The vicar of Ventnor and Bonchurch, the Rev Graham Morris, has spoken of his regret that the parish of Bonchurch doesn’t have the funds to support four buildings in the village. The PCC has announced its plans to sell the church hall and Church House.

But the money from that sale could be available to provide new facilities inside St Boniface Parish Church, if this is identified as the best way forward by the PCC and church members as well as others involved. Those who use the existing church hall could then switch their activities to a new ‘parish hub’ inside the church in future.

The PCC announced at a public meeting on October 26 that – with regret – they would have to sell Church House and the church hall because there wasn’t enough funding to maintain four separate buildings (St Boniface, the Old Church, Church House and the church hall) in Bonchurch.

But selling Church House and the church hall would provide enough money not only to restore the Old Church, but to provide additional facilities inside the Parish Church. At the moment that church is only used for an hour and a half each week– under these proposals it would become a hub of the community, similar to the activities held in St Catherine’s in Ventnor.

“Church House and the church hall have never generated enough income to stand without the financial backing of the parish, and the hall has consistently been under-used,” said Graham. “The money from the hall lettings covers the utility bills, but it’s only survived because of the dedication and goodwill of local people who have done much of the maintenance work.

“With current contractual arrangements the parish does not have sufficient funds to pay contractors for ongoing maintenance issues, and those willing or able to offer practical help are prevented to do so due to health and safety considerations.

“The Church can’t afford four buildings in Bonchurch, especially as we could offer these same facilities inside the parish  church to those who currently use the hall instead. The parish church has more than enough room to accommodate everything that goes on in the hall, and there is also the goodwill of the Eastdene Centre and the Bonchurch Inn catering for the needs of the village and beyond.

“We have given the family living in Church House six months’ notice that we would like to sell the house. Of course, it’s entirely possible that someone buys the house and keeps the existing tenants, and it’s also possible that someone might want to buy the hall and continue to run it as it is.

“We announced this in the churches a week last Sunday (October 23) and then called a public meeting on Wednesday (October 26) which 70-80 people attended, so we’ve tried to be as transparent as possible with this decision. At that public meeting, the churchwardens, members of the PCC and I tried to answer everyone’s questions, and I hope everyone went home understanding why this was necessary. But we’re very happy to talk it through with anyone who has any other questions about this.”

The Rev Graham Morris is available to speak to anyone concerned about these issues on 01983-853729.