The "Under one roof" project

Work on replacing the roof has now begun! We do still have funds to raise to complete the project so please continue to give us your support. Many thanks to all those who have helped us get this far.

St Mary Magdalene Church and churchyard in Willen are Grade 1 listed ancient monuments by English Heritage. At present we need to replace the copper roof which is suffering from stress-cracking caused by wind-suction, with consequent risk of rainwater entry causing rotting of the roof timbers and damaging the beautiful plaster ceiling. Severe cracking of the walls in the north vestry also requires urgent attention.

We are working towards raising the necessary funding £160,000. English Heritage have promised £85,000 provided we can raise the rest of the money. We have now reached £145,000 but we still need £12,000 to reach the target. Grants either given to us or promised to us include English Heritage Lottery Funding (£85,000), Campbell Park Parish Council (£11,500), BUCKS Historic Churches and WREN (£15,000) and Garfield Weston Foundation (£10,000) and these together with smaller grants amount to £131,000. Donations and bequests amount to approx. £6,500, local fundraising a further £2,100 and the remaining £5,200 was already in a restricted church fund. We are grateful to all our supporters, both individuals who have donated privately, as well as the various trust funds that have provided larger amounts.

Rev Paul Smith receiving a cheque from two members of CPPC. Photograph coutesy of Homeground, the Campbell Park Parish Council magazine.

The church is in a prominent position on Willen North Lake and in a Conservation Area. We know many people appreciate the building and visit it for a number of reasons, individually or in groups. Therefore we are confident that many friends will want to support our efforts in seeing the project through, not only in fundraising, but also in publicity and connections with the local community. We realise that some people may not be interested in belonging to the congregation but would still like to support efforts in preserving our local piece of national heritage.

Please give generously to help us preserve this beautiful church for future generations. A payment made under Gift Aid is the most beneficial way of giving as it enables the church as a charity to recover tax from the Inland Revenue based on the amount of the gift. For a downloadable/printable donation form click on the logo below. You will need Acrobat Reader to view the form. If you do not have Acrobat Reader you can download it here.

Thank you for your support.

But you, my friends, keep on building yourselves up on your most sacred faith. Pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, and keep yourselves in the love of God, as you wait for our Lord Jesus Christ in his mercy to give you eternal life.

Jude 1.20-21