, the new floor will add to the feeling of light and spaciousness when the church building is eventually reopened.
Alongside the work on the floor has been the insertion of a new boiler system in the Vestry, and the total rewiring of the church which is now nearing completion. The walls and ceilings are in the process of being painted, having had sections of the plaster repaired, and SGN has recently dug up Foster Lane to establish a gas supply for the heating system.
In addition to the actual overseeing of the building works, there has been a real focus on fund-raising which started in October 2008 with the Ashington congregation 'gifting' (through both donations and pledges) approximately £180,000, in a single day.
Another part of the fund raising project included applying for, and being awarded, the grant by Viridor Credits, which redistributes a proportion of money that its parent company, Viridor Waste Management Ltd, would otherwise pay as Landfill Tax. These funds support community-based projects through the Landfill Communities Fund and a proportion is awarded for restoration or renovation of buildings of historical importance, including those used for religious worship, provided they offer public access.
Peter Lewis, Building Project Coordinator for Ashington Church, says: " We are of course absolutely delighted with the award from Viridor Credits, which has been a fantastic contribution towards our fund-raising efforts. The church building belongs to our community, and we look forward to welcoming Ashington residents to into a warm and inviting church building which is there for all in the village as a sanctuary and a place to meet with God."