St Mary’s Church in Winterborne Stickland is set to become a hub of community activity once more, thanks to major improvement to the interior of the building.
A grant of £4,000 awarded by the Dorset Historic Churches Trust (DHCT) helped meet the sum required for the work, alongside £8,500 raised by the villagers of Winterborne Stickland and the church’s 40-strong‘Coffee Pot’ morning group.
The renovation included building a mezzanine bell-ringing floor in the bell tower, to accommodate the growing number of bell ringers at the church, and a new kitchen fitted in the base of the tower. The new developments are intended to make the inside of the church a more welcoming and usable space for the community and to encourage groups like ‘Coffee Pot’ to make the most of the church.
Barry De Morgan, Deanery Representative for DHCT, commented: “The Trust was delighted to be able to award this grant to St Mary’s Church, in order for the renovation work to be completed. This beautiful church has a vibrant and active community and it is fantastic that the renovation work will make the building more usable for the village.”
Reverend Alan Ryan of St Mary’s Church added: “We’d like to say a big thank you to DHCT for their generous grant and to all the parishoners for their superb fundraising efforts. Historically, church interiors were used for all kinds of functions and we’re hoping that this renovation work will help St Mary’s Church become a real focus for the community once more. The recent work to the church has enhanced the building for all those that love the spiritual and community life that St Mary’s Church brings to Winterborne Stickland.”
Steph Muir
