St Andrew’s in the Grange aims to be more accessible
The Church of Scotland is on a mission to make its base in St Peter Port more accessible and disability-friendly.
St Andrew’s in the Grange is hoping to raise £80,000 to transform access to the church so that it can be enjoyed by anyone in the island.
‘We believe our church should be a space where everyone, regardless of their abilities, can gather, worship, and feel at home,’ said its minister, the Rev. Justin Taylor.
‘The changes need to benefit both the church and the wider community so everyone feels it is a place they are welcome and our building becomes a place of hospitality.’
The church is hoping to make a side entrance to the building wheelchair-friendly so that anyone with accessibility issues can enter the main body of the church through the hall at the rear.
Parts of the are on a lower level to the main church, so a small lift will be added so that this area can also be accessed by anyone with limited mobility.
Other changes include a revamp of the disabled toilets and widening of doorways at the rear of the church.
Changes, however, have to take into account the shape of the site and building that was constructed in 1897.
‘To get a wheelchair into the church at the moment we have to put down a ramp and then its a real physical effort to get it inside,’ said Mr Taylor.
‘Even a child in a buggy can struggle to access the building. Unfortunately if we put a ramp at the front it would basically have to go out almost into the road.
‘We really want people to be able to do things for themselves, anything else is just tokenism.’
Mr Taylor envisages a space that could be used by groups, charities and even businesses.
‘We are investing in the building but also in the community,’ he said.
‘We want the building to become a space that is community-driven, especially as we are ideally situated in the heart of St Peter Port.’
Fundraising efforts were started in June at the Saffery Rotary Walk around the island, where Mr Taylor was the top fundraiser and was so successful he is now planning to take part in the Butterfield Half Marathon in September.
Along with extra funds donated by the Guernsey Scottish Association from its Burns Night celebrations, the church has already raised about a fifth of its ambitious target.
‘We have enough in reserve to start the work,’ he said.
‘But we need to make sure we raise enough funds to ensure the longevity of the building.’
