A CELEBRATION and rededication ceremony was held on November 4, at St Alban’s Church in Beaworthy after a string of repairs was finally completed.

Parishioners and friends of the small rural church celebrate the completion of their substantial roof repair project.

Led by the Bishop of Exeter the Rt Rev Robert Atwell, supported by the rector Rev Jane Lucas, the joyful service culminated with the Bishop’s rededication of the church.

It has been a long fought battle for St Alban’s Church. Five years ago, the Grade II listed church was designated as ‘at risk of closure’. A tower repair used all the church’s reserves, the building was suffering from a lack of maintenance with many leaks and the congregation was dwindling. Bats also proved to be a major issue, as work could not be done whilst they nested inside the church.

The church’s needs luckily coincided with the launch of the ‘Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme’, run by the department for culture, media and sport. The parochial church council’s second application to the scheme in 2016 secured £73,900 towards the reroofing of the church and the installation of new drains. Devon Historic Churches Trust then gave £2,000 and more than £8,000 was raised from the Cooper Legacy, the ‘Rural Churches Repair Fund’ investors in Devon and the parish’s own fund raising.

Thanks to this fundraising, new nave and chancel roofs and renovated timbers have transformed the building. The church has received a ‘spruce up’ — the nave ceiling boards are now white, as they would have been in Georgian times, and the walls have been redecorated.

The church is also now watertight, lighter and brighter. A ‘facelight’ for the porch, funded by the Devon Historic Churches Trust, has produced a far more welcoming entrance to the church for congregation and visitors alike.

Through this work, more has been discovered about the origins of the church. It was previously believed it had been extensively rebuilt in the 1870s, however, as archaeological work was carried out during the drainage installation it was confirmed that the church is actually of Norman origin, with medieval walls and tower. 1870 saw the replacement of the windows and wall heightening as the roof and tower were rebuilt. The font is said to be ‘definitely medieval’.

Since the renovations have been complete the church’s congregation has steadily grown. Luckily new arrivals to the villages have been churchgoers and others have also started coming to the church. Not only is there now a growing weekly congregation for the church, but the wider community are now able to visit and enjoy regular coffee and cake drop-ins which take place in the church. They are also able to act as a local polling station.

Rev Lucas said: “It has been a challenge but in God we trust. I want to say to others facing similar circumstances; don’t give up, persevere. This really is a story of resurrection and team work.

“The end result of all this work rally is lovely and has made a huge difference. My grateful thanks go to all who have contributed to the work. The church looks amazing. Special thanks to the roof project team including Sandra Ward who really enabled all this to happen.”