Garvald Church Repair Update

13/02/2019

It’s been a while since our heritage event last summer and we thought it time to share an update about repairing Garvald Church. At that meeting we said the church was needing repair, but we didn’t know the amount of work needed. Since then we secured £1,900 funding from the National Churches Trust which, with match-funding from the community council, paid for an in-depth condition survey of the building. This was carried out in the autumn by conservation-accredited architect Gareth Jones, of Pollock Hammond Partnership, who has also been involved in refurbishing the guest house at Nunraw Abbey.

We now anticipate repair costs alone of £180K and the total sum looks to be £295K once other costs, and works to improve the graveyard and install a small exhibition in the church, are included.

The repair works involve reroofing, masonry repair, repointing, rewiring and replacement heaters. The oral history project is running alongside this and several interviews have been carried out already. These will eventually be made available online and will provide material for the exhibition.

We’ve also set up a friends group called Friends of Garvald Church which has charitable status. This puts us in a better position to investigate and apply to grant awarding bodies and start fundraising – watch this space!

If you’d like to know more, help in any way, or participate in the oral history project, please get in touch using our new email: friendsofgarvaldchurch@gmail.com

Or speak to one of us working on the project: Dave Neillans, Caroline McGregor, Stephanie Leith, Jo Robertson, Phillip White, Sara Hills.