In June, churchwardens at St Marys church in Oldswinfordnoticed a problem with the gutters and wanted to find a solution.They immediately turned to MaintenanceBooker,the new website which makes caring for churches much easier.
Using MaintenanceBooker thechurchwardens quickly obtained quotes for the work involved. They selectedstonemason Ben Jenkins to do the work, which he did quickly, efficiently and toa very high standard. On completion, he also provided a comprehensive reportwith photographs, which the church has available on MaintenanceBooker.
As an added bonus the NationalChurches Trust, which is behind MaintenanceBooker, even offered St Marys a grantof 425 towards the costs.
St Marys was able to identify the problem early enough to preventmajor damage to the building, and by using Maintenancebooker, were able toquickly find a professional to undertake the work and also funding to help coverthe cost. Stonemason Ben Jenkins said:
The gutter clearing contract at St Marys consisted of clearingparapet lead lined gutters, cast iron hoppers, downpipes and flat roofs. Threeof the cast iron downpipes were blocked resulting in the water being trapped inthe pipes, in turn, leaking from the joints and causing the hoppers tooverflow. External stone walls were becoming soaked and left unresolved wouldhave caused considerable damp issues, including damage to the internal plaster.The build-up of debris in the parapet gutters and roofs allowed vegetation andshrubs to flourish, blocking the flow of the rainwater to the outlets..
Water ingress can cause damage which is costly to repair,however, with regular maintenance this can be easily avoided. As a stonemason,I am only too aware of the damp issues that present themselves from churchroofs and gutters. All churches should have their gutters regularly maintainedby professional contractors, which in the long term will save a considerableamount of money.
MaintenanceBooker service isbrought to you by NCT Heritage Services and has been developed by the NationalChurches Trust in partnership with Christian procurement experts 2Buy2.
Grants for maintenance
The National Churches Trust is offering two grant programmes toassist churches engage financial support for their maintenance. MaintenanceMicro-Grants of 50% of costs (excluding VAT) up to 500 are available towardsthe cost of your churchs first gutter clearance service or other churchbuilding related services when booked through MaintenanceBooker. For smallproactive maintenance works such as gutter, stonework and masonry repairs, theTrust also offers Foundation Grants for Maintenance, with grants of between500 and 10,000 to up a maximum of 50% of project costs (excluding VAT).
New Services added this month.
Established services include Asbestos Management, LightningConductor Inspections, Tree Survey and Surgery, and Rainwater GoodsMaintenance. And this month we have included the following new services: Masonry Maintenance, Lime MortarRepointing and High Level Inspections and Repairs.
Follow St Marys lead and register your church .
- Visit: http://www.maintenancebooker.org.uk/register
- email: enquiries@maintenancebooker.org.uk
- For information on grants email: Cicely.Barnett@nationalchurchestrust.org
