The parish has received a grant of £35,000 for the hall building fund. More details

View an update about the building work

View an update about the building work

View an update about the building work

Fr. Tom, our architect, the Diocesan Property Manager and representatives of the parish met with our contractors, RJH, to discuss the hall building works. Work will start on 17th February with an estimated duration of 44 weeks, so it is possible that the works could complete by Christmas 2025. The car park will be fenced off and inaccessible to anyone but construction workers from 17th February so there will be no on-site parking. It is possible that there will be no weekday services at St John's during the construction period as the work will be carried out Monday to Friday and maybe some Saturdays. It should not affect the Vigil Mass. The contractors understand the nature of the site and have given undertakings of sensitivity to our needs. This is the beginning of an exciting new chapter in the story of our parish; it will mean some inconvenience now but will help us to grow stronger in the future. There is still much work for us to do as a community so please continue to support us with your financial help, register for Gift Aid, and come forward to volunteer your time so that we can fulfil the potential of the hall in our community.

Update from Kristen Dougherty, Diocesan Fundraiser. 

After my visits to the Parish to speak at Mass regarding fundraising events and strategies, we’re happy to report things are moving forward. Events and grants are being formulated and submitted. With the excitement of our start of construction for 17th February, we are still in desperate need of volunteers to donate a small amount of time to help with fundraising efforts, upcoming events or organisation; the jobs are many and varied: just ask. Whatever your strengths or amount of time will help us. Also, do remember the appeal to increase our giving. We are asked to consider giving the equivalent of one hour’s work a week to this cause. Our church hall is coming and we need you to be part of the outreach to our community in some way. “Let Your Light Shine!”

On Tuesday 21st January, Fr. Tom, Gabriel our architect, Patrick Jezewski the Diocesan Property Manager and representatives of the parish met with our contractors, RJH, to discuss the plan for the hall building works. The current plan is for works to commence in the first week of March with an estimated duration of 44 weeks.  It is therefore just possible that the works could complete by Christmas 2025 but this is by no means certain.

Once work begins, the construction site and the whole of the car park will be fenced off and inaccessible to anyone but the construction workers.  This will obviously mean that there will be no on-site parking for parishioners during construction.

Although a final decision is yet to be made, it is possible that there will be no weekday services at St John's during the construction period.  The work will usually be carried out Monday to Friday but there may be occasions when Saturday working is required.  This should not affect the Vigil Mass however.  The contractors understand the nature of the site and have given undertakings of sensitivity to our needs.

This is the beginning of an exciting new chapter in the story of our parish, it will mean some inconvenience now but will help us to grow stronger in the future. 

A recording of the presentation made to the parish at the weekend Masses of 16th and 17th November is available on our YouTube channel (@MeltonCatholics).

To summarise the presentation, we are on the point of seeking final approval of the Diocese to our preferred contractor. The cost of the project, including contingency, kitchen, fees and fit out, will be £794,000. We have approximately £560,000 in hand. This figure is made up of proceeds from the sale of St. Peters, grants, fundraising by the Friends of St John, and sundry gifts and donations.

This leaves a gap of some £234,000, which is almost exactly what was anticipated for this scheme when it was put to the parish in 2022. While we will be able to borrow from the Diocese to cover any shortfall, we should work together to reduce or even eliminate any debt. We will continue to apply for grants and are hopeful that this will make a further significant contribution. Nevertheless, parishioners are asked to consider carefully their ability to support the project through regular giving, donations, bequests and supporting our fundraising activities and events, as you have done so generously in the past. You may like to consider whether you can give one hours wages, or equivalent, each week. An hour for God.

Our fundraising activities, including grant applications, could be amplified if we had more help. We urge you to also consider donating your time and brains to the cause. The amount of work and skills required to plan and run an event, research and apply for grants, design and produce communications, or develop relationships with other charities and businesses is a heavy burden which is borne currently by a very few of us. So, whatever your skills or aptitudes, please come forward and offer us at least a little of your time – you’d be contributing to the future of our faith in Melton Mowbray.

This Sunday, please drop in to the Little Tree café on Windsor Street, one of many local businesses which are supporting us. One of us will be there from 11.30 am to 3.30 pm, for you to have a cup of coffee and a friendly chat about volunteering, or just have a closer look at the hall plans and drawings. If you can’t make it but would like to offer to help, you may email Art on PPC.MJ@dioceseofnottingham.uk or phone 07790 631635.

When the hall is operational, it will offer a home for parish groups- enabling the formation of new groups as well as existing – and provide a venue for RCIA, marriage preparation and other faith formulation and evangelisation activities. It will be used for parish social events and for hire for private functions. It will be open to the wider community for charitable purposes – either led by the parish or other organisations – and for commercial hire to organisations such as the Borough Council and the NHS to deliver their services. We expect it, in time, to be self-sustaining. First and foremost, it is a PARISH hall. It will be for the benefit of the parish but will also be the responsibility of the parish. We need to plan now for the best use of this valuable resource. If you have ideas or thoughts about this, please don’t wait until someone else has done the work and made the decisions and then complain – now is the time to get involved.

We are a family – we go forward together in faith, hope and love.

Thank you and God bless.

We are delighted to announce that we have received a very generous grant of £41,000 towards our hall building project from the Benefact Trust. Benefact Trust exists to make a positive difference to people's lives by funding, guiding and celebrating the work of churches and Christian charities; empowering the most vulnerable and giving people, communities and places a renewed opportunity to flourish. We are very grateful for their help. Our application emphasised the centrality of a hall in nurturing our own parish community and to further our mission as disciples of Christ in our local community.

We hope construction of the hall will start very early next year and are about to begin the process of evaluating tenders from interested contractors. The project is not yet fully funded, although we are making good progress, and we ask all parishioners and friends of the project to please continue to aid our fund-raising by supporting the events and campaigns we will be running until we reach the target. If you would like to make a donation now, you can do so here Friends of St John's Church Melton Mowbray JustGiving page; and please remember, if you register for Gift Aid, HMRC will rebate to us a further 25% of the value of your contributions at no cost to you. Thank you for your support.

More information