BEFORE the Christmas rains came, contractors removed no less
than 60kg of debris from the gutters of St Michael and All Angels,
in Galleywood. St Michael's is a well-cared-for church, but it took
a cherry picker to reach the awkward spots.
Pictured here is the Archdeacon of Harlow, the Ven. Martin
Webster, in the basket of the cherry picker with Lyan Gray, of MBS
Access, from Witham. The Archdeacon was there to launch a scheme
set up by the diocese of Chelmsford and the
Friends of Essex Churches to encourage all the diocesan churches to
clear gutters, as the cost of repairing damage from the overflow of
the blocked gutters of historic churches in the diocese is
estimated at hundreds of thousands of pounds.
As a gesture of encouragement, the Friends of Essex Churches
Trust is giving a grant of £50 to the first 100 churches that
arrange a contractor's visit under the new scheme.
