Transforming St Paul’s into a community hub for Fulflood

If you live within the parish you may have received a letter inviting you to support the improvements being planned for St Paul’s Church. This exciting new initiative is the most important work to be carried out since St Paul’s was originally built to sustain the growing community of Weeke and Fulflood.

On one Saturday in May this year we welcomed over 700 people for our Community Day. It was a wonderful event but also a reminder of how we struggle to cope with such numbers.

By investing in our buildings – making them fully accessible, safe, warm and even more welcoming – we believe that we can develop St Paul’s as a centre with state-of-the-art facilities to serve the local community and beyond.

We are convinced that building projects are actually people projects.

At a time when many people are suffering real hardship through homelessness, migration, poverty, mental illness or loneliness, we will develop our site for social and recreational use, but also as a means of improving the lives of people who are sometimes at the margins of our society.

You can read more about the project here. We’ve already received the necessary planning consent from Winchester City Council and the Diocese of Winchester. And we have now raised over £500,000 (towards our target of £910,000).

How you can help

Are you in business in Winchester, or do you have links to local businesses that might be willing to support us? We would be delighted to talk with potential sponsors, and there will be some limited naming rights for specific projects within the overall development.

Do you have links to any charitable trusts that might support this work? We have a team of people working on our applications to grant-making bodies. Some applications have already been successful, and a number of others are under consideration. But direct relationships with trustees are always a bonus, and there may be some organisations we haven’t yet reached.

Can you make a donation to support our work – either a one-off sum or a pledge of future funding? You may wish to give in memory of someone special, or in thanksgiving for some aspect of the life you enjoy in this part of Winchester. If you would like to donate or can offer help in any way, please contact admin@stmatthewstpaul.org or 01962 844878.