£20,000 to save

church’s spire

All Saints’ Church at Rockwell Green is sending out an SOS – to ‘Save Our Spire’ by helping to raise £20,000 for urgent work.

The wooden shingles covering the slender spire perched on the tower have reached the end of their lives. Following strong winds, they have started to fall off, causing a serious safety hazard as well as laying the tower, with its six bells, open to water ingress and subsequent damage.

Considerable money has been spent on making minor repairs but now the Parochial Church Council (PCC) has decided that make do and mend cannot continue.

The PCC does not want to remove the spire, which was one option put forward, as it is considered a landmark across the whole Wellington area.

Various remedies have been investigated and the PPC considers the best viable option is to make use of steeplejacks, which will save the high cost of scaffolding.

All the shingles will be removed, the Archer windows will be repaired and special long-life cedar shingles – guaranteed for 40 years – will restore the spire to looking as good as it did in 1907 when it was erected.

The Save Our Spire (SOS) appeal has been started and £20,000 will have to be raised urgently to get the work done by the winter. The church will also be applying to various bodies for grants.

The first SOS event has been held and saw the church grounds turned into a lively open-air cafe for two events – an afternoon strawberry tea and an evening strawberry and Prosecco evening. More fundraising activities have been planned and the next one is a summer fete which will start at 10am on Saturday, August 14.