Vandalism Repairs at Batley Parish Church

Last Sunday (12 May 2019) just before the start of the weekly church service, some vandalism was discovered. The door to the external boiler room had been broken into and the boiler room was flooded as tap had been turned on and left running. In addition a normal glass window pane had been smashed at the side of church and one of the traditional stained glass windows had also been damaged. There has been a church on this site in Batley as far back as records go - the church was mentioned in the Doomsday book. The church serves the community in various ways: in addition to the regular services, it operates as home to Batley's Peer Talk group (a service for depression support), to Batley Community Choir and also operates a weekly youth group. The church is active with local initiatives like More In Common Batley and Spen, working to bring our communities closer together, and regularly supports local causes like the local Food Bank and the Drop in Centre. These kind of repairs are not cheap, especially stained glass on a window that is over 100 years old. Contrary to popular belief, parish churches are not wealthy, and the costs of these repairs are beyond the means of Batley Parish Church. An insurance claim would also prove costly as there is a significant excess to pay and premiums will inevitably rise. This Go Fund Me is to cover as much of the costs of repairs as possible. Any surplus funds will be split evenly between the Batley Food Bank and Peer Talk. Thanks for reading.