St Mary’s Church, Wendens Ambo Receives £19,000 Grant from Benefact Trust
Press release issued by the Wendens Ambo Parochial Church Council:
Wendens Ambo Parochial Church Council has been awarded a generous grant of £19,000 from the Benefact Trust in support of its ‘Serving All’ project at St Mary the Virgin Church.
This significant funding will help deliver essential new facilities, including an accessible toilet and a small servery, integrated with care and sensitivity into the Grade I listed building. These upgrades are central to the church’s plan to become more inclusive and better serve the wider community—not only as a place of worship but also as a welcoming space for cultural, social and educational events.
The new amenities will greatly improve accessibility, especially for those with mobility challenges, families with young children, and older parishioners. Improved pathways and lighting are also included in the scheme to ensure safe and comfortable access all year round.
Churchwarden Susan Watson states “The PCC is grateful to the Benefact Trust for recognising the value of this project. With over £130,000 already raised through donations and grants, this latest contribution marks a crucial step forward as the project approaches the construction phase, planned to start in late summer or early autumn.”
For further information or to support the project, please contact the PCC at wendenheritage.org.uk .
Background
These improvements are part of a project started in 2017under the leadership of Revd Tim Hardingham, tragically killed while out cycling with his family in October 2020. The ancient church building, believed to date from about 1080, has a number of interesting medieval features, including an ornate wooden chancel screen dating from about 1500.
The work to develop the church as a community asset and preserve it for future generations has to comply with a wide range of conditions imposed by government and local and national regulatory bodies which demand specialist skills and supervision.
Even with this grant from the Benefact Trust the church still has to raise about £50,000 and is applying to a number of other bodies who support the preservation of our national heritage.
In the news
Two local newspapers, The Saffron Walden Reporter and the Walden Local, have featured our recent grant, you can click on the links below: