A developer has donated £1,000 to St Mary Magdalene’s Church in Stockton Heath, Warrington, to help towards resurfacing the car park and installation of a bike rack.
David Wilson Homes’ donation will be put towards resurfacing the car park, which had fallen into disrepair due to excessive use. A brand new bike rack will also be installed to provide the community with an alternative means of visiting the church.
St Mary Magdalene’s Church is a small modern church in a large residential area. In addition to its regular church services, it’s used weekly by 15 groups who require the building to provide activities and services that meet the needs of the local community, including rainbows and brownies, dance classes and a community café.
Julie Bennion, Hall Booking Secretary at St Mary Magdalene’s Church, said: “A whole host of groups regularly use our church hall for their activities and, because of this, the car park has become worn down over time. It is potholed, loose and uneven which makes it difficult to navigate for pushchairs and wheelchair users.
“With this donation we are planning to install drainage, a tarmac surface, marked parking bays and under-surface ducting and cabling to enable possible installation of car charge points in the future.
“As well as this, we will also be looking to install bicycle storage for community members that wish to cycle to the church instead.”
Like many charities and organisations, St Mary Magdalene’s was forced to close its doors to all of its regular community groups during the pandemic. The church had to ensure that proper guidelines were followed and the venue was COVID secure for each group.
However, the pandemic also saw an improvement in communications with the groups, as they all sought to ensure each other’s safety in carrying out their activities.
Julie continued: “The work of the various groups who use the hall is incredibly important in providing opportunities for people of all ages to meet and socialise. The hall helps community cohesion, reduces isolation and helps make our local area a good place to live.
“Support and donations to charities and organisations is vital. Without such support, we would be unable to continue to provide suitable facilities for the local community to use. Without this kind of support, facilities would become outdated and unfit for purpose and we would be unable to carry out any major work.
“The Parochial Church Council of St Thomas’s and St Mary Magdalene’s Church are extremely grateful for the support and donation received.”
As well as the members of the church and the groups that use its facilities, the car park is often also used for parents on the school run and other members of the community to use as and when they may need to.
Robert Holbrook, Managing Director at David Wilson Homes North West, said: “As a leading developer, it is important that we support organisations and charities in our surrounding areas in order to leave a positive impact in the communities in which we build.
“We hope that the refurbishments carried out to the church’s exterior will have a very positive impact on the entire Appleton and wider Warrington area. The church is a beacon of community spirit and togetherness that we are proud to support.”
This donation was made through the developer’s North West Community Fund initiative, which aims to support local community projects and organisations throughout the North West.
