Temple Roof Scheme

Introduction

In 2017, we were able to replace the eastern section of the roof, but we knew at the time that our next priority would be the south facing section of the roof which is made up of porous slates, and which had begun to leak. During the winter months particularly, water ingress is frequent and damaging, and it is only the presence of the balcony which hides the number of buckets strategically placed to catch the water.

A great deal of preparatory work has been done by members of the Resources Committee to investigate the most efficient and eco-friendly way to effect these essential repairs, and to safeguard our building in the future. The advice of an architect has been sought, and we have plans (see proposal below) to replace the porous slates with a combination of slates and solar panels which would work well with the south facing roof. This will not only help us to reduce our impact on climate change but will also contribute towards reducing future energy bills, helped by new roofing insulation. We also intend to include a calorifier to preheat central heating water and heaters in the basement which need to be kept on throughout the year to avoid mould.

These are major and expensive works which are essential to the future of our building, estimated to cost around £171 000. Before applying for funds from grant making bodies we have needed to demonstrate our commitment to raise about 50% of the total cost. Pledges received towards the roof fund along with the addition of Gift Aid contributions, mean that we will have met that commitment. Our deepest thanks to members of the congregation and friends of Temple who have already contributed or pledged money to reach this target. There will also be a number of events to raise funds for the scheme. If you wish to contribute towards the scheme please contact Graham Dickinson via enquiries@templetaunton.uk

You may have seen reported in the Somerset County Gazette that we have submitted the planning application for the insulation and solar panels as required and hope to receive permission towards the end of August. A link to the article is here. We aimed to carry out the works in the Spring of 2023, but this has been delayed until the autumn due to applications for various grants.

We ask for your prayers as we take this bold step towards securing the future of our historic building. Of course, Temple is far more than a building; it represents generations of worship, prayer, and service to our town, a place of hospitality and hope, and a place where God's love for his world is celebrated and shared.

Rev Deborah Kirk - Minister, Graham Dickinson - Temple Treasurer.

Roof Project Celebration Service and Lunch Sunday 17th March 2024
Very grateful thanks to everyone who was involved in any way in the Celebration Service and Lunch for the completion of Temple's roof. Our invited guests engaged fully and appreciatively in the event, and expressed the hope to share again with us in the future.
The hymns of celebration and thankfulness reflected the tone of the occasion, and Solomon's prayer of dedication from 1 Kings 8 and the symbol for the International Year of the Family guided our thoughts.
Graham's informative talk-through of the photographs taken as the work progressed helped us all to understand the detail and scope of the work, and enabled us to thank him for his dedication and experience as he coordinated the project over the past 3 years.
He also led us through the financial overview, and we expressed appreciation for the monies that had come through the pledges of the congregation, from the grant providers, and the timely and providential bequest which wonderfully balanced the totals on completion.
A whole team of people were involved in looking after the catering for the celebration lunch, and a wonderful time of fellowship was had by the 60+ people who were able to stay for the delicious feast of soup, bread and cheese, and selection of desserts.
The celebration marked the culmination of 3 years of consulting, planning, budgeting, communicating, reporting and contributing, alongside continuing prayer and commitment. The vision was given to us in August 2021, at a time when we need to acknowledge the economic challenges which continued into the following years, as well as the effects of the pandemic on the energies and strength of the congregation. Although, of course, we were realistic about the challenge, no one at any point said 'we can't do this'. The congregation trusted the guidance and the providence of God, supported the bold vision for the future, and offered their time, their pledges and their faithful prayers to that future.
We praise God for all that is past, and we trust him for all that's to come.
Deborah

Upcoming Roof Project Celebration Service and Lunch Sunday 17th March 2024
We are delighted that the Roof Project has been successfully completed and are grateful to everyone who played a part in this project. To mark this, there will be a service of celebration and thanksgiving on Sunday 17th March, to which we are inviting the architect and project manager, representatives from the construction and installation companies, users of the building who supported our grant applications and all of you who supported the project so magnificently with your prayers, donations and practical support.
Celebration Sunday 17th March 2024, we are celebrating the completion of our new roof in our morning service. We are grateful to all who have helped to complete this project so successfully: our architect Mark Taylor, our building contractor, Wrencon and specialist solar panel installer, Jowett and Jowett. Grants have been given in support and we are hugely grateful to those who have given the grants.
These were:
• Valencia Community Fund
• Garfield Weston Foundation
• National Churches Trust
• Benefact Trust

