A TOWERING piece of eye-catching artwork has been turning the heads of High Street shoppers at the start of a six-month project to return an historic city centre church to its former glory.
The stunning design that adorns the scaffolding surrounding St Helen’s Church has heralded the launch of a £250,000 National Lottery-funded restoration project.
The artwork, which captures the spirit of community life at the church, was created by local artist Tracey Flynn, who won a hotly-contested design competition.
Over the next six months urgently needed repairs will be carried out to the aging stonework of the Grade II-listed church, along with other essential conservation work.
It is also hoped the grant, made possible thanks to National Lottery players, will put St Helen’s firmly on the city’s heritage map by funding a range of new activities that will bring to the life the story of what is believed to be Worcester’s oldest site of Christian worship.
Stella Power, project manager at All Saints Worcester whose community has used the building since 2003, said: “We’re thrilled to be on the brink of seeing St Helen’s lovingly restored and given a new lease of life for the whole city to enjoy.”
“It has been a long road to reach this point but we cannot wait to see this stunning building realise its enormous potential as a place of worship, heritage and community life.”
Following months of detailed surveys and applications, the church was awarded National Lottery funding by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) last September to press ahead with the stonework repairs. Some of the cash has also been used to train a team of guides to help visitors delve into the church’s rich history.
St Helen’s is hosting a pop-up café every Friday from 10am to 2pm when passers-by can enjoy a cuppa and cake while learning more about the building’s fascinating past.
Plans to install an external TV into the scaffold hoarding in the coming weeks will showcase the many uses of the church.
Scaffolding on the Fish Street elevation is being erected and offers the chance for local businesses to advertise. Visit www.sthelensworcester.org.uk for more information on the project.
