I suspect we are not the only church to let routine, mundane maintenance jobs slip a little - in the midst of growing our congregation, ministering to our local schools and local estate, developing worship and involving ourselves in community projects, gutters never seem to come very high up our ‘to do’ list!

However, following a quinquennial inspection in 2014 that noted serious issues with our guttering, downpipes, drainage and concrete soffits (the things they don’t teach you at theological college!) we had, in 2016, spent a significant five-figure sum on replacing the lot. Having invested time and energy in raising money, securing grants and receiving a Diocesan loan, we were determined to keep the new gutters and downpipes clear of debris to make sure that the repairs weren’t in vain.

Fast-forward to 2019 and we realised that we hadn’t had the gutters cleared since they were replaced. As I say, we can’t be the only ones…?!

Keen to rectify this, we used MaintenanceBooker to request quotes from appropriate contractors. Using the site seemed a lot quicker and easier than contacting individual contractors and gave us confidence that the people who quoted were tried and tested. A quick email to our architect confirmed that the lowest of the quotes seemed reasonable so we clicked to accept it. Within days, the contractor (Ben Jenkins) had been in touch, booked the job in and attended the site to complete the work.

In addition, and having requested quotes through the Maintenance Booker website, we were quickly informed, via email, about the Preventative Maintenance Micro-Grant scheme administered by the National Churches Trust. Applying was quick, easy and could all be done online. The grant has subsequently covered 50% of the net cost of the work.

I’m not sure why we put it off for so long!