St Augustine’s church in Sheffield is the first church in the UK to benefit from MaintenanceBooker, an innovative church maintenance scheme from the National Churches Trust, which aims to keep churches in good condition and prevent the need for expensive repairs.

On Monday 5 June, a team from Stone Technical Services Ltd, building and structure experts, will be at St Augustine’s church to clean out their gutters and downpipes and report on the building’s condition at high level.

Interviews will be available from Janet Edmond, Project Manager of the Yorkshire Maintenance Project at the National Churches Trust; Julie Banham, Trustee of the National Churches Trust; the Managing Director of Stone Technical Services Ltd; and Pam West, Churchwarden of St Augustine’s, Endcliffe.

There will also be a photo opportunity of technicians from Stone Technical Services working at height on extension and jacking ladders and using a range of cleaning equipment.

MaintenanceBooker is a new website that provides an online ‘one stop shop’ where churches and chapels can book accredited contractors for services including gutter clearance, tree maintenance and inspecting lightning protection systems. It aims to help overburdened church wardens, volunteers and clergy to identify and book professional help to maintain their buildings, thereby helping prevent the need for expensive repairs and saving them for the future.

MaintenanceBooker is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and run by the National Churches Trust and 2buy2. It is initially available in Yorkshire, but will be expanding into the rest of the country. The website is at www.maintenancebooker.org.uk

RSVP: Eleanor Grigson, Communications Officer, the National Churches Trust
eleanor.grigson@nationalchurchestrust.org
020 7222 0605