Havering Road Methodist Church has a sudden funding chasm from the withdrawal of Veolia North Thames Trust money due to national reorganisation. Our major redesign and refurbish for church and community use is now under threat after five years hard work and £60,000 already invested by the church family in a phase one element in 2014.

In July of this year we we had a funding package in place we thought was strong enough to proceed in confidence and gained the necessary consent from the Methodist Church. The tender process is under way and we are intending to start work in May of 2017. Suddenly we receive an email from Veolia saying the money is no longer on the table and we are £100,000 adrift.

The church went up in 1957 as a worship and community space when the new estate was being designed and built north of Romford. In 1976 a new worship space was built. We now have a site that needs redesigning and refurbishing to offer modern facilities and flexible space for the next 60 years.

The hall is in constant use and we are always turning down enquiries for further groups or occasional community events. We are registered with the council as a place of safety in event of local disaster or need. The plans drawn up and agreed provide a site where church family and community aspirations can co-exist easily and with greater access for both. At the moment with the way the buildings are configured it has to be either/or. We aspire to both/and.

At a time when local council community halls have closed our church and hall are a vital resource and will be a huge community asset for the next 60 years if we can complete this scheme as visioned. We are passionate that we have been placed in this area to serve it and are constantly frustated that we cannot do that as much as we would like. We thought at last we were in the home straight and find we have yet another mountain to climb. Please help us in whatever way you can, great or small.