St George's Church, Wembdon

25/03/2026

Roof Work - Fund Raising

We are really grateful for the sums raised and donated. We estimate the total cost to be £121,088, of which we have raised £99,850 through gifts and grants (we can’t add all of this to the JustGiving Page but that is the total). The shortfall at the moment is £21,238. Unfortunately we were not able to reclaim the VAT.

You are warmly invited to two FUND RAISING EVENTS for the local community

SATURDAY 23rd MAY 2pm FASHION SHOW by Alise & Louie of Bridgwater at The Parish Centre - tickets £10 available now from Katherine Cannell 01278 426254
FRIDAY 19th JUNE 7.30PM QUIZ NIGHT at The Parish Centre - Adults £5 Students £2

Easter Services

Are all still going ahead. www.sgw.org.uk

HAPPY EASTER!

25/03/2026

Roof Work
The work to restore the chancel roof is now well under way. The older beams have now been ‘paired’ with new wood and should last a generation or two. The roof has been re-laid and the work now is to create the ceiling using battens and plaster. We are hopeful that this project will be completed in June.

Giving
The JustGiving page can be found at https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/sgw

15/01/2026

Update on the Church Roof

Thank you to all who have shown interest and concern for the church roof. We have some news to share!

Damage to the church roof during the storms of October and December 2024 revealed further serious damage to the Chancel roof, the area at the front of the church.
Following careful investigation, the PCC have been able to appoint Ellis & Co to proceed with the repair at an estimated cost of £100,907 + VAT, which amounts to £121,088. The work is expected to take 12 weeks and we hope to make an immediate start.

We have raised £81,975 to date, and with pledges yet to be received, the amount is £90,969 including Gift Aid. We are so grateful and thank God for his faithfulness to us as a Church.
The target of £30,000 is to meet this shortfall, which we hope to cover through fund raising and grant applications (and VAT relief where applicable). You can find information about how to give on our JustGiving page (https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/sgw), on the church website www.sgw.org.uk, or you can speak to Katherine Cannell (01278 426254)

Thank you so much for your interest!

PS we still think that the most interesting part of St George’s Church is what happens under the roof – anyone is welcome to join our Sunday services.

10/08/2025

What is happening with the church roof?

The storm damage to the north side of the church was largely repaired under insurance, but the scaffolding has stayed up because further problems were discovered.

There are two parts to getting this done:
The first is to agree on how to fix the roof. We know that the ceiling and the beams in the chancel (front end of church) roof need either replacing or strengthening but we are subject to the church’s planning permission because this is a Listed building. We are in the hands of conservation experts and are doing all we can to encourage them to get the necessary permissions to enable the work to be carried out

Once we know what needs to be done, the second part is getting it done. We do not yet know what it will cost but since we’re reasonably confident that it will be more than £80,000, we have set this as our initial fundraising target. The response from the church and from the community has been fantastic and we are very close to that first target already!

We will continue fundraising through the summer with a number of projects. (By the way there is no central Church of England fund for projects like this, all the money has to be found locally). Our hope is that as soon as we have a plan and permits for the work, we will have enough funds in place to start on the work asap.

Do come and see our stall at the Parish Centre on Village Day (Monday 25th August 2025) for further information and to ‘buy a tile’ for the church roof or buy a quiz, recipe book and notelets portraying pictures of old Wembdon. The church will also be open with a treasure hunt for the children and old photographs of the church will be on display as well.

20/07/2025

Thank you to all who came to the Community Concert in church last night to sing, dance, read or simply to be there! Well done to the Julia McDonald dancers who had very little space to work with and made it work so well.
We're delighted to share that a total of £745.50 was raised on the evening, and further donations are coming in. That is amazing! Thank you
The JustGiving page is still open:

St George’s Church roof was damaged during the two winter storms of 2024. Only part of the damage is covered under insurance and the cost of the remaining work is around £80,000. Donations towards this unexpected cost would be very much appreciated.

17/07/2025

The Community Concert (and other events) are supporting the fundraising for the roof repairs. You can contribute here

St George’s Church roof was damaged during the two winter storms of 2024. Only part of the damage is covered under insurance and the cost of the remaining work is around £80,000. Donations towards this unexpected cost would be very much appreciated.

17/07/2025

Don't miss the Community Concert this Saturday. Other events to follow soon.

12/06/2025

We'd love you to join us at St George's Wembdon for a Community Concert.

Saturday 19th July, 7.00 - 8.30pm

Featuring a range of performers from the local area, entertaining us with dance, poetry and song.

This is a fundraising concert to raise essential funds to repair our roof. Entry is free but we'd be very grateful for donations (cash or card) for the roof.

We hope you can join us!

06/05/2025

The church roof was damaged on the north side during last winter’s storms. In the course of carrying out repairs to this area, the builders have discovered that much work will be needed on the roof over the chancel, which is the ‘front’ bit of the church. This additional damage is, mostly, not due to the storms but to beetles.
At the moment we do not know exactly what needs to be done, nor do we have an estimate of the costs. Experts first need to agree on how to fix the damaged timbers. All of that is likely to take a few weeks and may involve scaffolding.
While the storm damage is covered by the insurance, all the other costs will come to the local church (the PCC): there is, sadly, no central Church of England buildings fund. We will need to find more money in order to afford the new roof works, and will be in touch when the situation is clearer.
In the mean time, please ‘save the date’ for Saturday 19th July at 7.00pm for a community concert to be held at St George’s Church. We would love to see you then.
We will publish an update as and when there is more news.

19/02/2025

The trees nearest the North side of the church have now been pollarded. (There is a bit of tidying still to do). As well as securing the health of the trees themselves, this work clears the way for repairs to the damaged roof, which are due to begin next month. Thanks to all involved.

13/02/2025

Although there is a temporary Road Closure 13-18 Feb in Blakes Road, Church Road, St George’s Parish Centre and St George’s Church are still accessible. The closure will be beyond the Church and Parish Centre.