Church hall to be replaced in £760k project

A church hall is set to be demolished and replaced, as part of a £760,000 project.

St Luke's Parish Church, in York, is holding events to try and raise funds for the work and said the 60-year-old hall had come to the "end of its useful life".

About £300,000 has already been raised through donations and bequests and the church staff said they hoped grants could cover much of the remaining price tag.

Plans for the new building, which will be integrated with the church, include accessible toilets, a catering-standard kitchen and more storage space.

Dave Pownall, who is leading the project, said: "We have a church hall which looks like a glorified scout hut.

"Window frames are rotting, the roof leaks, so we need to replace it.

"Our church hall is already a hub for our community but we want to create a much better and more inclusive place."

Public events planned for Friday evening and Saturday morning aim to gather feedback on the proposals.

"We need feedback from our community to say they want the project, so we can include it within applications to funding bodies," Mr Pownall added.

St Luke's said it was committed to raising 10% of the remaining costs themselves.

Vicar at the church, Reverend Anika Gardiner, said: "Updating the old hall is important but more so is creating a hub, connecting people and creating a safe, accessible space for young and old alike within our community.

"Having a youth work background myself, it would be fantastic to be part of creating more opportunities for young people and families in our area, strengthening the links with our local schools and offering a space for people to get together."

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