Priti Patel MP presents her donation to the Rev Anne-Marie Renshaw and volunteers from the Friends of Copford Church.
Priti supports Friends of Copford Church
The Witham MP, Priti Patel, has given her support to the work of the Friends of Copford Church with a £200 donation to St Michael & All Angels Church of Church Road, Copford.
Priti, who is a patron of the Friends of Copford Church, visited the historic Church on Friday 7th October, to see the outstanding preservation work undertaken by the Friends of Copford Church group.
St Michael & All Angels has some of the rarest and best-preserved Norman wall paintings of any parish church in the country. They are 800 years old and require care and attention. The Church was ranked in the top 100 by Simon Jenkins in his book ‘England’s Thousand Best Churches’. Friends of Copford Church is dedicated to raising funds for the preservation of the paintings and the upkeep of the building which dates back to 1130AD.
After her visit, Priti said: “As a Patron of Friends of Copford Church I am pleased to have visited the Church and to continue my support for it through a donation. They are preserving some superb national treasures here, which are an irreplaceable part of our history. The Church itself dates back over 950 years and Friends of Copford Church are doing a great job in maintaining its upkeep.”
The Rev Ann-Marie Renshaw said: “We are immensely grateful for Priti’s continued support and donation today. The maintenance of the Church and the paintings requires constant fund raising by the volunteers who manage and run the Friends of Copford Church. The church’s future hangs in the balance at the moment, as we are struggling to raise funds for day-to-day running expenses.”
For further information about the Church and its history or to make a donation, go to: www.copfordchurch.org.uk.
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