St Catherine's Wickford - £162,000 to raise through 150th Anniversary

This year St Catherine’s church in Wickford is 150 years old (https://www.wickfordandrunwellparish.org.uk/st-catherines.html & https://www.nationalchurchestrust.org/church/wickford-st-catherine).

150th Anniversary events for St Catherine’s Church, Wickford:

• Saturday 9 May, 2.00 - 4.00 pm, St Catherine's Church - Art workshop.
• Saturday 30 May, 7.30 pm, St Andrew’s Church – Ladybirds Singing Group – Fundraising concert for St Catherine’s.
• Sunday 31 May, 10.30 am, St Catherine’s – Joint Eucharist for 150th Anniversary. Preacher: The Ven. David Lowman.
• Saturday 6 June, St Catherine’s – Flower Festival with Coffee Morning and Cream Tea Afternoon.
• Sunday 7 June, 11.00 am, St Catherine’s. Anniversary Eucharist led by Archdeacon of Southend.
• Saturday 13 June, 2.00 pm, The Rectory – Parish Garden Party.
• Saturday 20 June, 3.00 pm, St Catherine’s – Rumatica - Fundraising concert.

Art Workshop

Help us to celebrate 150 years of St Catherine's Church in Wickford as part of Bas-Arts-Index upcoming Art& series of events through May.

9th May 2-4pm at St Catherine's which is on Southend Road in Wickford.

The event will start with a workshop about the history of the church, encompassing your thoughts, feelings and memories. We'll then move on to an activity where you can create a stained glass window collage.

Bring yourself, your thoughts, your memories and your feelings. You can also bring anything you think might be interesting for us to see regarding the church herself, or her history. Weddings. Baptisms. Funerals. Celebrations of any and all types. All are welcome. We look forward to seeing you there.

No booking required, just turn up.

Under 18s must be accompanied by an adult



Ladybirds Song Group in concert

Saturday 30 May 2026, 7.30 pm

St Andrew’s Church, 11 London Road, Wickford SS12 0AN

We are celebrating the 150th Anniversary of St Catherine’s Wickford with a fundraising concert as subsidence has caused cracks in the walls requiring underpinning - a retiring collection will be taken.

The Ladybirds Song Group are a voluntary community group spreading joy through music, performing in care homes, clubs, and other local venues.



Flower Festival. 6th & 7th June.

Featuring local clubs. schools & the community.

St Catherine's Church 150 Years.

Donate a pew end in memory of a loved one £10.00.

Saturday all day. Refreshments and stalls in the

church hall.

Contact: Caroline: 07821195388.



Rumatica in concert

St Catherine’s Church Wickford

Saturday 20th June 3pm

A Ukulele Band with a Difference! Playing a wide range of Rock, Pop, Country, Swing, Indie, Blues and Folk Music

https://www.rumatica.co.uk/

We are celebrating the 150th Anniversary of St Catherine’s Wickford with a fundraising concert as subsidence has caused cracks in the walls requiring underpinning - a retiring collection will be taken.



Fundraising Campaign - St Catherine’s Church, Wickford

Due to the long dry summer of 2022, the foundations of the NW corner of St Catherine’s Church subsided. This caused large cracks to appear in the walls. In 2023, we completed Phase 1 of our campaign involving safety and weather protection work costing £20,000, with funds raised by donations, events and grants. In 2024 we began Phase 2 involving groundwork investigations and design of an underpinning solution. This cost £13,560 and is essential to design a long-term solution. Phase 3, for which we are now raising funds, will cost £162,500.00 + VAT and will enable the NW corner of the church to be underpinned.

If you wish to contribute, please go to https://givealittle.co/c/CXlEMNUoerIeTUtbQmvYS to donate online.

Send cheques to Wickford and Runwell PCC to The Rectory, 120 Southend Road, Wickford SS11 8EB or phone 07803 562329 / email jonathan.evens@btinternet.com for bank details for a transfer.

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U2 - Resurrection Song.

Fundraising Campaign - St Catherine’s Church, Wickford

 

Fundraising Campaign - St Catherine’s Church, Wickford

Due to the long dry summer of 2022, the foundations of the NW corner of St Catherine’s Church subsided. This caused large cracks to appear in the walls.

 
In 2023, we completed Phase 1 of our campaign involving safety and weather protection work costing £20,000, with funds raised by donations, events and grants. In 2024 we began Phase 2 involving groundwork investigations and design of an underpinning solution. This will cost £13,560 and is essential to design a long-term solution.

Phase 3, for which we are now beginning to raise funds, will be when the church is underpinned.

If you wish to contribute, please use the QR Code below or go to https://givealittle.co/c/CXlEMNUoerIeTUtbQmvYS to donate online. Send cheques to Wickford and Runwell PCC to The Rectory, 120 Southend Road, Wickford SS11 8EB or phone 07803 562329/email jonathan.evens@btinternet.com for bank details for a bank transfer.

We are very grateful for all the support we have received to date whether through individual donations, fundraising events or grant funding awards. This project has been supported by: Benefact Trust, Friends of Essex Churches Trust, Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, Minor Repairs & Improvements Grants via Diocese of Chelmsford, and National Churches Trust.

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Sofia Gubaidulina - Offertorium.

Quiz Night and more ...

This Saturday there is a Quiz Night raising funds for work at St Catherine's Wickford.

The details are: Saturday 4 February, 7.00 pm, 1st Runwell Scout Hall (Runwell Gardens SS11 7DW). £5.00 p/head. Tables of up to eight. Bring your own snacks & drinks (Tea and Coffee available). To book a table email StCatherinesQuiz@hotmail.com.

