Students defend church from vandals

STUDENTS in Warrington have helped to protect a local church from persistent vandal attacks.
A group of carpentry and joinery students from Warrington Collegiate have helped to build a set of wooden doors to combat vandalism at St Mark’s Church, Dallam.
For months the open porch area at the back of the church has suffered from vandalism and anti-social behaviour. Groups of people have been congregating in the porch and causing problems.
Police have stepped up patrols in the area and are taking positive action. But local officers wanted to help the church come up with a long-term solution to the problem.
Neil Jukes, a Cheshire Police crime reduction advisors, said: “I regularly visit premises across Warrington that are targeted by criminals. Sometimes it is actually the design of the premises that are a major factor.
“The church was keen to develop a long-term crime reduction strategy with local police to try and reduce the number of incidents. I visited the church and looked at the sort of problems they had been experiencing. It was clear that a long-term solution to the problem could be to build doors that could block off the open porch area at the back. This would then remove the incentive for people to congregate in that area.”
Mr Jukes contacted the collegiate to ask if they would like to get involved in a special crime reduction project – that would not only benefit the church but also the students.
A group of full-time site carpentry and joinery students were asked to do the work and it was agreed incorporate the project into the students’ coursework and class curriculum so it could count towards their final marks.
The brief was to create a set of wooden fire doors that could be attached to the open porch area at the back of the church.
Over a period of four weeks the students put their joinery and construction skills to the test, supervised by tutors and the doors have now been fitted.
Bernard Casey, head of the Carpentry and Joinery Department at the college said: “The students really enjoyed the project and benefited by being able to demonstrate some of the practical skills they have learnt so far.
“We are all very proud of what they have achieved and the professional way in which they have conducted themselves.”
Picture shows the student team at the rear of the church