A FRIENDS group has been set up to help secure the future of Middleton-in-Teesdale’s parish church, which closed for two years after the discovery the of dry-rot.
The Friends of St Mary’s (FOSM) was created by resident Jennifer Smith in May when the Parochial Church Council (PCC) voted to close the Grade II-listed church.
She said: “I panicked. The PCC said they didn’t have the energy or youth to do fundraising or the job of setting up a group. I thought, ‘why can’t I’?”
The group is yet to be formalised by the PCC, something Ms Smith hoped would have been done at their next meeting on Tuesday, August 23.
She said: “We have a lot of people who just want to
help. We have about 11 people interested in being part of the group with the youngest being in his 20s and the oldest in their eighties. There are more people that will just turn up and help with various events.
“These are people who aren’t necessarily church-goers, but who are interested in keeping the church open for the heritage and tradition.”
An appraisal carried out by the Churches Conservation Trust, commissioned by the PCC and supported by Teesdale Action Partnership and Durham County Council, published this month states the preferred option for St Mary’s is to re-open as a “festival church” combined with other uses
The report states the FOSM group can support the PCC in the short term, initially working to develop a fundraising plan for the floor repair works, then to support the “festival church” application.
It could then consult with the community, looking at how to expand the building’s use and audience. .
As a festival church St Mary’s would not be used for weekly worship but would be used for festivals and events such as baptisms, weddings and funerals.
Ms Smith said: “We had some ideas including events like a gin or beer festival.
“We would come to some terms and set out what the PCC would be happy for us to do.”
She added: “But the church doesn’t have a floor and it needs a lot of money to repair it.”
The friends group has already organised fundraising coffee mornings to help boost the coffers to repair the
floor. It would cost about £79,000 for a replacement suspended timber floor or £105,500 for stone flags – not including labour.
The coffee mornings are being held in the Masonic Hall, in Middleton-in-Teesdale, on September 24, October 22, November 12 and December 17, all starting at 10am. The Friends group is also hosting an open meeting on Wednesday, August 31, at the Masonic Hall in Middleton-in-Teesdale, at 7pm.
Ms Smith said: “We are very much dependent on other venues at the moment, but have lots of ideas for fundraising and events in St Mary’s when it is possible.”
Anyone interested in becoming a member can email [email protected] or phoning 01833 640192 or via social media at https:
//bit.ly/3pur9gA
