A thirteenth century Monmouthshire church has re-opened to the public after 9 months of extensive repairs was completed on its ageing roof. The re-opening is the culmination of three years worth of hard work from a group of local fund raisers who eventually raised £270,000 to get the roof repairs completed. The roof had been leaking on St Nicholas Church in Grosmont for a number of years and the historic churches spire had started to lean.
Roofers moved in to correct the correct the damage and the local church services continued across the street in the village hall. The disrepair the building was suffering from was not only confined to the roof, the floor of the historic structure was reconditioned and money was also raised to rebuild the drains and water run off systems underneath the structure to prevent water entering the church in the future. Local plasterers were also able to complete plastering work to the internal walls to stop damp from setting in.
In an eagerly awaited ceremony conducted by the Rev Dr Jean Prosser MBE, the hard work of the renovation group was mentioned. He commented on how the community had really pulled together and paid special complements to one church goer who sold over 200 copies of a church literature magazine to raise over £1000. Other fund raising activities included wine tasting and musical events.
The restoration work has not yet been completed though as there are plans to fit a new kitchen to the church and install a new toilet which will be available for use by the community.