I am pleased to tell you that the contract to replace our heating system has been awarded to Estuary Technical Solutions who have also successfully carried out heating replacements at St James in Petts wood and The English Martyrs in Streatham. As you can imagine it’s not a straightforward process replacing a broken 40-year-old system with a modern system and extensive work is required in the plant room and to the duct work, not only to replace the old heater, but also to ensure the new system is efficient, effective and compliant with new building and safety regulations. We have had the assistance of IPG consultants (recommended by the diocese) and following meetings with IPG and Estuary, an effective solution has now been agreed at a far more realistic cost than the original amount outlined by the consultants and noted in the newsletter of 13 March. It is still a huge amount to fund – £130,000. The majority of this expense will be met from our reserve funds although it is important that these reserves are not fully depleted to ensure we hold a contingency fund for any future major expenditure a church the age of St Edmunds inevitably faces.
Thank you to all those who have already donated £17,000 towards the heating replacement. More details will follow over the coming weeks about our fund-raising plans.
Thank you for your patience.
Fr Steve