The drawing above illustrates the new extension that is planned, and the model below shows the proposed extension together with the existing building. The model has been exhibited at several events all around the parish. The existing main body of the church is on the right, but the flat roofed entrance area and the tower are all new and replace the current small entrance porch. The new extension includes on the ground floor disabled toilet facilities, vestry and new entrance plus storage area. On the first floor a meeting room and further storage areas under the roof. The work will also include the installation of the John Cunningham Memorial Bell.

UPDATE ON ST. MARY’S EXTENSION FUND – 15th March 2008:

St Mary's representatives visited St Nicholas and All Saints on 9th March for the St Mary's Gift Day. It was a great success with bricks and roof tiles being 'sold' in good numbers. In fact nearly £6,000 was raised which pretty well brings the fund up to its target. Well done to all!

UPDATE ON ST. MARY’S EXTENSION FUND – 27th January 2008:

(Information taken from St Mary's February Missive.)

Cost:
Total Building Cost £266,575 (inc fees and VAT)
Speakers etc. for sound system (estimate) £1,000
Bell (estimate) £7,500
Carpets (estimate) £1,500

Project Total [ inc vat ] £276,575

To be safe we should allow a £10,000 contingency on top of the project total which will be held by the church in case of unforeseen problems. The internal decoration of the building has been removed from the contract at the moment, as the cost seems rather high (£5,000). We have the option to add this back in half way through the build. With the contingency and the internal decoration cost, we have a final figure of £291,575.

The only other items that will need consideration are furniture both for the vestry and for the meeting room. The furniture could be bought later or part funded from any unused contingency.

Extension Fund
The Extension fund account at the end of 2007 = £263,400. This does not include a donation of £10,000 that was allocated to the fund in December 2007, but hasn’t yet been transferred into the account. We therefore have £273,400 available at this present time. Our deficit therefore, currently stands at just under £20,000.

We have been promised £7,000 in loans, however, we will not be taking these up at this stage. They give us some level of security, but we are hoping that the funds can be raised as we need them, rather than relying on loans. The proposed start date for the extension is the end of February.

The following letter was circulated to the congregations of the Parish on Sunday 9th December 2007:

News about the Extension to St Mary's Church (December 2007):

St Mary's was originally built in 1869 as a combined church and school. There are still some local residents who attended the school before its closure in 1955. As a church within the Parish of St Nicholas Harpenden, St Mary's continues to have a growing ministry to children in the locality and with an expanding congregation we are urgently in need of more space to cater for this. Just two extra rooms will make a huge difference. At present one children's group has to cram into the small kitchen on Sunday mornings.

Many years ago, the District Church Committee began researching the possibilities for providing more space given the many constraints on what was feasible such as the limited amount of land available, having to build sympathetically in relation to a Victorian church and of course, the need to get planning permission. Various schemes were considered and a few years ago a design was chosen, which included the John Cunningham Memorial Bell to commemorate a local war hero. The necessary planning permissions were granted by the Local Authority and the Diocese and a Parish wide Fundraising Appeal was launched.

Thanks to the commitment, imagination and enthusiasm of many people the fundraising has gone very well but during this time building costs and especially the cost of raw materials hae increased considerably. In order to reduce the cost of the project the architect was asked to simplify the design and the whole round of gaining the various levels of approval and permissions had to be repeated before the work could be put out to tender.

The tender having been received, our Quantity Surveyor has given generously of his time going through them with a fine tooth comb to see if any further savings could be made and where the project was over specified and we now have a tender which we feel confident with and meets our criteria. In the light of the continuing inflation in building costs, St Mary's District Council and the Parochial Church Council have decided that a commitment should be given in order to secure the price.

So far in excess of £258,000 has been raised and with a worst case estimate of a total of £299,000 for the project, we need to find a further £41,000 as quickly as possible. We are hoping that we will manage to reduce some of our VAT liability as a local company have generously offered to look at this aspect for us. In this last week £10,500 of this shortfall has been met through a few gifts. It is an exciting moment.

Many of you will know that we have a shortfall in our every day Parish funding so increasing our regular giving remains a high priority. Our Stewardship visitors and committee are working hard on this. The St Mary's extension remains a key Parish priority in our 'Thinking Bigger' stewardship programme as we plan the continuing mission and ministry of the Parish.

So we ask you please to pray about and reflect upon this letter as you consider your response to the need for donations to the St Mary's Extension Fund and whether you are able to increase your regular giving. It is a time to be as generous as we can to match the time and skill that so many people already contribute both to this project and the wider ministry of this Parish.

(signed by: Rev'd Christopher Futcher, Rev'd Jenny Pavyer & Rev'd Elizabeth Inall)