Inauguration of The Friends of Forncett St Peter’s Church

On 30th October St Peter’s church windows shone – inside, there were lots of people, nibbles, wine, raffle and even heating! The reason - to celebrate the launch of the ‘Friends of St Peter’s’ – a network of people willing to support the restoration and revival of the church building. While the church is loved it is desperately in need of work to save it from imminent deterioration and to secure its future. At the launch, this was the key message: the church is an architectural wonder and a witness to the past of Forncett St Peter – it is our church and it is up to us to save it. The current problems are vast and serious: daylight is visible through parts of the roof and bits of stone are about to fall off the east end of the church; gutters and downpipes are failing. An exciting project of major restoration is ahead, including plans for a kitchen, toilet and new heating to reinstate this ancient church as a focus for our vibrant community.

The work will cost £450,000. It seems daunting, but with grants and the essential support of the community we can do it! That’s why the Friends’ group was created and what a start, with an outstandingly generous donation and a total of £1,125 gifted as a result of the evening. We are also delighted to announce a tremendous grant of £1000 from the Norfolk Churches Trust (NCT). A huge ‘Thank You’ to Friends and the NCT - this great boost at the start of our campaign means the emergency work, planned for this winter to make the building watertight, can get underway.

 

Join us as a Friend of St Peter’s. There is no membership fee; instead, Friends are invited to help the project in any way they can – volunteer at an event, offer ideas or skills for a fundraising activity, make a monetary contribution, promote the use of the church as a community space. There is no regular commitment, no contribution is too small and no location is too far – we even have a supporter in Brazil! Please talk to the Churchwarden Gilly Barnes 01508 813055