Bristol church in £4m renovation appeal

An appeal for £4 million will be launched this weekend to help renovate community buildings at a church in Stoke Bishop.

The former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord George Carey, will visit the north Bristol neighbourhood to get the Beyond 150 project under way at St Mary Magdalene's.

To mark next year's 150th anniversary of the church's foundation, the church and its surroundings will be completely renovated.

About £1m is needed to restore the interior of St Mary's itself, while a further £3m will be spent on building completely new rooms next door.

Expected to be used for pre-school classes, exercise classes, meetings and wedding receptions, the church authorities are keen for the rooms to be used by the whole community.

The congregation at the church in Mariners Drive has already raised more than £300,000 towards the total. Through grants and local contributions the church now hopes to raise the remainder over the next four years.

The new buildings have been designed by Kelvin Sampson, an architect based in Amersham, Buckinghamshire. Since 2004 his firm JBKS has worked on 30 projects – mostly churches – around the south of England.

Subject to planning permission for the community buildings, work on St Mary's is expected to begin in January 2010, with the project hoped for completion by 2012.

Lord Carey, who retired from his role as the 103rd Archbishop of Canterbury in 2002, is acting as the patron for the Beyond 150 project.

He said: "I cannot but think that this project will put the church right at the centre of the community, because the resources are there to make that happen.

"It is striking, in fact, how Stoke Bishop needs it."

Beyond 150 spokeswoman Sam Kirby, 44, of Westbury-on-Trym, said: "Beyond 150 will greatly enhance what is now available in Stoke Bishop and surrounding areas.

"We hope the new facilities will bring our community together and be relevant for everyone.

"Stoke Bishop needs more community facilities and the new buildings will give much-needed space crossing the boundaries between the sacred and the secular."

A series of fundraising events for the project will start with a jazz concert by Bristol band The Blue Notes on Saturday, April 25, followed by an evening with entertainer Fred Wedlock on Friday, May 22.

For any more information on the appeal call the church office on 0117 968 7449.