St Anne's gets lottery boost

St Anne's gets lottery boost


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18 June 2009

Over the last five years St Anne’s, Edgeside, working in partnership with statutory and voluntary agencies, has worked hard to bring a greater range of activities and services into the area.

It has now been awarded a grant of over £250,000 by the Big Lottery Fund Community Buildings Programme for its scheme “The Bridge: Building Bridges in the Edgeside Community”.

The grant will fund building work to transform the interior of the church into a flexible space for the benefit of the whole community. Pews will be replaced by chairs. A new under floor heating system will be introduced, along with a range of environmental measures to reduce the church’s carbon footprint. The nave will be converted into a main auditorium and a suite of rooms. A staged area will be used for performances of drama, dance and music. A new kitchen, meeting room, toilets, office and store will help the facility cater for the needs of the community.

The church has been working with architects Anthony Grimshaw Associates for the last three years to devise a scheme, which will provide the flexible space, but retain the character of the building. Work last year, made possible in part, with a grant from Manchester Diocese Parish Mission Fund saw a new entrance made in the north porch and a ramp for disabled access. This was stage one of a much larger vision, which can now be carried forward.

Rod Bevan, vicar of St Anne’s says, “The existing building has been a constraint on the range of activities on offer. The new facilities made possible with this grant will allow us to build on what we already do, and give us the opportunity for new initiatives in the realms of leisure, health and wellbeing, adult education, family learning, and social welfare. Our vision is for the church to be a centre serving our community, offering something to all ages”.


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