Church council in Aslackby launches bid to raise £25,000 for stainless steel roof
CHURCH officials have launched a bid to raise £25,000 for a new stainless steel roof after the lead one was stolen.
The parochial church council for St Mary and All Saints’ Church in Kirkby Underwood is currently organising events as well as applying for grants to raise the money after receiving quotations for the work.
Members submitted a planning application to fix the roof to South Kesteven District Council in October. This was approved in November.
Church council secretary Tim Watson, of Stainfield Road, Kirkby Underwood, is positive about the plans, which follow the thefts in July.
He said they decided there was no point replacing the lead with lead, for it to be stolen again - which is why they have opted for stainless steel.
Mr Watson said: “It is annoying that we’ve been put in this position, but there’s not much you can do about it once it has happened.
“We are hoping the police will eventually find the perpetrators who did this.”
Lead has been used on churches and heritage buildings for centuries for its water resistance and durability, but Mr Watson has said stainless steel is just as beneficial as well as being less attractive to thieves because it is more difficult to remove and is worth less on the scrap market.
The metal that the parochial church council is planning to use would be coated in zinc. This is so the metal will become dull after a while, and look like lead after it has been in place for a few months.
A ton of scrap lead generally costs about £1,000 but the cost of repair and replacement to a church following a theft like this can run to tens of thousands - just like the work which is needed for the church in Kirkby Underwood.
The stainless steel will cost about the same as using lead.
The church council has already held fundraising events for the repairs, which has included holding a stall at the car boot and table top sale in the village hall in November. This raised £79 towards the plight.
Mr Watson said: “We are getting together a programme of fundraising for throughout the year, including one or two events such as the summer fair in June.”
Mr Watson hopes the church council will be in a position to organise for work to begin during the summer while the weather is good.
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