As a businessman in the Supercar business and luxury leisure and park home estates for more than 45 years and based in Overseal for 37 years of that time on 11th February 2018 I attended St Matthews Church for the christening of my granddaughter. Two of my four children had also been christened at St Matthews Church over 30 years ago.

During my recent visit I was approached by Gillian Edwards the Church Warden and the Reverend Michael Macagee who made me aware of their struggle to be able to keep the church operating and feared that the reduction of attendance, now down to 15, would get even worse and the church would have to close. Heating and water was the main concern so I told them I would try to help and save Overseal church and was surprised as well as shocked to have been told about this situation. I immediately made steps to have water put into the church as well as heating. Even more upsetting was the fact that the Sunday service was not able to be conducted inside the church during winter months due to not being able to afford the heating and that the service was being conducted in an assembly room from a building adjacent the church. Sad I believe, though I have a respect to these local villagers for attending dispute the struggles.

At the christening we managed to raise over £200 in collections which is a start and more than the church warden has ever seen for one service.

I am very grateful that my granddaughter was christened and I was informed about this because I would have been very disappointed to find out at my local village church had to close down because of these struggles and that nothing had been done to help. I am not portraying myself as a guardian angel and I don't go to church every Sunday but when I do it is, as always, my total commitment and belief in God.

I have met with most of the church organisation and they are most grateful for my efforts to try and help and your donations would be very much appreciated, I believe it is for a great cause and the intention eventually will be to use the appropriate place for a Sunday service, that being the church and bringing more of our village neighbours together that wouldn't have attended prior to these improvements.