Extensive damage to the roof, stonework and lychgate at St Mary’s will cost £50,000 to put right
A LANDMARK church in Whitchurch is well on its way to raising £50,000 for vital repairs after its community donated £5,607 across the space of just one weekend.
St Mary’s Church ran two days branded ‘gift days’ on Saturday, March 22, and Sunday, March 23, where they welcomed people into the church, informed them about the appeal for funds, and invited them to leave a donation.
Most of the money was gift aided, so the church – which stands at the busy junction of Penlline Road and Church Road – expects the total to rise to around £6,800 once they claim tax back.
“We have an inspection every five years which tells us about the condition of our building,” said Father John Davis, Ministry Area Leader for the Taff Wenallt Ministry Area, which includes St Mary’s Church.
“What we’ve discovered is just how much the stonework and some of the roof condition has deteriorated.”
A display board in the church showed the extent of the damage.
The damage includes:
- Missing tiles
- Missing slates
- Peeling paint
- Evidence of water entry
- Loose stones
- Slipped flashing on the roof
The amount of money donated is testament to the important role the church plays in the Whitchurch community.
“In the last seven years, we’ve been here for the community at the death of the monarch, at the coronation of the King, we’ve been here for remembrance, for funerals, for weddings, for christenings, for all those significant life events.
“We are here when the community feels they need us,” said Fr John.
Fr John said that, following the pandemic, the church provided a space where people would feel comfortable coming together in small groups, by hosting coffee mornings and wellbeing sessions.
“We tried to find ways of opening the doors and letting the community feel that this is their space,” he said.
During Covid, the church ran a community book exchange in their porch.
“I’d often come along and I’d see a mother and her toddler, sitting on the floor reading a book. It became a community space,” said Fr John.
They also ran an event which they called Nibbles and Natter.
“This was a chance to sit down and discuss something that people feel anxious or worried about. We took a theme that was current, in the news, and gave people the chance to talk about it from a Christian perspective,” said Fr John.
Andrew and Pearl McCabe attended the gift day on Saturday and donated to the church’s appeal.
“The church do a concert just before Christmas, and that’s superb,” said Mr McCabe. “It’s a jolly evening, singing Christmas songs.
“There is a church hall across the road. There are events there as well, and that brings people in.”
St Mary’s works in partnership with the Welsh College of Music and Drama to offer a free venue for emerging musicians to come and perform concerts.
“We let them keep whatever proceeds they raise from that. We just provide a space; the acoustics here are wonderful,” said Fr John.
As part of the gift days, visitors were invited to go on free tours of the church tower, taking in views of Cardiff and the church yard.
“The church yard is like a community park for Whitchurch. During Covid, we fitted benches for people to sit, if they didn’t feel comfortable coming into the building,” Fr John said.
The church has also started running a community gardening group in the yard.
Michael Hopkins is a Server of the Sanctuary, and is on the church’s committee.
He said the church will be running an upcoming VE Day event in the church hall.
“I think the church is important in uniting the community, and bringing them together,” said Mr Hopkins.
Jill Evans is the former rector’s warden at the church, and said the repairs are vital.
“I was baptised here, I was confirmed here. I’ve been coming all my life.
“It’s a focal point for Whitchurch,” she said.
“If you get the approach right, the money will follow.”
Fr John Davis
Fr John said that, whilst raising the money is a challenge, he is confident they will get there.
“I firmly believe that if you get the approach right, the money will follow. The money will flow if you get the welcome right,” he said.
“My first priority is not the money, it’s the connections. You build a good relationship, and if people value that relationship, they’ll support us.
“From the very smallest donation to the largest, I am equally grateful to everyone.”
Churches, cathedrals and chapels are under increasing pressure on a national scale.
In January 2025, the UK government announced that they would be extending the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, which gives grants towards VAT paid on repairs and renovations to UK-listed sites of worship.
However, the amount that can be claimed per year is capped at £25,000, and Church Times reported this month that “more than 100 Anglican churches and cathedrals are engaged in building projects that will exceed the cap”.
The report said that around 38 cathedrals and churches are carrying out work that costs more than £2 million, meaning the VAT totals at least £400,000.
St Mary’s will be relying on a number of other avenues of funding. They have received generous bequests from recently deceased parishoners, and they have specific reserves for church maintainance.
They will also be applying for grants from bodies such as the National Churches Trust.