Our fundraising campaign is for urgent work that is required to the Tower of St. Catherine’s Church Wickford as a result of ground movement caused by the long dry summer. This resulted in subsidence of the foundations in the North West corner of the church which caused a number of large cracks to appear in the walls and some stonework to fall. As a result, urgent safety and weather protection work costing £23,000 is required followed by the investigations needed to design a long-term solution to the problem.

A fundraising campaign to raise an initial £23,000 has been launched, but this is only the beginning of a much longer project to effectively underpin the church in order to prevent the regular recurrence of the issue. This first stage of the project will involve: removing or temporarily fixing loose stonework; undertaking temporary roof repairs and loose filling of walls for weather protection; removal of loose internal plasterwork; temporary covering of affected windows; and the reinstatement of the lightning conductor.

"Our churches are seeking to be at the heart of the community in Wickford but also need the support of the wider community in the town, particularly as we address the problems of subsidence at St Catherine's Church and the expense of maintaining this much-loved community building given the effects of significant climate change."

“Our recent consultation exercise in the Parish revealed that the churches in Wickford and Runwell are seen as contributing to the sense of community and are valued both for the support they bring to others and as centres for peace and prayer which provide a sense of Christian presence. Many local people have been baptised or married at St Catherine’s or have family members commemorated in the churchyard. For all these reasons, we believe many locally will want to support this campaign to ensure that this much-loved community building is repaired and secured for the future.”

See press coverage of the campaign in the Echo (https://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/23223658.st-catherines-church-wickford-launches-fundraising-campaign/).

Future fundraising events include:

• Pancake Party, St Catherine’s Hall, Tuesday 21st February. Drop in between 2pm and 4pm or stay all afternoon and help raise funds for St Catherine’s tower restoration. £4 to include 2 pancakes and unlimited tea or coffee. Gluten free available on request. Sign-up sheet at the back of the church. Names before 15th February please.
• Rumatica Ukulele Group: Saturday 11 March, 3.00 pm, St Catherine’s Church (120 Southend Road, Wickford SS11 8EB). A local band playing and singing a wide range of popular songs including rock, pop, country, swing, rock and roll. Enjoy a cream tea afterwards in the church hall. Elsa (from Frozen) will be making an appearance at the cream tea and children will be able to meet her and have a photograph taken.

Those wishing to contribute to this campaign, can send cheques made out to Wickford and Runwell Parochial Church Council to The Rectory, 120 Southend Road, Wickford SS11 8EB or phone 07803 562329 / email jonathan.evens@btinternet.com for the bank details to use for a bank transfer.

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Susan Tedeschi - Lord, Protect My Child.

Fundraising campaign for St Catherine’s Wickford

Urgent work is required to the Tower of St. Catherine’s Church Wickford as a result of ground movement caused by the long dry summer. This resulted in subsidence of the foundations in the North West corner of the church which caused a number of large cracks to appear in the walls and some stonework to fall. As a result, urgent safety and weather protection work costing £23,000 is required followed by the investigations needed to design a long-term solution to the problem.

A fundraising campaign to raise an initial £23,000 has been launched, but this is only the beginning of a much longer project to effectively underpin the church in order to prevent the regular recurrence of the issue. This first stage of the project will involve: removing or temporarily fixing loose stonework; undertaking temporary roof repairs and loose filling of walls for weather protection; removal of loose internal plasterwork; temporary covering of affected windows; and the reinstatement of the lightning conductor.

"Our churches are seeking to be at the heart of the community in Wickford but also need the support of the wider community in the town, particularly as we address the problems of subsidence at St Catherine's Church and the expense of maintaining this much-loved community building given the effects of significant climate change."

“Our recent consultation exercise in the Parish revealed that the churches in Wickford and Runwell are seen as contributing to the sense of community and are valued both for the support they bring to others and as centres for peace and prayer which provide a sense of Christian presence. Many local people have been baptised or married at St Catherine’s or have family members commemorated in the churchyard. For all these reasons, we believe many locally will want to support this campaign to ensure that this much-loved community building is repaired and secured for the future.”    

Our fundraising campaign begins with a series of fundraising events involving Ladybirds Song Group, Rumatica Ukulele Group and a Quiz Night:

•       Ladybirds Song Group: Saturday 21 January, 7.30 pm, St Andrew’s Church (11 London Road, Wickford SS12 0AN). The Ladybirds Song Group sing all over South Essex performing popular songs from the 1950s to the present. No tickets required. A retiring collection will be taken.

•       Quiz Night: Saturday 4 February, 7.00 pm, 1st Runwell Scout Hall (Runwell Gardens SS11 7DW). £5.00 p/head. Tables of up to eight. Bring your own snacks & drinks (Tea and Coffee available). To book a table email StCatherinesQuiz@hotmail.com. Street parking in Church End Lane.

•       Rumatica Ukulele Group: Saturday 11 March, 3.00 pm, St Catherine’s Church (120 Southend Road, Wickford SS11 8EB). A local band playing and singing a wide range of popular songs including rock, pop, country, swing, rock and roll. Enjoy a cream tea afterwards in the church hall.

Those wishing to contribute to this campaign, can send cheques made out to Wickford and Runwell Parochial Church Council to The Rectory, 120 Southend Road, Wickford SS11 8EB or phone 07803 562329 / email jonathan.evens@btinternet.com for the bank details to use for a bank transfer.

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Rumatica Ukelele Band - I Saw Her Standing There.