Ambitious plans in the pipeline for 'At Risk' Elm church

A group of volunteers are working on plans to create a community hub within All Saints Church in Elm with the help of outside funding.

The Elm Community Hub project would see the church modernised with a larger, more open kitchen space created to better serve the needs of the church and the wider community.

Additional toilets will also be added, and there are also hopes of making the west end of the church a flexible and functional space to better serve the local community.

The current lay-out inside All Saints Church, Elm. (Image: RH Partnership Architects)

There are three options being considered.

Option one will see a flexible kitchen space to the north west corner, which could be closed off or opened, and could have a moveable cupboard/worktop unit that could be moved as required.

The vestry/office would be relocated to the north porch area.

The option also includes a new door to the existing meeting room from the east to allow independent use from the church's central space.

What the inside of the church might look like if option three is chosen. (Image: RH Partnership Architects)

A screen would also be installed in the worship area to separate it; however, this might require the loss of one or two rows of pews.

The font would also be relocated to allow more flexibility within the central community space.

Option two would see a mezzanine floor inserted in the base of the tower on the same level as the west gallery.

There are two possibilities for the space created below, one is to leave it mainly empty to allow the west doors to be used.

Option two and what the church would like inside if option two was chosen. (Image: RH Partnership Architects)

Or alternatively, the vestry and some toilets could be installed underneath, as long as the west doors were not needed.

It would also see a larger kitchen space created in the north-west corner, and again the font would be moved to create the flexibility within the central space.

Option three would also see a mezzanine floor installed to the west end of the north aisle to create a meeting/cafe-style space.

The larger kitchen would be below the mezzanine floor and would be open to look inviting for visitors and users.

An artist's impression of option one for All Saints Church to become a community hub. (Image: RH Production Architects)

As with the previous two options, the font will once again be relocated.

Option three also includes the screen for the worship area, resulting in the loss of two or three rows of pews.

Peter Bryant, who is part of the team behind the modernisation, said the project will have a "big six-figure" price tag attached to it.

He said the hope was to gain some funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, and they are currently working through the application process.

Part of the project will also see the issues raised by English Heritage which saw the church put on its 'At Risk' register addressed.

That will include making the church water-tight.

Peter said there are issues with the drain pipes, guttering and also the ground-level drains.

He said that would be a priority and would need to be addressed before any of the aspirational work to create a community hub could be undertaken.

However, he also explained that the hub plan would see a community space created to help meet the needs of the village following the loss many years ago of the church hall.

That has been sold off and redeveloped as homes.

Peter said they are hoping to attract some professional volunteers to help support the project, and said the team would love to hear from people with the necessary knowledge to help.

He added: "News that the church has been added to the 'At Risk' register makes it look like nothing is happening. But we have these big ambitious plans, and work is already underway to secure the church's future."