Renovation Update: December 2022

Wishing all our friends a very Happy Christmas and a peaceful and positive year ahead!

The work has been slow in our Phase 2 this year, but we are moving forward, and the Chapel is now re-roofed, and beautifully pointed with lime mortar. The foundations are re-secured and, crucially, we are connected to both water and drainage mains!

Inside, the false ceiling has been removed and the floor taken up,  the extensive rotten timbers have been removed, and underpinning created where necessary. Re-wiring, underfloor insulation with sheep wool (what else here in the Pennines) and pipes for a new heating system are currently being laid.

We have managed to maintain services and activities for 9 of the past 12 months, the majority of them outside, come rain or shine…. quite often rain!

We promised to involve locals and visitors in this project’s development and while much of it is in the hands of the professionals,  we have been grateful for the farmers’ removal of spoil, the maintenance of the lawn, research and planning of planting, garden layouts, and equipping the study-archive and kitchen area.

Our monthly Sunday meetings have been variously themed. Our Harvest Collection saw three large shopping bags of food and toiletries generously donated for the excellent Zink food bank in Buxton. In front of the Chaplem,there has been a ‘Labour of Love’ initiative involving gently cleaning the inscriptions on the gravestones, generating local community research, and our large Leylandii tree stump has provided the focus and fixing point for various installations. In January 2023 we will combine with the Parish Church to share our annual Covenant Service.

We move into the new year with a great sense of focus and hope!