The Vicar Writes...March 2010

As a Christian, belief in miracles is expected but I have to confess that the “miracle” of the renovated All Saints' Hall and new Lighthouse coffee shop has been wonderfully overwhelming.

In May 2009 we shared our vision with the village. We believed God was calling us to offer the hall, renovated and transformed, to the community as a venue where both young and “old” could meet for refreshment and friendship - in a coffee shop style venue.

Drawings were made and costed as the first stage of our fund raising drive. Planning approval was sought and obtained and promises of funding started to trickle in.

We had suspected that the old ceiling was made of asbestos cement tiles and this was confirmed by the County experts. This led to an unexpected additional expense of several thousand pounds. We could have left the old ceiling in place but as the photo shows, the removal of the ceiling and exposing the timber frames has transformed the hall. It was money well spent.

The building was, quite literally, gutted before David Barnard, our builder, and his team of hard working sub-contractors set about the work of restoration.

While this work was in progress we contracted out the repair and restoration of the old clock. This work has been funded by the patrons of the “Fleur”. We were hampered by our needing special permission for a cover over the clock face. We felt this was essential to protect the repaired face from vandalism though it isn’t true to the original design.  A clear panel has also been added internally so that the clock’s workings can be seen “ticking” away.

The mezzanine floor is a new and striking feature which provides additional floor and storage space whilst putting a ceiling over the new kitchen area.

That this project was conceived, completed and paid for in less than 12 months is a miracle in this day and age of credit crunch and red tape.

The people of St Mary’s want the people of Stoke to use and enjoy this exciting venue which was dedicated to the village at the official opening by Betty Lawrence on 30 January. 

Our major donors, The South Somerset District Council and the Diocese of Bath & Wells, need to be thanked for their encouragement and financial support of the vision.

The age of miracles isn’t past - God does bless His people - even today!

Please come and enjoy the warmth and friendship of the coffee shop with Judy and her helpers. 

  Peter