Church tower work to begin
Richard Cutcher • Published 10 Feb 2012 17:00
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THE £50,000 restoration of a landmark church tower can finally proceed following the completion of a mammoth fundraising effort.
'Let's get to work' was the message from the Reverend Ainsley Swift after it was announced the work at Windsor Parish Church, in High Street, can begin.
The building has been surrounded by scaffolding for more than a year.
The campaign to raise the funds has been long and included donations from the public, the Royal Borough and local businesses.
After an emotional Diamond Jubilee service on Sunday, the church confirmed work would begin on Monday, February 20, and is expected to be completed in May.
Mr Swift said: "It is great news. The tower has been a concern whether we could get working on it and get it ready for the Diamond Jubilee
because that is what we are here for. A place of worship and celebration.
"The congregation and people who have contributed have been wonderful and the businesses have been very generous. We are very grateful for their support.
"It is satisfying to know we can press ahead now and get down to it. We need a little bit more to replace the money we used at the start of the process but we have the money to get to work."
The aim of the campaign has always been to complete the project in time for the official Diamond Jubilee celebrations in June so it is poignant that in the week the country celebrated The Queen's accession to the throne, the church should announce the plans.
On Sunday, an auction of promises was held at the MacDonalds Hotel, raising £600 for the appeal, followed by a special service in the Parish Church.
David Shaw, who has led the Church Tower Appeal, said: "I am immensely pleased that we are going to get started.
We have just about raised the target to start the work but we are obviously concerned that once they get up there, there might be some extra costs. But it could go up or down."
The church's finances are also set to be boosted by a deal with Waldon Telecom, which plans to install an aerial in the tower, potentially bringing £5,000 a year into the coffers.
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