Beeston Methodist Church (BMC) has announced that Derwent Valley Construction, a family building firm based in Belper, will undertake a major redevelopment to its sanctuary. Work on the £2m project will start in February and is expected to take a year to complete.
The church on Chilwell Road has been planning and refining redevelopment schemes since the congregations of four Methodist churches in the Beeston and Chilwell area amalgamated in 2014 to form a single church.
Detailed proposals were put forward in 2021. Since then, costs have increased by about £1m. So savings had to be made.
Chris Bridges, chairman of the BMC Redevelopment Group, is thrilled that the revised scheme has received the go-ahead from the church trustees.
He said: “Despite a scope reduction, the specification of the project still achieves all the aims of the original vision – a church that is new, or substantially new, to all members. The space, which community groups will be able to hire, will be bright, flexible, accessible and environmentally friendly. We want to bring Beeston into the heart of BMC and take BMC into the heart of Beeston”.
Key elements of the project are:
- Major roof repairs
- Pews and the side galleries will be removed and the floor made flat. Accessibility will also be improved inside and outside to help those with mobility problems
- Installing roof and floor insulation and a more energy- efficient heating system
- New audio visual and lighting systems
- The impressive pipe organ, presented to the church when it was built in 1902, will be renovated.
Dr Bridges said: “We are fortunate that more than three quarters of the funds for the project have already been raised. So far, members of the church and local community have contributed more than £220,000 through generous gifts and fundraising events.
“We plan to bridge the remaining shortfall by further fundraising and applying to charities and trusts for grants”.
Repairs have already been undertaken on the 110ft church spire – the tallest structure in Beeston – and further work is planned.
Images on the left show how the sanctuary at Beeston Methodist Church will look after the redevelopment is completed.