Communication Update 10th Feb 2023

It has been some time since we formally communicated with you all and we want to bring you up-to date with our plans. The project is now at a critical, but very exciting stage as late last year the Methodist Church accepted our offer to purchase the Chapel following its listing on the open market. Our solicitors have now been engaged and the legal conveyancing process is well underway. 

 We have had questions from some of you as to why we have not been able to make the purchase price public knowledge. We are fully aware this this is ‘your’ Chapel but the last thing we want is for another party to sneak in with a late offer jeopardising our plans. We feel that releasing this information publicly is too sensitive at this time. We have one chance to secure the building for the village, otherwise that opportunity will be lost forever. 

 We are now in advanced funding discussions with Durham County Council (“DCC”) and we are on track to secure significant funding from them which, together with shareholder funds, will enable us to purchase the chapel and commence renovation and refurbishment. This is great news and we will of course announce publicly as soon as completion takes place.

 We have now decided to adopt a phased approach, focusing initially on getting the chapel structurally sound, watertight, safe and warm so we can all start to benefit from it. There are also upgrades needed to the kitchen, toilets and of course the provision of the shop and café fittings. Once we have achieved this we will continue our fundraising for further development, including additional internal works as well as transforming the external areas into fully usable and we hope delightful spaces for all the community to use. Further fundraising should be easier once we have our own building, with a functioning (though part-time) cafe and shop, and strong evidence that we are providing a benefit to the community. This approach also allows the project to grow organically, learning lessons as we go.

 Once we have finalised our plans, and got confirmation from DCC about the funding, we will make all the details available to our members, and consult with them on the next steps.

 We greatly appreciate the financial and practical support offered by our many volunteers and shareholders. The level of enthusiasm given to our recent pop-ups demonstrates how much this project means to the community and shows us all the benefits that the project will bring to the village. 

 We would like to remind you that our share offer is still open, with every pound raised going directly into supporting our vision of having a thriving shop, café and heritage centre in the heart of our beautiful village. For details of how to either purchase shares as a new shareholder or how to increase your current shareholding please visit https://theoldchapel.info/buyshares

We welcome all feedback on the project so please feel free to contact any of the committee members or email us at info@theoldchapel.info

 Many thanks for your continued support on our journey.

 The Cotherstone Old Chapel Committee.