London Colney church gets �100,000 makeover

AN AMBITIOUS project to transform a church and bring it into the 21st Century has been completed.

St Peter’s Church in London Colney has undergone a �100,000 renovation after a mammoth fundraising effort spanning several years.

The congregation set about fundraising for the work in 2007 after various things went wrong with the interior of the church and because it didn’t accommodate less mobile visitors.

And they had a goal – 2009 was the church’s 100-year anniversary of being the designated parish church, having been a chapel of rest for St Peter’s Church in St Albans since its creation in 1825.

But securing the huge sum needed for the work seemed like an unattainable goal when the recession struck in the church’s centenary year and appeals to businesses for grants fell on deaf ears.

However, the congregation didn’t give up and by April this year they hit the magic number.

The church has been closed since its Easter service and reopened its doors at the end of last month with a brand-new worship space while retaining key features of the original design, as well as better access and a disabled toilet which was funded by Lafarge.

The Rev Lynne Fawns said: “We have now got a wonderful worship space which has been achieved through prayer, the generosity of people in London Colney and the worshippers here.

“It’s a church which is the centre of the community that sees every age and aspect of life, from births, baptisms, funerals and marriages, and it’s now capable of welcoming everybody with love and hospitality.”