North-East News
Appeal launched to smarten up church centre
8:00am Thursday 2nd September 2010
A CHURCH is launching a new cash crusade to spruce up its parish centre so the outside matches the recently redeveloped interior.
The former church hall of St Paul’s, Spennymoor, reopened as the St Paul’s Centre in June after a £450,000 revamp.
Its new facilities, which include a chill-out room, community cafe and social enterprise units, are proving extremely popular with the community, and requests by groups and individuals to hire space have poured in.
In August, the centre hosted its first wedding reception in the main function hall and there have been many children’s parties and other events in recent weeks.
However, despite the appealing interior decor and new facilities, the exterior of the centre looks no different to anyone passing by.
A cut in funding meant the original project, which would have included adding a second floor, had to be scaled back.
This meant all the money that the church had secured was spent refurbishing the interior and no cash was available to improve the outside of the building.
The windows and fascia boards are in a poor state and in desperate need of replacement and graffiti needs to be removed from the walls.
Chairwoman of the St Paul’s Centre, the Rev Lynda Gough, said: “The local community have been really supportive of the Centre and have been so generous in their donations to help us get where we are. It’s just so heartbreaking to see the outside looking so rundown when the interior is warm and welcoming for people using the centre.
“That’s why I’m appealing to people to help us raise more funds to see the project through to completion.”
To get involved in the fundraising campaign or make a donation call Rev Gough on 01388-815471 or send a cheque, made payable to St Paul’s (Spennymoor) Centre, to 30 Jubilee Close, Spennymoor, County Durham DL16 6GA.