Our congregation and members of the community groups who meet here have been wonderfully generous with their support and giving so that we are on course to achieve the financial target which we set ourselves for this project. We are very grateful for the bequest which will be used towards paying for the cost of the roof scheme. Thank you to all who have been involved in the successful completion of our new roof. We give thanks for the vision, the skills and the hard work which have supported the task. And most of all we give thanks to God for his faithfulness throughout the years as he has guided and enabled the work and witness of this church to the present day.

Update - 23rd December 2023

Works to the roof and installation of the solar panels have now been completed with the scaffolding removed from around the church.

If you read the Somerset County Gazette, you will have seen in last week's edition, on page 4, the heading "£10k help for roof repairs". The National Churches Trust has given us a grant of £10,000 towards the cost of our roof scheme. The article points out that our building is used by over 100 different groups and activities throughout the year with around 500 guests using the building each week. We have the largest indoor concert space in Taunton, seating 700 people. Rev Deborah is quoted explaining the repairs needed to the roof and the financial support provided by our members and friends. She is quoted as saying, "We are very grateful for the financial support from National Churches Trust to help us maintain this lovely building for worship and outreach to the community. The church is a lovely Grade 2 listed building which, in addition to services and activities for the congregation, is greatly used by community groups, with up to 500 people each week passing through the doors". We are very grateful to the National Churches Trust for their generous support.

In addition to the Somerset County Gazette, readers of the Methodist Recorder will have seen this week that a similar article has appeared in that newspaper.

The award of a grant by the National Churches Trust of £10,000 which brings the total of grants received or promised to £48,000. This is a very substantial sum although rather less than our target but with 2 more grant applications awaiting consideration. We have now submitted an application to the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme to recover VAT which we have been charged so far but it may take a little while for us to have the VAT returned.

At the Church Council I was given permission to withdraw money from our Trust funds which have been generously given in bequests over the years. This is partly to make up the shortfall on hoped for grants, some of this will only be required temporarily until the VAT is recovered.

We hope to recognise the work done and financial support for this project within a service early in the New Year to which we will invite supporters of the work carried out.

Graham Dickinson (Temple Treasurer)

Update - 26th November 2023

The roofing contractors are making very good progress on re-covering the south facing section of the church roof. The fitting of the new slates is almost complete with finishing the verge pointing and a small remaining amount of leadwork to be completed. The rails have now been fitted ready for the solar panels to be placed in position and the fitting of the solar panels should be completed in the next week or so, depending on weather conditions. The internal electrical installation is commencing and includes the installation of electric heaters in the basement – this should help us keep this area dry throughout the year. The electricity generated by the solar panels will be used for hot water in the kitchen and washbasins in the toilets and will also preheat the central heating system so that the gas boilers need only raise the temperature above this to the normal heating temperature.

We are very grateful to the Valencia Communities Fund who have supported us with a £20,000 grant and this has been used towards the staged payment for the works.

We are very grateful for all the generous support from our members and friends. We are awaiting the outcome of 3 remaining grant applications and hope we may be successful in obtaining further support.

The works are scheduled to be completed by 22nd December but with excellent progress at the moment, we hope the scaffolding may be removed a couple of weeks earlier.

Graham Dickinson (Temple Treasurer)

Update - 20th October 2023

On Friday 20th October I arranged to take a look at the works taking place on the Temple roof. This involved climbing several ladders up the scaffolding from the Brendon House car park. The weather was bright and sunny, although it has been very mixed with some heavy showers while the old roof has been removed, which required carefully phased removal during drier spells. Interlocking insulation panels have been installed and covered with a red membrane held down by battens. Lead flashings have been replaced as needed, holding clips for the solar panels have been installed and a start has been made on fitting the new slates which will match those used on the east roof which we replaced a few years ago (visible from Upper High Street). Our architect is pleased with the progress being made and we have now made the first of the staged payments towards the cost of the works.

