Restored Chronicles of St Laurence: Issue 1 (June 2026)

St Laurence Restored News

Welcome to St Laurence Restored, a project aimed to remove our historic church from the ‘Buildings at Risk’ register. We are currently in a National Lottery Heritage funded Development phase, with the aim of putting in a £2.5 million bid to move us into Delivery stage in 2027/8. This grant will help us restore the church roof, the gutters and downpipes, our stained-glass windows and other essential repairs. In this issue, we share a brief update, explain why restoration matters, and look ahead to the next stage of the work.

Project Update

We have made steady progress in building support for restoration and preparing for the next phase. The project continues to bring together local supporters, heritage specialists, volunteers and community partners to help protect the building and plan for a sustainable future.

The project so far:

• Temporary tissue paper stained-glass window created with artist Peter Westley and Stroud Valley Community Primary School while our historic angel window, removed due to subsidence, is being stored ready for repair.
• Angel making multi-generational workshop to engage community and inform them about St Laurence Restored project
• Heritage Trail featuring Delmont the mouse (named after the ill-fated dualist buried in St Laurence churchyard) providing ‘stations’ of interest for visitors and congregation to engage with and share ideas for an interactive trail for delivery stage to highlight heritage and church related stories.
• Work started on developing various short films to celebrate the church stories and its historic significance and community connections.
• Our building investigations have included archaeological digs around the church to sort out the drainage; reviewing minor window damages; lifting parts of the roof; measuring inside and out with specialist laser equipment and drones; ecology studies and subsidence decisions.

Why Restoration Matters

Restoration is about much more than repairs. Historic churches are valued not only as places of worship, but also as landmarks of local identity, memory and shared heritage. The spire of St Laurence acts as a compass point for the whole town and surrounding valleys. Recent UK heritage research shows strong public support for preserving historic churches, including among people who do not attend services regularly, because these buildings are seen as important community assets and irreplaceable parts of the national story. Like St Laurence Church, they serve many purposes at once: hosting devotional services, sanctuary, community gatherings, quiet reflection, music, local events and practical support when needed. Protecting this church means protecting a living space that connects past, present and future. It also helps ensure that the building remains open, useful and welcoming rather than slipping further into disrepair at a time when repair costs and funding pressures are increasing across the country.

What’s Next?

In the coming months, we will be:

• Testing out the Dick Whittington Experience, a specially written creative interactive and immersive history lesson for Year 5 pupils at The Rosary and Uplands primary schools. Tracy Spiers will take on the role as Dick, to welcome the children and tell the story of the real Richard Whittington, former resident of Lypiatt Park whose family helped build St Laurence Church.
• Refining the restoration plan, working with specialist advisers, identifying the most urgent repair works, strengthening the evidence needed for funding applications, and continuing to build local support.
• Analysing reports and stories gleaned from our archivist team
• Gathering feedback from the heritage trail to develop proposals for 2027/8
• Agree phased priorities for repair and conservation work.
• Prepare and submit funding and grant applications.
• Recruit more supporters, volunteers and champions for the project.

 Who’s Involved?

It has taken four years to get to this point, thanks to hours of research and time by a dedicated team of volunteers, who continue to give their time freely. This project is being carried forward by a committed group of people who bring time, care, experience and local knowledge. Together they are helping shape the vision, coordinate practical steps and build support for the next stage of restoration.

Paul Bingle: Project Manager	Camilla Hale: Community Engagement Lead	Hugh Richards: Chair of Project Board/Churchwarden	Ned Skelton: Technical Advisor	Shannon Newton: Fundraising Lead

The restoration effort also depends on many others. This includes church members, volunteers, donors, heritage advisers, surveyors, craftspeople, community organisations, event supporters and funding partners. National Lottery Heritage funding has enabled us to employ a community engagement team to help us get to delivery stage including archivist Becky Phillips, a heritage interpretation team: Lucy Telling & Barney Heywood (Stand + Stare) and Tom Sear; videographer/photographer Domonic White, and community engagement support officer and comms lead Tracy Spiers. We also have evaluation support from Laura Hetherington and a full access survey from Inclusion Gloucestershire. Every contribution matters, whether it is strategic advice, practical help, fundraising, advocacy or helping spread the word.

If you would like to support the next stage of the project, please get in touch, attend an event, share our updates, or consider how you might be able to help. With continued support, we can protect this special place and secure its future.

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