A church closed for nearly a year has reopened its doors following a £200,000 facelift.
Twyford United Reformed Church, in the Wessex Synod, closed in December 2021 for repair and modernisation.
Its tiny congregation of 15 people, raised the whopping sum over many years and thanks to their efforts the church reopened its doors on 9 October.
“We have been fundraising for more than 10 years,” said Brenda North, Acting Church Secretary.
“I often wondered if this would ever happen. The building was approaching being unusable because of the poor facilities.
“Thanks to the generosity of Twyford people and some major funders, we can once again proudly offer the building to our community.”
The Victorian chapel now boasts new toilet facilities, a kitchen, and two flexible spaces that can be used either together or separately for worship or community activities.
Ray Stanyon, Wessex Synod Development and Support Officer, said: “It’s satisfying to see an old church building repurposed for church and community use in the modern day.
“The small congregation have been steadfast in their determination to raise the funds and to make the necessary changes to their cherished home.
“I hope this will encourage other church communities to see similar opportunities.”
As well as Sunday worship, the church hosts a mobile Post Office and has plans for more community activities.
“We’re small, and the whole basis that we’ve got a lot of this money is because we’re going to serve the community,” continued Brenda. “So we’re going to be looking at setting up various groups, whatever we feel would enhance the community.
“We certainly want to do things for people who are lonely.
“And when they’re there, we offer companionship and coffee and tea, and it’s lovely for people who are lonely to come and sit and chat.”
Major contributors to the £200,000 refurbishment project included the Wessex Synod Trust, HS2, the FCC Communities Fund, Bucks Historic Churches, the Garfield Weston Foundation, and the Congregational and General Charitable Trust.
Images: The Bucks Herald.