Priors Park is among the bottom 10% of the most deprived areas of the country. There are a higher-than-average number of single parent households on the estate. Some of the people in the community show many of the signs of emotional deprivation and drug and alcohol abuse is a serious problem.

There is a small Primary School on the estate with 200 pupils, which provides good quality education and a focus for many community activities. There are two Residential Care Homes on the Estate providing employment for a number of local people. Also on the estate is a small local shop, a chemist, two childrens day nurseries and a Childrens Centre. The Community Hall on the edge of the estate provides limited facilities for the estate and has had to cut back on many of their activities due to lack of staff funding.

In the heart of this community lies the Chapel, established in 1956, rebuilt in 1972 and centrally located within walking distance of most people living in Priors Park. The Chapel is owned by Priors Park Community Church.

The chapel, is host to a variety of community activities both secular and Christian.

During the week Priors Park Community Church use the chapel for prayer and bible study, a Parents and Toddler Group providing a listening posts for 10-15 parents while their children play in a safe environment, Childrens Club providing games, craft and bible teaching for 35 children, Ladies Bible Study Group, Discipleship Group for those who have recently completed the Alpha Course, Growth Group for 10 adults who have been believers for a few years, Mens Group and Alpha Courses.

The building is also used on a weekly basis by a number of community groups including Priors Park Neighbourhood Network who run an over 55s group, Gloucester College who run a relaxation class for residents with mental and physical disabilities, Recovery Café a drugs rehabilitation session, Emerging Futures providing community activities for those recovered from addictions, Mindcraft, providing craft activities for those suffering with Mental Health and Zumba Classes for residents with learning and physical disabilities.

The chapel is used each month by other committees and fundraising group for improvements on the estate, and encouraging youths to fundraise to improve the skateboard park on the estate.

The church is very active in the community, providing shopping for people going through crises, providing transport and attending hospital appointments with those who are sick. Many in the area are on benefits or low income and struggle with debt and the church steps in to provide food vouchers and top up gas and electricity cards. They also work closely with the Foodbank and Christians Against Poverty.

On Sundays, Priors Park Community Church meet, alternating between morning and afternoon. In the mornings, the church holds a Sunday school for the children running concurrent with the service. The Sunday School have to meet in a Portacabin.

The afternoon services take the form of either a Café-style time of worship or Interactive Family Worship to accommodate the wide age range and abilities of the community including crafts, games and quizzes, followed by a cooked meal.

The current accommodation is a main 100m2 church hall with ancillary office, store and a partially segregated kitchen. There is also have a steel container and a Portacabin.

Following the flood in 2007 the County Planning Department kindly permitted the church to use a Portacabin and Secure Container for a limited period of time. This time has now lapsed and we need to get rid of the Portacabin and Store. This will leave us with totally inadequate storage and insufficient space for all the activities and groups using the hall.

The church has planning consent to replace the Container and Portacabin with a new 100m2 building extension. This will provide safer and greater space for the children's and other activities in the chapel.

The number of children and adults that use the facilities at present at some of the functions has risen to in excess of 100 and has outgrown the current building. In the winter, access to the Portacabin is hazardous and its size often leads to overcrowding.

Once built, the chapel will be able to offer more space for the various activities and to enable different groups to run their activities simultaneously. The new extension will provide a chance for parents to relax, knowing that their children have a safe place to play rather than outside in the carpark.

The church are also hoping that the extension will enable them to run a much needed youth club.

Being in a socially deprived area, the income for the church is so limited that it would not be possible to pay for the extension without external funding. Being able to find funding for an extension of this size will enable the chapel to offer better facilities for the wider community.

The first phase of the project will be to provide the extension shell which will cost £70,000 inclusive of VAT. As of the end of May 2018, £20,000 has been kindly donated towards the project.

As the various groups request use of the chapel, the extension will enable more community activities to run at the same time and be more useful on the estate.

This funding will help to motivate many of the people and give them a sense of value and hope. The building work itself is providing employment for a number of local residents who have construction skills, giving them a sense of ownership and pride in their achievement.