After eight years of preparation and eight months of execution, phases one and two of the restoration of St Nicholas Church at Hail Weston are now complete. 

Members of the clergy and Hail Weston PCC, fund-raisers and supporters recently joined St Nicolas Church Restoration Group members to dedicate the new facilities and celebrate full disabled access into the church, the removal of the Victorian south porch, its restoration and re-erection over the north door of the church, and the building of a small extension on the site of the old south porch, which now houses a disabled toilet and small servery. 

Chairman of the restoration group, Anne-Marie Hamilton, said, “When we initially consulted with the local community about how they saw the future of St Nicolas Church, it became very clear that there was a genuine desire to make it more available for use by the local community when it was not needed for church services.  

“However, the biggest obstacle to that happening was the lack of basic facilities within the church, which was currently limiting its use.  

The Hunts Post: new extension that has been built on the south side of the church and now houses the disabled toilet and small servery.new extension that has been built on the south side of the church and now houses the disabled toilet and small servery. (Image: Anne-Marie Hamilton)

“We were incredibly fortunate to have the services of Peter Slinger, a conservation architect from Peterborough, who understood exactly what we were trying to achieve and has produced the perfect design for us. 

The restoration group is deeply indebted to its two main funders, TheThalia WB Community Fund and FCC Communities Foundation, for providing a significant amount of the funding for this project. 

However, the group is also extremely aware that without the additional, very generous funding and support from its other funders too, The Garfield Weston Foundation, The Benefact Trust, The Bernard Sunley Foundation, The Congregational and General Charities Trust, the Beatrice Laing Trust and Cambridgeshire Historic churches Trust, this project would never have got off the ground. 

FCC Community Foundations grant manager, Cheryl Raynor, said: “We are delighted to have been involved in the project and pleased that this beautiful building can now be enjoyed by the whole community. Thank you to everyone who has worked so hard on this project.”