The ongoing work at St Mary’s is Phase 1 of The Lenham Village Hub project; the Village Hub team are working to redevelop the internal rear of the church, turning it into a wonderful multi-purpose space for our village. It’s very exciting to see this work begin. The first stage includes a new commercial kitchen, new emergency exit, wider kitchen doorway and a new cesspool in the churchyard with associated drains! This is great news and is being funded with moneys raised from individuals, charities and the Diocese via the Hub Committee.
The Friends of St Mary’s have not committed funds towards this phase of the Village Hub project. Importantly though, the support of the Friends and the fact that we have paid for so many essential repairs over the years, has helped the Hub Committee demonstrate to potential funders that there is widespread support in the community for our church building. The Friends are making a significant contribution towards the 2nd Phase of the Hub project, specifically for the provision of a new floor at the back of the Nave.
The Friends consolidated funds during 2025 ahead of major repair works planned to the tower roof. The need for a full refurbishment was highlighted in our last Quinquennial (every five years) Inspection. We will be using our own charity funds for the majority of the considerable costs but have been awarded grants by The Friends of Kent Churches, the Benefact Trust and also the local Hatch Charity to assist with funding the repair – we’re very grateful for their support.
The work to the tower is scheduled for March; work needs to be completed by the end of March in order to avoid any impact on bats as they emerge from hibernation. The work to the roof will mean that scaffolding is required on the tower; we’re planning on assessing potential maintenance work to the tower clock whilst the scaffolding is in place.
The Friends of St Mary's Church Lenham 