'Rekindling St Andrew's Kingsbury' was a heritage project delivered over the course of 2023-24 with a focus of opening up the Grade II* listed church to everyone and to "rekindle" the church’s history and relationship with the wider local communities. This was a pivotal project for St Andrew's as it has acted as a crucial first step in identifying and securing a sustainble future for our church building which is in need of significant repairs and upgrading in order to better support church activities and increase public access.
The Rekindling project secured a grant of £75,645 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund alongside funding from the No. 1 Trust and the Ascot Priory Trust.
What did we do?
During the course of the project, we:
- Researched the history of the Grade II* listed building in order to better understand it's architectural, social and artistic significance
- Piloted a number of community projects including a successulf community singlong (which has now been permanently established as St Andrew's Community Choir); volunteer historical research; Family Open Day; Heritage Day; and intergenerational conversations between local primary school children and older members of the local community
- Surveyed the Spire and stained glass windows to check their condition
- Improved the management of the building and strengthened the capacity and resilience of the church’s governing organisation, the Parochial Church Council
- Consulted with the congregation, community and wider Brent stakeholders on how St Andrew's could better support local needs now and in the future
- Created a number of freely accessible heritage acivities and resources, including a family heritage trail, history presentations and children's activities - you can explore these resources here
- Developed new and exisiting relationships with local groups and stakeholders
The project was a significant success for us and we reccieved hugely constructive feedback and support on our plans for the future.
The Team
Project Coordinator - Hannah Southgate
Community Officers - Irina Porter and Caroline Bourne
(Shared City https://www.sharedcity.org/)
Volunteer Coordinator - Tia Shah
Heritage Engagement Consultant - Rowena Riley
Business Planner and Audience Development Consultant - Miki Lentin
(Miki Lentin Consultancy https://www.mikilentin.net/aboutme)
and Maurice Davies and Helen Wilkinson
(Cultural Associates https://culturalassociates.co.uk/)
Conservation Architect - John Scott
(West Scott Architects https://www.westscottarchitects.co.uk/)
Heritage Consultant - Kit Wedd
(Spurstone Heritage https://www.spurstoneheritage.co.uk/)
Stained Glass Specialist - Holywell Glass
http://www.holywellglass.com/
Evaluation Consultant - Suzanne Wenczek
(Bearwood Associates http://www.bearwoodltd.co.uk/)
Quantity Surveyor - Trevor Groom
(Press & Starkey https://www.pressandstarkey.com/)
Singalong Facilitator - Annalie Wilson
Next Steps
During the project we scoped some loose ideas with a Conservation Architect on how the building and St Andrew's could adapt both physically and organisationally to ensure it's surival and success for future generations, and to better support the community.
You can read about the Plans for the Future, here.
