Thank you!

A very big thank you to all 75 people that came to our Open Day on Sunday. It was a fantastic day despite the showers! We really enjoyed meeting everyone and hearing your thoughts about the church and our work. It was lovely to see some familiar faces, returning to see how we are progressing as well as meeting a lot of new people who were intrigued to see what we had been doing over the last 9 years. As word spreads about our project, people are traveling quite some distance especially to see the church and our work, it is very encouraging. Everyone makes such a big effort to come, we really appreciate it.

We are frequently asked if we have to open the church to the public every year. The answer is that we don’t have to at all and that it is something that we take upon ourselves to do. We invite the public to view the church because it is such a beautiful building and it is nice to share it with everyone. It is also beneficial to us to receive feedback on our restoration work and to share our experiences. Each year we add to the display and open up a little more of the church so it’s quite motivating to see some progress in this vast project. We learn a lot too from people who have a connection with the church, such as being a choirboy or having got married here or have a family grave here. Christ Church was so central to many people’s lives and is such a prominent building in the town, that its important give people the chance to come and experience a new chapter in the buildings story.

However, opening your doors to the public can be a little unnerving as you never quite know who, if anyone, will be coming or what they may think about our plans for the building. It’s a very enlightening experience meeting a such a wide variety of people who all share a common theme… an interest in this lovely building!

Courtesy of Makis