Pictured above: (l-r) James Fleuty, St Nicholas Church in
Radford Semele Restoration Fund, Iain Goddard, HB&O and the
Gursewak Trust, Parminder Singh Birdi from the Gursewak Trust and
Reverend Martin Green
An ancient church in Leamington that was ruined by fire is one
step closer to its restoration thanks to a local Sikh charity.
At least part of St Nicholas Church has stood in Radford Semele
for over 1,000 years - but three years ago the listed building was
devastated by fire.
Since then, the St Nicholas Church in Radford Semele Restoration
Fund has been raising money to help rebuild the church.
Now a £1,000 donation from the Gursewak Trust - a
charitable organisation made up of members of the Leamington and
Warwick Sikh Congregation - has brought the church's fundraising
target into view.
Iain Goddard from chartered accountants Harrison Beale and Owen,
which has offices in Coventry and Leamington, sits on the Gursewak
Trust's board of trustees and believes this is a good example of
the great work the Trust does.
He said: "As a firm HB&O has handled the accounts for
Leamington and Warwick's Gurdwara since before it was even built in
2008.
"As a result I was invited to join the board of just five
trustees when the Gursewak Trust was established last year, and it
was a real honour to be asked.
"I am the only non-Sikh member of the board and it is really
nice to be involved in the great work that they do in the Sikh
community and beyond.
"The Trust raised the money through gift aid and decided the St
Nicholas Church in Radford Semele Restoration Fund would be a
brilliant cause to contribute to as not only is there the religious
link but this historic church is very important to a large
number of people in the local community.
"Hopefully as time goes by the profile of the Trust will grow
and then donations will grow too. This will give the Trust the
ability to further help our community"
Reverend Martin Green is the vicar at the Radford Semele church
and has been delighted by the support the appeal has received.
He said: "It has been fantastic to see the amount of people who
have been prepared to contribute to our cause and restore the
church.
"People often look to the differences between religious groups
for ways to set them apart but this generous donation demonstrates
that there are more similarities than differences and that those
involved are always looking for ways to help the local
community.
"Our fundraising target is almost ever-changing because of
financial issues with regards to insurance and rates of VAT but
this contribution puts us two-thirds of the way there and with a
recent rise in awareness we are getting closer to the point where
we can begin work on the restoration."
For further information about HB&O, please visit their
website here: www.hboltd.co.uk