Tall buildings attract lightning and the spires of churches are particularly vulnerable to lightning strikes. When the stewards at St Mary’s church in Hardwick, near Cambridge, realised that their lightning protection system (LPS) needed testing, they turned to MaintenanceBooker, a new service from the National Churches Trust, for help.
Dr Jeff Jones is responsible for the upkeep of the church. He stated: “We registered our church with MaintenanceBooker and submitted a request for quotes. Two weeks later three quotes arrived, which differed slightly. We selected Brooke Edgeley Specialist Technical Services Ltd (BEST) who came and carried out the testing.” “We are so pleased we checked the lightning conductors as one conductor failed and the other passed but needed modification.“ “The following day we received confirmation of this in writing and a quote for £344+ vat for work to rectify the problem. The National Churches Trust advised that we request for quotes from other companies but BEST did provide the best “value for money” and we went ahead.”
“We then received an additional bonus! I was told that 50% of the costs of the work was eligible for a Preventative Maintenance Micro Grant from the National Churches Trust which paid out £172.”
“I feel that I have been provided with an excellent service. I was able to choose a contractor with confidence and am entirely satisfied with the service received from BEST. In addition, as a new user, the help and support I received from the National Churches Trust was exceptional and I would have no hesitation in using MaintenanceBooker again.”
Grants for maintenance
The National Churches Trust is currently offering two grant programmes to assist churches engage financial support for their maintenance. Maintenance Micro-Grants of 50% of costs (excluding VAT) up to £500 are available towards the cost of a church’s first gutter clearance service or other church building related services when booked direct through MaintenanceBooker. For small proactive maintenance works such as gutter, stonework and masonry repairs, the Trust also offers Foundation Grants for Maintenance, with grants of between £500 and £3,000 to up a maximum of 50% of project costs (excluding VAT).
Excellent Service
As well as Lightning Conductor Inspections, services available from MaintenanceBooker include Asbestos Management, Tree Survey and Surgery, Rainwater Goods Maintenance, Masonry Maintenance, Lime Mortar Repointing, High Level Inspections and Repairs.
Follow Jeff’s lead and register your church ….
Visit http://www.maintenancebooker.org.uk/register
email: enquiries@maintenancebooker.org.uk
For information on grants email: Cicely.Barnett@nationalchurchestrust.org
The MaintenanceBooker service is brought to you by NCT Heritage Services and has been developed by the National Churches Trust in partnership with Christian procurement experts 2Buy2.