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THANK YOU: A delighted Reverend Roger Scoones.
It’s a miracle!
Kirsty Elleray10/ 1/2007
IN just under a month the Stockport community has raised £42,000 to save St Mary's in the Marketplace.
And Reverend Roger Scoones would like to say a big thank you to everyone who helped raise the cash.
He said: "I would like to say thank you to the Stockport Express, residents and companies in the area for recognising our plight and coming to the rescue of the church.
"The generosity has extended from pence to thousands of pounds, from children going carol singing to companies donating large sums. It is really wonderful. The goodwill expressed by these donations is a clear indication of how much St Mary's means to the community."
The total amount that had to be raised by December 31 was £42,000 to secure an English Heritage grant to start major restoration work on this historic building and its tower. This work is now set to start later in the year.
The 58-year-old reverend, who has been at the church for 10 years, said: "It is fantastic that the money has been raised, the appeal was a great success and I am relieved the restoration work will start soon.
"St Mary's is not just an old church, it is an integral part of the community and we will be thinking of how to get more people using the church, not just for services, while this work is taking place. I wouldn't want to think that we are just saving it for savings sake - that it will be used by lots of groups of the community."
The work on the tower and other parts of the building that could pose a danger is just the first phase of work on the church.
Rev Scoones said: "This grant will only take care of a small part of the total work that is needed on the historic church, which could run into millions. But we are just focusing on this area for now and will deal with that issue when it arises.
"I would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year and I hope that it is a new era in the life of the parish church of St Mary's in the Marketplace."
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10/01/2007 at 11:57
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15/01/2007 at 09:51