St John’s Church Windows, Sills and Doors Repairs, Great Horkesley Parochial Church Council, Essex

This is a project to repair the windows of St John’s Church, Great Horkesley. St John’s Church is a Grade II listed of gault brick (circa 1845). The PCC wishes to carry out like-for-like repairs and redecoration to windows, (including replacing broken glass and missing/loose putty), sills, interior and exterior, in the main church, community room, kitchen, toilet, vestry; and to repaint the main entrance door and the community room door. St John’s church is situated in the centre of the village overlooking the village green and is used by many people in the village throughout the year. The church is used regularly for Sunday worship, with additional services for festivals at Easter and Christmas, and for baptisms. In May 2026 a monthly Messy Church on Sunday afternoons was started to respond to the preferences of local families. The church is used by the local Bishop William Ward Primary school for services and Year 6 Retreats. Throughout the week it holds the St John’s Community Café; a small lending library for books and DVDs; and a recycling resources collection point in partnership with Colchester City Council. It is registered as a ‘Warm Space’, and there are Fun Mornings for families and children during school holidays, and social events for all ages such as a MacMillan Coffee morning, Beetle Drive, and a Wine Tasting evening. The local Sweetings Band use it as a practice space. Last year the roof and parapet were repaired at a cost of more than £40,000. The building is now watertight, and the wish is to improve the internal and external appearance of the building towards providing a warmer, healthier, and aesthetically-pleasing space for all to use. Environmental considerations: A local builder has been chosen with experience in the sympathetic repair of listed buildings. Where possible environmental considerations will be made. The repairs should reduce the amount of heating that is needed and generally improve the environment for the people who use the building.
Hard to reach considerations: The church is open on a regular basis and accessible to all in the community. The PCC advertise events across various media within the local community and further afield, such as Village News publication, notice boards, posters, social media, websites, the local Primary school, Tiddlywinks Preschool, and uniformed organisations. St John’s Community, Café and Free Fun Mornings in the school holidays aim to reach out to those who are currently underrepresented, such as parents and carers with babies and toddlers, children, families, the elderly, and those who are lonely and isolated. The café is registered as a ‘Warm Space’ under the Warm Welcome Spaces initiative and offers free hot drinks and food such as tea cakes and toast.