What’s happening at St Lawrence’s Church during August and September?
St Lawrence’s is at the heart of the community here in Gnosall and we want the church building to be used as much as possible.
The building is now open every day for visitors who wish to admire the architecture or want to spend some time in the peace and quiet of a sacred space.
But we also want the church to be involved in the community and now have a number of events and activities as well as our normal Sunday services.
The Parochial Church Council have looked at different ways of making more convenient space available in church for activities such as Messy Church and Good Companions where the events involve sharing food together.
We plan to remove TWO rows of pews at the rear of the church. This isn’t a particularly big undertaking. However it does then mean that we have to replace the wooden flooring with new quarry tiles . The old worn quarry tiles at the back of the church between the carpeted area and the last row of pews will also be replaced giving us a large open space with a uniform floor.
The work is scheduled to start on Monday August 13th and be completed (at the latest) by Friday 21st September.
Obviously we have had to gain permission from Lichfield Diocese and the relevant organisations who keep a watchful eye on beautiful buildings like St Lawrence’s
We will still continue to hold our weekly services on Sundays at 7.45am, 10.30am and these will be held in the Lady Chapel.
The Sunday 6.30pm service and the service of Holy Communion on Thursday mornings at 9.15pm will continue to be held in the vestry.
However the church will not be open during the week while the work is going on. We have a display board in church at the moment giving an artist’s impression of what the church will look like and this will be on display in the porch when the church is closed.
When the work is completed we will purchase suitable chairs which will be comfortable and easily moved as well as fitting in with the surroundings. The work will make this area a much more flexible space as well as adding to the beauty of the building.
The Friends of St Lawrence have offered their help in the search for suitable chairs and we thank them for their ongoing support to St Lawrence’s. We also thank the GPN for their donation towards the new chairs.
We ask for your support and patience whilst the work is being done and invite you to come and see the finished result in September.
Rev Kathryn and the Churchwardens at St Lawrence’s Church
Tree works are being carried out in the churchyard at St Lawrence to lift the crowns of the Yew trees. This will give clearance for high sided vehicles using Sellman Street and make grass cutting and maintenance in the churchyard easier. It will also enable repairs to be carried out to the churchyard wall.
This work follows a tree inspection carried out by the Lichfield Diocese Arboriculturalist. Unfortunately the inspection also identified that the large Horse Chestnut tree close to the church and pathways is diseased and dying. In view of this the Diocese has agreed that the tree should be felled. It is hoped that part of the trunk of the tree can be kept to be carved as a seat.
The maintenance of the churchyard, as it is now closed for burials, is the responsibility of Stafford Borough Council. The Borough Council has employed a tree contractor to carry out the works to the Yews and to fell the Horse Chestnut.
As the church will be closed during the week from 13th August to 21st September for improvement works, it is hoped that the Horse Chestnut will be felled during this period.
Rev Kathryn Hammond
Bob Winfield Church Warden
Eric Henderson Church Warden
Barbara Juniper PCC Secretary
