A CHURCH in Sandiway is appealing for donations to build a permanent ramp at its entrance and ensure it is fully accessible.

While St John’s Church’s Sunday morning service is held at the fully accessible church hall, those with mobility issues are struggling to access the church itself for events like concerts, weddings, baptisms and funerals.  

An online fundraising appeal (spacehive.com/a-ramp-for-st-johns-sandiway) was set up last December – and now the church is in need of its final £8,000.

Cheshire West and Chester Council (CWAC) has donated £4,500 to the appeal, and councillors Gillian Edwards, Charles Fifield and Paul Williams have all contributed donations from member budgets.

Cllr Edwards said: “The team at St John’s has worked extremely hard on this, and it is a pleasure to work with them – the enthusiasm surrounding this project is inspirational.

“The ramp forms part of a larger vision for the church which will make it fully accessible whilst retaining the beauty and heritage of the sacred space.

“I am passionate about inclusion and collaborative team work and this project is really exciting because it will enable the whole community to enjoy this special space.

“The cost-of-living crisis is impacting everyone and this ramp will enable the church to provide a warm, welcoming space at any time, and assist in its mission to serve the community.

Reverend Ruth Mock, vicar at St John's, added: “We've been blown away by people's generosity.

“Times are hard, and we've told people not to give to the appeal if they are struggling, but almost 200 donors have pledged money on the site, and scores more have come to our fundraising events.”

The project will cost £56,000 to deliver.

The church has tried to source cheaper alternatives but as the church is a listed building in a conservation area, it needs to be build using sandstone to match the church.

Reverend Mock said: “We’ve put it off because it’s so expensive, but we can’t keep doing that.

“We’ve had children on school trips in wheelchairs who struggle to get in, and mourners who can’t follow the coffin into church.

“There are music-lovers in the village who can’t come to our concerts and lonely people who can’t come to the warm space for coffee and chat.

“We’re entirely dependent on fundraising events and the generosity of the parish for all our running costs.

“And recently we’ve had to pay for essential repairs to the tower, so our reserves are low.

“We’re so grateful for the support we’ve had so far, and we’re nearly there!”