In November 2024, St Oswald’s gained its Silver Eco-Church award, the certificate is proudly on display in Ozzys Kitchen for all to see.
In the same month St Oswalds received an amazing award of £114,000 to make changes to the building which but on its use as a community space and made it more ecologically sustainable into the future. The award, from the Government’s VCSE Energy Efficiency Scheme has enabled us to fit LED lighting throughout the building, to install 2 new A-rated efficiency gas boilers (replacing the 3 defunct boilers), to install a solar array and batteries, and to replace the hot water facilities in the toilets.
This grant was made possible by the support of L30 Millions and Big Local, who funded our building survey and our grant bid writer – to them we are extremely grateful.
As soon as faculty permissions and List B permissions were granted, work commenced, and it has been a mad dash to complete the works – to fulfil the requirements of the grant, work had a fixed completion date of 14 February 2025. Sandie Harvey very ably project managed the works, supported by her husband Ken and cheered on by the clueless-about-building -work vicar!
The works are now complete, the grant has been fully drawn down, contractors have been remunerated, and everything is in order. Our space is well-lit, well-heated, and we have significantly reduced our use of fossil fuels, thereby diminishing our carbon footprint. Our building is now far more sustainable for the future, allowing us to focus on mission and service within our local community and serve as a resource for groups and organizations in the Netherton area.
Environmental stewardship, community care, and the maintenance of our building are integral aspects of church life at St Oswald’s. They symbolize our living faith and discipleship. We are profoundly grateful for the generous support received, which has truly been an answer to prayer.
