St Paul’s Church, Old Ford, Bow, London, E3
The Situation: Saint Paul’s Church, in Bow, east London, was built in 1878. By 1991, it was in a bad state of repair and was closed for safety reasons. By the late 1990s, it was derelict. The building was being considered for housing development or demolition, and the small congregation was meeting at a smaller church away from the hub of the community.
Vision/goals: In 1998, the vicar and PCC decided that Saint Paul’s should be rescued and become a ‘New Heart for Bow’, with new facilities for worship, and a badly needed community centre which could serve the whole local community. They consulted with a number of firms of architects and engineers, and evolved an idea for a timber covered steel ‘pod’ on legs, which was inserted inside the very tall building to support two internal floors, with a gym, exhibition space, a community café, and a number of other meeting spaces of different sizes, all with full disabled access.
What was the funding strategy? The total cost of the project was £3,750,000. The congregation raised more than £20,000 towards the project with 200 jumble sales over a number of years. The rest of the money was raised from over a dozen funders, including the National Lottery, the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund, the European Union, the Church Urban Fund, the City Bridges Trust, the Mercer’s Company, the Tudor Trust, the Henry Smith charity, and the National Churches Trust.
What lessons were learnt? There are still ongoing problems about raising enough revenue funding to keep all the activities going. Finding staff to run the building is ‘a work in progress’. The financial upkeep of a large old building is huge.
Increase in congregation: “The Congregation has grown by approx 50% and we are witnessing to our community.”
Outcomes: “The completion of the architect’s design as envisaged was very successful. Bringing the Church back into the hub of the neighbourhood has been hugely beneficial. Our community benefits from having a central….meeting place.”
Social Cohesion: “Along side a Community Café which offers healthy affordable hot meals every week day we have 2 meeting rooms which the local authority and local schools hire to provide services in, such a pulmonary exercise group, parenting classes, conferences or forums. Smaller community groups or individual trainers also use the space for keep fit, Weight Watchers, yoga and dance classes. On the first floor we have an Into University centre. Into University centres provide sustained academic support, motivation and encouragement, to give all young people from the surrounding socially deprived area a fair chance of realising their academic potential. On the third floor is Ability Bow, which has a well equipped gym and sauna, with friendly specialised staff who offer one to one sessions for people with disabilities. There is a tiered payment system which enables those on a low income to enjoy health benefits that would otherwise be denied them. All of the above ensure that members of our diverse community are bought together in a positive and beneficial environment.”
Many other people may be interested in what you have achieved and may like to get in touch to talk to you or arrange to pay a visit? Are you willing to be contacted and if so, can you give details of a contact person? The Reverend Philippa Boardman or Karen Diss (stpaulsbookings@btconnect.com)