We trust when the works are complete before Christmas that Temple will be watertight long into the future and with the benefit of the solar panels we will reduce costs in the future and ensure we use less fossil fuels for heat and light too as a church becomes more environmentally friendly.

Graham Dickinson (Temple Treasurer)

Update - 6th October 2023

After a difficult start due to the poor weather conditions, we are now making good progress on the roof scheme. The scaffolding has been erected at both the front of Temple and along the back. This has included protecting the high-level window at the back of the Church. Some of the artificial slates were found to contain a low level of asbestos and have been disposed of through a specialist contractor. All slates have now been removed and the new interlocking roof insulation is in place, with a permeable membrane above which ensures that the roof is weatherproof. The next step is for the supports for the solar panels to be fixed in place.

Some recent photos below show the current status of the works.

Graham Dickinson (Temple Treasurer)

Update - 6th October 2023

Some recent photos below show the current status of the works.

Graham Dickinson (Temple Treasurer)

Update - September 2023

Visitors to Temple will have noticed that work has now begun on the project to replace the slates on the south-facing roof of the church – to make it watertight. The project includes new insulation and the installation of an array of solar panels, which should help our carbon footprint by providing electricity during the day. It is hoped that the project will be complete before Christmas. We are very grateful for the wonderfully generous financial support of the congregation, and income from recent fundraising events. We are also grateful for £38,000 from grant-giving bodies (£20,000 from Valencia Communities Fund; £15,000 from Garfield Weston; £3,000 from the Benefact Trust); a number of other applications were, sadly, unsuccessful and we are still awaiting the outcome of two final grant applications.

If you wish to contribute towards the scheme please contact Graham Dickinson via enquiries@templetaunton.uk

Graham Dickinson (Temple Treasurer)

Temple Roof Renewal Scheme Proposal 2022

It is proposed the south roof slope of the church is raised 100mm to incorporate thermal insulation and a 17kw array of solar panels.

The south roof slope of the church is in very poor condition and requires renewal of the slate covering. This presents an opportunity to address energy costs, sustainability, and the carbon footprint of the building. The church committee have determined that they should seek to improve thermal insulation and generate their own electricity - at least a significant part of the requirement. Technical assessment shows that an array occupying the upper part of the south roof slope will give optimal performance, bearing in mind the shading created by the 1846 gable wall.

It is proposed 48 'black' modular panels in three rows are frame mounted above the slate roof covering.

Current energy costs are approximately £8,000/annum, divided roughly equally between gas and electricity. The energy generated will offset roughly 50% of electrical energy costs (£2,000/year). This in itself is significant.

The reduction in carbon is more significant. It is suggested the 'black' panels, will have a negligible impact upon the roofscape. There is no part of the roof visible from Upper High Street, unusually the upper floors of the property's opposite are blocked up. Views from Vivary Park are limited by trees. Even in Winter after leaf fall the roof covering is largely obscured by trees, and by the high gable wall of the south facade. It is suggested neatly detailed 'frame mounted black' solar panels will not adversely affect the appearance of the roof, and further suggested that such integration is now expected from public buildings in the universal battle against climate change and the need to be carbon neutral.

The roof over of the church is large and a significant loss of heat energy and excessive carbon production. The church is heated throughout the week to a background level and the basement to a comfort level. The level of heating partly serves to supress damp, decay and mould preserving the building fabric and reducing the harmful and costly effects of large hot to cold heating swings. Prior to the pandemic there were an average of two weekly uses in addition to Sunday's where the benefit of continual heating was felt.

It is proposed 50mm of woodfibre thermal insulation is incorporated into the recovering of the south roof slope, and in due course the north roof slope reducing heat losses from the building by around 20%; significant energy and carbon reductions. The recovering presents a low-cost opportunity to improve the heat loss, as well as integration of solar panels. The roof covering will be raised approximately 100mm to accommodate the insulation and the counter battens necessary to maintain a drainage underlay and ventilation. The roof verges are simply made currently - the east with a simple slate overhang above render and the west with an asbestos cement over-flashing. It is proposed the verges are improved with the addition of a course of brickwork filling the 100mm height increment, set forward fractionally to protect the render/walling beneath.

Mark Taylor - Mark Taylor Chartered Architect