So, what has been done?  In Phase 1, then main work was to re-roof the nave and choir vestry.  In Phase 2, the chancel and porch we re-roofed, the high level and plinth masonry restored and re-pointed, the fleche repaired and the windows mended and restored (take a look at the Black Watch window on the West wall to see the difference!). 

Well, that’s the technical side of it.  But what is the outcome?  I’ve just spent some time writing about this for the Heritage Lottery Fund report, and it made me think about what it has all been for.  The HLF is mainly interested in the heritage aspects, and these are certainly fairly major.  A Grade A listed building, which contains splendid features of great architectural interest, has been preserved for future generations.  Its contents – such as the organ and the memorials – will be much happier to be in a wind- and rain-proof environment.

The Restoration project has stimulated interest in the building and in its windows and history.  We know far more about it than we did a decade ago, and many people have visited the church and learned about it.

And the congregation?  Well, making the decision to restore Holy Trinity was a commitment to making the church community ‘work’.  It meant not just fundraising, but finding ways to continue and develop our Christian life, making sure that the building comes alive with a faith that is deep, genuine and relevant to our world today.  What that will mean in the next few years is something that we will be exploring in the light of ‘Casting the Net’.  It certiainly means looking forward, just as the restoration of the building was in effect looking forward – to the next (long, we hope) phase of Holy Trinity’s life as a place where everyone may not only find a welcome but may encounter God.