The new extension

We are building an extension to our Church! The extension will enable us to worship and to serve the parish in a way that is relevant to the 21 st century.

We have appointed Bakers of Danbury to build the extension for us. They started work on 5 November 2007, and aim to complete the job by mid-September, 2008.

The extension is being built on the south side of the Church (the side furthest from Lexden Road). It will give us:-

• a meeting room;
• a new choir vestry, to be used also as a second and smaller meeting room;
• a parish office;
• running water and toilets for the Church;
• a place in the building where hot and cold drinks can be served;
• improved access for the disabled;
• a second and better staircase to the balcony.

The main meeting room will give us a congenial space for activities such as:-

• a crèche for small children during services;
• meetings for groups preparing for marriage or confirmation, or outreach groups such as “Alpha”;
• meetings of church committees, and small community groups such as gatherings of the elderly, or charitable committees;
• hospitality for elderly, lonely or bereaved people.

As well as building the extension, Bakers of Danbury are making some changes for us in the rear of the nave, so as to create a level and flexible space under the balcony with no fixed furniture. They are also replacing the blue plastic doors at the main entrances with glass doors, to make the Church more inviting.

We had a successful fund-raising campaign during 2007. Our funds were boosted by generous legacies from Betty Nicholls and Queenie Shepherd, and the Parochial Church Council have therefore agreed that the main meeting room in the extension should be known as the Nicholls room, and the choir vestry/second meeting room should be known as the Shepherd room.

We have the bulk of the funds that we need for the project, but further contributions would be very welcome. Any donations should be sent to the Rector at The Rectory, 2 Wroxham Close, Colchester, Essex CO3 3RG – cheques should be made payable to “Lexden PCC”.

For further information about the extension, contact churchwarden Tom Scrimgeour who is chairman of the Extension committee (see contacts page).