A CHURCH in Broadstone needs to raise £350,000 so it can start work on a new extension, which will provide a new community space for the area.

St John’s Church in Macaulay Road received planning permission to build an annex facing Dunyeats Road in September.

The new building will feature a large atrium, two meeting rooms and a kitchen.

The current church hall is used frequently by pre-school and community groups, and the building is sometimes unavailable for events after christenings, weddings and funerals.

The new meeting rooms will also be able to accommodate exercise classes, concerts, exhibitions, after-school clubs, or birthday parties all year round.

Reverend Helen Bailey, vicar of St John’s, said: “Our existing parish hall is already well-used by local organisations and families – we are often booked to capacity, to the extent that we struggle to book in our own events.

“This sensitively designed extension enables us to offer a fabulous new space for all sorts of community groups and functions as well as allow us to improve the church’s service to the people of Broadstone.”

As part of its proposals, the church consulted with the local community and discovered they were not all aware of the location of the church, despite it being on Dunyeats Road and near local schools.

Morgan Carey Architects, which designed the church’s extension, said in a statement submitted with the planning application that the new space would provide an “immediate improvement in site management and enable the church to be open for longer periods”.

The church has already secured two thirds of the funding it requires for the project, but it is launching a fundraising campaign to raise the final £350,000 so work can begin.

“We intend to use the space ourselves for ventures that support the needs of different social groups within Broadstone. We are supporting Broadstone’s Neighbourhood Development Plan and looking to the community and local businesses to get behind this project, which offers such a valuable space to local people,” Rev Bailey said.

The plans will be on show at the church throughout the morning of Saturday, March 23. A wine and canapé evening has also been organised for 7pm that day. Contact the parish office on 01202 697641 or email admin@stjohnschurchbroadstone.org.uk for a free ticket to the event.