30th January 2012
A church in Suffolk could be getting a new electric central heating system if its congregation manages to raise enough money.
St Mary's Church in Mildenhall is appealing for funds after its existing boiler system fell into disrepair. The local parochial church council (PCC) calculates that it will cost £10,000 to replace it with new electrical central heating, the Newmarket Journal reported.
PCC member Ann Leeks told the newspaper: "Unfortunately, our existing heating system is no longer able to carry out the job it is designed to do. This has happened at the wrong time of year and we desperately need a new one.
"We are appealing to everyone in Mildenhall to make a donation, however small that may be, as every penny will count," she added.
During the first month of the fundraising appeal, the church managed to collect more than £1,000.
And it is not the only religious building to require a new boiler, with Manchester Road Methodist Church in Haslingden, Lancashire, also asking its congregation to donate funds for a more efficient heating system after its existing boiler broke.
Kathleen Shirt, senior church steward and secretary of the finance and property committee, told the Lancashire Telegraph that congregation numbers have been falling since the old boiler stopped working.
"The church is absolutely freezing. We stopped holding services in the main room in September as the congregation were literally shivering in their seats," she said.
"We have launched a £30,000 fundraising appeal for a new boiler. It will not only enable us to use the main room again but enable the church to become self-sufficient by offering the community a performance venue with a stage in Haslingden town centre."
Meanwhile, the temperatures are set to dip as low as -10C this week as Arctic winds blast the UK.
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