A vicar said he was "overwhelmed" by his community's reaction to his appeal to help renovate a historic church.
St Oswald's Church in Bidston has been given a new lease of life after a "real community effort" to restore the church to its former glory. Rev'd Joe Smith said he was overwhelmed by the response from the community after parts of the church fell into disrepair, including the church's kitchen – vital if the church is to host as a warm bank.
The church has been serving the local community for centuries, with earliest record of a church in the village going as far back as the 1200s. Speaking to the ECHO Rev'd Joe said the renovations had "been a long time overdue."
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He said: "All the previous renovations were done in the late 80s, but in the early 2000s things were tight and a lot of communities lost their funding as it was put elsewhere.
"Any job like this one got thrown on to the back burner. So these renovations have been an absolute Godsend.
"We had so many people help. It's been a real community effort. All walks of life have got involved and helped out.
"I'd sent a letter out to the parish and put something on Facebook and in about two days we'd raised about £1,500 for the church."
The renovations taking place in the church have ranged from plastering to painting, getting a new floor and most recently fitting a new kitchen. The kitchen, supplied, funded and fitted by Onward Homes and Liberty, will allow the church to run a lunchtime club and other clubs where members of the community "can get a warm meal and make new friends."
Liberty's Mark Wilson, who oversaw the project, said: "At Liberty, we’re passionate about giving back to the neighbourhoods we work in, and that’s why we reinvest two-thirds of our profit into communities.
"We were delighted to help out with this project when Onward asked. The church is a real community hub but was in a bad way, so this transformation was very much needed.
"It’s great to see the positive impact the support they offer vulnerable people within the local community is making, and we’re looking forward to continuing to work with Onward and St Oswald’s Church in the future.”
Rev'd Joe added: "We want it to be a community space. Not just for Christians – even if you're not religious you're always welcome here.
"Covid highlighted as huge issue that was already there. Loneliness. You'll find people everywhere who are lonely. I don't think covid caused that – I think it just highlighted it.
"I think we've lost many community spaces where people don't gather any more. I think there's a need for that everywhere really.
"I find it overwhelming because there were so many families and people who might have moved away but they still call this church their church.
"It's really touching to have people wanting to support us and let us do what we do."
Including the private donations from members of the St Oswald's Community, other individuals who helped in funding and renovating the church were the National Lottery, Onward Homes and Liberty, Birkenhead Rotary Club, and Involve Northwest.
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