Project Andrew

Our small but beautiful 900-year-old St Andrew’s Church, a historic landmark in Ogbourne St Andrew, has now got the go-ahead for a major refit; as far as we know it has not had one for over a century, so it is well overdue!

In summary the west end will be remodelled to provide:

  • Access to mains water
  • Accessible toilet
  • Kitchenette
  • Repositioned vestry
  • Creation of community space


and in addition:

  • Bright unobtrusive modern lighting in the main body of the church
  • Redecoration of all internal walls

What do we wish to do?

We are applying for grants towards the significant enhancement of the church’s facilities by a reorganisation which will include a connection to a mains water supply, the installation of an accessible toilet, a kitchenette, and a larger free space for community use at the west end of the building. We believe that this project will provide a greatly improved experience for visitors to the church and a better use of its space.

In addition the main body of the church will be revitalised with unobtrusive, bright, modern lighting and fresh coats of paint. The aim is to provide a community space fit for the 21st century, both for those who worship in our
church and also for the wider community for a range of new activities.

How will the community benefit ?

The enhancement of the church facilities will not only be for the benefit of those who wish to use it for quiet contemplation or worship but also —and very importantly—for the benefit of the community in general; this church belongs to everyone in the community. The installation of toilets and a kitchenette will make the building more attractive to a wide range of users for activities such as meetings, talks, concerts, discussions and many more. It is stressed that in no way is it intended to compete with the facilities offered by the pub, Silks on the Downs, but, rather, the aim is to complement them; close co-operation with the pub and the Community Benefit Society (OCtyPuS) will be maintained.

How will this be achieved ?

We have at last received from Salisbury Diocese an authorisation to proceed with our proposals. We have appointed experienced professionals as our architect (Christian Randall of Conservation Architects), as our contractor (JG Restorations), and as our Fundraising Consultant (Paul Baird).

They have all worked together previously on similar successful projects and come highly recommended as a ‘dream team’. They have recently transformed a church near Newbury which we have viewed, and we have confidence that our church too will soon be similarly transformed.

How much will this cost?

In short the answer is: quite a lot! We have put the work out to tender and received three quotes from respected specialist builders; all were surprisingly similar. Prior to this and spread over the past couple of years we have incurred significant costs in architect’s fees for working up the detailed drawings and for submitting them to Salisbury for the faculty application. Barring any further amendments the current costings are as follows:

1. Contractor’s costs from main works£126,998
2. Professional fees (architect, fundraising consultant, Building Regulations fee)£18,550
3. Redecoration & lighting upgrade£54,840
Total cost£200,388

In addition, VAT of about £36,672 will be payable on the above but at least partially recoverable from a generous government fund specifically for this purpose (for charitable organisations).

How will we finance the project ?

We aim to cover the costs of the project with the combination of our cash reserves, grants, fundraising activities and donations & pledges from our generous supporters.

With the help of our fundraising consultant we are hopeful of obtaining grants from some of the numerous bodies which offer them for this sort of work. Our consultant has so far approached some 60 small charitable organisations over recent months but positive progress is modest with a disappointingly low level of responses.

Financing Summary

Updated December 2024

From existing bank deposit accounts created some years ago for this purpose£13,910
6 Grants awarded so far£18,500
Fundraising events in 2024£3,008
Cash donations and pledges plus associated Gift Aid£16,211
Available cash reserves£8,223
Less professional fees already paid & payable on completion (architect, fundraising consultant, Building Regs fees)(£18,550)
Total raised£41,302
To be raised from grants & additional fundraising£140,536
Contractor’s quoted costs£181,838

We are very grateful to our supporters, whether as regular donors or as attendees at our special events. However, we are able to approach the bigger grant givers only when we have 50% of the overall costs accounted for, so the coming months are crucial to the success of this project. If funds are not forthcoming the PCC may have to decide to scale back their plans.

To make a pledge or to donate now click here

Please support us!

If you are able to make a contribution towards this community project—either as a one-off donation or a pledge for a future gift—please visit our Donation page to request a Donation/Pledge Form and, hopefully, the Gift Aid Declaration and return them to the Treasurer

Alternatively you can support us via our JustGiving Campaign: