St Mary's, Wix serves a very small parish. It is a beautiful little church with a history going back to 1123. There has always been a church here, which was part of a Priory of Benedictine Nuns. The Priory was demolished on orders of Cardinal Wolsey and the church was built in 1744 out of the ruins.
Unfortunately, after a recent survey we have found that the bell cote needs substantial and urgent repair, as it is allowing rain water to come into the church and damage the ceiling.
Rot is already starting to show and without repairs the church will eventually be unsafe to use and forced to close. This will be a great shame as it is a gem of a church and a significant Grade 2 listed historical monument.

This is why we need your help! We applied for a grant to repair the bell cote but regrettably it was not awarded due to a high number of requests and so we are now left facing a dilemma.
The cost of repairs could be of the order of £28,000. We have a contingency fund but nowhere near enough to meet the full costs.

Therefore we need your help! Any money collected will be used as follows:

^ Funds will be used to erect scaffolding
^ Funds will be used to replace the wooden slats on the bell cote
^ Funds will be used to make good the holes in the roof

We have been fund- raising and will continue to do so, but to reach our target we need YOUR help.
Just a small donation will be appreciated.
Thank you on behalf of the congregation of St Mary's.

If you would like to find out more about the fascinating history of our beautiful church and village, a local historian Don Budds has written a series of books which are all available in Colchester Library!