Church adds a £330,000 extension (From Herald Series)

Church adds a £330,000 extension

9:58am Tuesday 8th March 2011 in Wantage/Grove By Ben Wilkinson

A VICTORIAN church is having a £330,000 extension built after a ten-year fundraising effort by churchgoers.

Work has started at Grove Methodist church, in Main Street, to provide a new meeting room, a large kitchen, toilets, disabled access, and a storage area.

The church, which has 50 members, received about £160,000 in grants.

Peter Hemmings, chairman of the fundraising committee, said: “We have a small to middle-size village church in Grove which has been there since 1890.

“But as the village has grown, the chapel has not really. And we are somewhat hampered by what we can do as we only have the body of the church in which to carry out all our activities.”

Fundraising for the extension started about ten years ago.

Mr Hemmings, 71, of Vicarage Close, said: “We have done a great variety of activities. We launched it with a marathon Bible-reading session when over the period of two-and-a-half days, we read the entire Bible from cover to cover.”

The congregation also held concerts, craft fairs and monthly coffee mornings.

Mr Hemmings added: “It is quite a relief to see something happening now.”

The facilities will be available for community groups such as Rainbow Guides and other children’s groups.

Rev Martin Smithson, the minister at Grove for about six years, said: “The new space will make it possible for activities for different groups to take place concurrently, and the whole premises will be much more flexible for use by both the church and the local community.

“We are certainly going to be open to new groups coming along and making use of it.”

Construction will take about six months.

Frank Parnell, chairman of Grove Parish Council, said: “It will provide facilities for the whole community, not just the Methodist church. It is a wonderful effort from them.

“I look forward to seeing it completed and in use.”