The St Saviour’s “Heat & Seat” project at Harden aimed to raise c.£70,000 to replace the antiquated, inefficient cast iron pipes with a modern underfloor heating system. In addition, since it was necessary to remove the pews to accommodate the new heating system, the opportunity was taken to replace them with comfortable upholstered chairs.
Approximately 55% of the total cost of £74,000 was raised by releasing the capital from a number of old trust funds. A successful appeal was then held and within a few short weeks c.£31,000 was raised, enabling the work to be completed in time to provide a warm, welcoming church for the 2012/13 winter.
The appeal figure included grants of nearly £7,000 from charitable bodies such as the YHCT. As well as the significant financial boost from these grants, there was the invaluable encouragement from knowing that others were also supporting us. In addition, £4,000 of the appeal total came from reclaiming tax on gift-aided donations – underlining the value of this type of giving.
By Michael Richardson
Harden, St Saviour’s Church