The Amersham church refurbishment of St Michael and All Angels Church Hall will include electric vehicle charging points, LED lighting and electric water heaters
The Amersham church refurbishment will be funded with £56,100 from the HS2 Community & Environment Fund (CEF), aimed at providing improved community facilities for local people.
Over 600 people a week use the Church’s facilities for activities such as local pre-school, acapella, drama and yoga groups.
Retrofitting works will help the Church reach its zero carbon goals
Alongside wider refurbishments, the 100-year old St Michael and All Angels Church Hall will be retro-fitted with LED lighting and electric water heaters to help the Church reach its zero-carbon goals.
Electric vehicle charging points will also be installed on the site for use by visitors.
Part of the grant will also pay to build a community garden, including planters and seating made from recycled plastics. The garden is expected to attract local wildlife and provide a relaxing environment for the public. The recycled planters are also designed to blend into the town of Amersham, which has established similar planters along the High Street.
Improved access will bring the Church up to modern standards
New emergency doors will be installed at the rear of the hall to bring the Church in line with modern health and safety standards.
The Amersham church refurbishment grant will be used to improve accessibility for those with disabilities, children and pushchairs by creating a new access point and paving to take users directly between the car park and the community hall.
The grant will also allow the Church to build a canopy over the new ramp and a covered buggy park outside the hall to keep the weather out.
Cathy Elliott, independent chair of the HS2 Funds, said: “St Michael and All Angels Community Church has sat in the heart of the Amersham community for the last century and HS2’s sizeable investment through the Community & Environment Fund will ensure the Church continues to be able to serve local people for decades to come.
“The grant awarded to the Church will also be instrumental in opening up the facilities to residents from all age groups.”
Alan Jarvis, spokesperson for St Michael and All Angels Community Church, added: “We are delighted to have received financial support from HS2 to be able to refurbish and upgrade our Community Hall for the benefit of our users.”
CEF funding is available to community groups in areas affected by the construction of HS2
HS2’s Community and Business Funds are administered by independent community charity Groundwork.
In Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire, over 60 projects have already successfully received more than £3.6m of HS2’s CEF & BLEF funding since applications opened in 2017.
CEF & BLEF funding is available to community groups and organisations for public benefit and business partnerships impacted by the construction of the London to Birmingham and Birmingham to Crewe phases of the HS2 construction project.
