A Drumchapel church could be given its first makeover in nearly thirty years if volunteers can raise enough funds.
Members of St Laurence’s Roman Catholic (RC) Church say they aim to raise between £40k-£50k to complete various jobs inside and outside the Kinfauns Drive building ahead of its 70th anniversary.
These include painting the inside and outside - something which has reportedly not been done for 28 years, repairing outdoor railings, fixing outdoor lighting, getting new signage, and hiring a tree surgeon.
Father Gerry Barnes, Parish Priest at St Laurence’s, explained that the support from the community so far has been “fantastic” and it is hoped that the ‘Paint the Saint’ project will instil a sense of local pride.
Father Barnes said: “There are a lot of issues that we need to fix to bring the building up to scratch. We’ve been thinking about it for a while.
“I came here during lockdown so it was a waiting game for that to be over before we looked at sorting anything.
“A man called Jim Brown came along and offered his services to spearhead the ‘Paint the Saint’ project as he’d done a similar thing at St Mary’s in Duntocher.
“We thought it was the right time to try and fix things because the 70th anniversary is coming up and we want to make that into something people in the community can celebrate.
“The support has been amazing so far from people handing in envelopes to support from local businesses, it’s just been fantastic.
“It’s to give the people who come here an instilled sense of pride in the place. The parish has worked in this community since it was created over 70 years ago and we need to make sure this building lasts for another 70 years.”
A Just Giving page was set up by volunteers at the start of June and it is currently sitting at around £2345.
One of those involved in the fundraising effort is Jim Brown who had previous success with a redecoration project at St Mary’s RC Parish Church in Clydebank.
Jim told the Post that alongside the Just Giving page money is being raised through various activities in the community including charity nights, football cards, and an upcoming garden BBQ.
He said: “In 2023 I was part of the ‘Redecorate St Mary’s Chapel’ project and we raised the money and it’s looking splendid.
“My daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren go to St Laurence’s and I happened to speak to Father Barnes in late November and I asked about painting the building.
“He told me that its not been painted for 28 years and raising the money and meeting with subcontractors would be a challenge as there isn’t a large number of volunteers.
“So I said ‘What if I get a group together?’ and six months later we’ve got the group together and we’ve done a fair number of repairs.
“We decided a few months ago that we would launch a Just Giving page. My daughter and her friend have been advertising on social media, I’ve sent a letter to every firm in Drumchapel which were kindly donated by the printer, emails have also been sent to the parents/guardians of children at St Clare’s Primary School, St Peter the Apostle High School, and St Thomas Aquinas Primary School.
“There was a charity night that was run on St Patrick’s Day and that raised £2930 which was fabulous.
“The ladies are also planning a garden BBQ in mid to late July with stalls and a bouncy castle. Over and above achieving the goal this project has instilled a sense of pride back into the place.
“The appeal is asking for around £53k that’s for everything including doing work on the outside we may not get that much but the actual project to do the minimum amount is going to cost us in the region of £40k because we had a fair amount of electrical work and repair work to do because these things are necessary by law and insurance and the painting itself.
“When people ask if we’re going to do this I say it’s not if, it’s when.”
For further information visit St Laurence’s Just Giving page HERE.
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