THE pastor of an historic church in Darlington has taken to crowdfunding to raise funds to restore the building to its former glory.
Father Chris Bedding from St Cuthbert’s Church said he was aiming to raise $30,000 to repair the jarrah flooring, cracks in the wall and build an emergency exit to comply with Shire regulations.
“Our beautiful neo-gothic church building is nearly 100 years old,” he said.
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READ NOW“Thousands of weddings, Sunday services, funerals and baptisms have taken place inside.
“Set on an acre of bushland, St Cuthbert’s is a truly special place and we want to preserve this amazing gift for future generations.
“I know there are many people out there who were married or baptised at St Cuthbert’s and I’m hoping that people who cherish this sacred space will help to restore it for future generations.”
Father Chris said they had already raised more than $70,000 to restore the heritage-listed building, but needed more to finish the job off.
“With the help of Lotterywest, we prepared a conservation plan,” he said.
“The stained glass windows have been repaired, the whole building has been rewired, we’ve revitalised the native bush and fixed a moisture problem in the foundations.
“We just need the wider community’s help to finish the job.
“There are two things left to do – the floors and the walls and these are big things.
“The jarrah floor will be repaired and new carpet will go down in the aisle. All the cracks in the walls will be repaired and filled in, and the whole place will get a new coat of paint as well as some more work is required to strengthen the foundations.
“We are hoping that people who live in the local area or who have a special memory of St Cuthbert’s will join forces to conserve this heritage site.
“With your help, our iconic, heritage-listed building can serve the community for another century.”
Donations are tax deductible, and go into a fund administered by the National Trust WA.
To donate go to www.chuffed.org/project/stcuthberts