Church roof and a Covid update

Dear Friends

If you were at the Church meeting last week, you will have heard the wonderful news that Northern Synod trust has agreed to support us with our much-needed roof repairs! The leaded valleys in the main roof need to be stripped out and replaced. In addition, the flat roofs will be replaced with rubber, the skylights will be removed and sealed, any original guttering will be replaced and the fascia boards will be covered with uPVC. This will mean that the building will be water-tight and future maintenance and decorating will be kept to a minimum. We are hoping that some of the work will start from 20th September, hopefully before the weather changes too much.

Also at the church meeting, we discussed steps for moving forward in worship now that restrictions have eased further. This is what was agreed:

• Signing in and sanitizing will remain.
• Seating will remain in groups around tables except for larger services where it will revert to rows.
• Services will remain shorter, with some discretion for special occasions and visiting preachers.
• Members will be able to place their offering in the plate at the back of the church and it will be brought forward during the service for dedication.
• Wearing of face masks is encouraged, especially whilst moving around, but will be a personal decision.
• Doors will remain open as much as possible.
• Members are encouraged to take regular lateral flow tests which can be obtained from pharmacies or by ordering on-line. Anyone showing any signs of Coronavirus should not attend and should book a PCR test.
• If anyone does test positive for Coronavirus, please let Sue W or Ann know so that we can offer support during your isolation and we can put additional measures in place if needed.

Our uniformed groups and midweek activities are returning to normal with additional safety and cleaning in place.

We hope that these measures will enable everyone to enjoy our worship services and midweek activities, whilst keeping us all safe.