‘Better access, relationships with neighbours is the aim’
THE Little Chapel Foundation is about to enter a chapter of good relationships and better access.
That is the hope of its new chairman, Andrew Warren.
Mr Warren has been in the role for only two weeks and said he has reached out already to the chapel’s neighbours, including Blanchelande College and Martyn Guille Silversmiths.
‘We want to forge good relationships with everyone. We had a good meeting with Blanchelande College, and have made contact with Martyn Guille and hope to speak further,’ he said.
The Little Chapel and its supporting foundation were mired in controversy last summer after it threatened the silversmiths with legal action for allegedly selling goods as official Little Chapel merchandise.
The fall-out led to a number of resignations of supporters and ultimately from the foundation itself.
Mr Warren is a retired headteacher, including a spell at Blanchelande, and latterly an education civil servant.
He is also well-known locally for his involvement in music, including with Gadoc and as a church organist, and for work with other charities.
He confirmed that the previous chairman, John Silvester, was no longer involved with the foundation.
One of the new committee’s aims is to improve access and it has already overseen the fitting of hand rails on the steps.
The new handrails are black and thin and designed to be as unobtrusive as possible.
‘They should make a big difference for people who have struggled with the steps,’ said Mr Warren.
‘It is feasible for there to be disabled access to the site from the car park on a path, and that is something we would love to do.
‘We will be looking to raise £200,000 towards that, obviously we have to trim our cloth to fit the available funding and are actively looking for grants or major donations.’
The other major note in Mr Warren’s diary concerns the Little Chapel’s impending centenary.
The Little Chapel was built by Brother Deodat, a Christian monk who started work in 1914. His plan was to create a miniature version of the famous grotto and basilica at Lourdes in France.
‘This is actually the third chapel and Brother Deodat started work on this in 1923,’ said Mr Warren.
‘The first chapel was too small and was knocked down, the second was knocked down after a visit from the Bishop of Portsmouth, who was quite large, and couldn’t get in.’
The centenary celebrations are due to take place on the 29 May – the spring bank holiday – and Mr Warren is hopeful that a representative from Brother Deodat’s order will be able to come from France to take part.
