Success for Bettws Newydd re-roofing project

Thanks to funders including CADW and the Diocese of Monmouth, and lots of hard work – the roof at Bettws Newydd Church has been saved!

A report in 2019 indicated that the roof was at the “end of its life” and planning began on fundraising to save the much-loved church. Following lots of work by the dedicated project team and a year of being closed, the church re-opened its doors for a service of celebration last month.

A report from the Friends of Bettws Newydd Church says: “There is still a lot of work to do but to have secured the roof in such a difficult economic climate has been remarkable. It is hoped that having demonstrated what can be achieved through collaboration of so many disparate parties, the building of a sustainable long-term future for this special site will not be as daunting as it appeared in 2019.

“…. With the church being closed for just under a year, the first service was very celebratory and well attended with the added surprise of someone from the village offering to play the organ – beautifully as it happens. The first walkers and rambling groups have returned, and it was so good to be open for the visitors who were on the local snowdrop trail. The visitor’s book is already recording the joy of those who visit and who have missed the church being open. There have also been two burials in the churchyard.”

In 2019 the church’s Quinquennial Report “identified defects within the fabric of the roof noting that the roof is most likely at the end of its life”. In February 2020, Storm Dennis further exacerbated the problems causing significant water ingress. Almost five years later Storm Darragh arrived in December 2024 and parts of the village remain adversely impacted by its ferocity. Thanks to major support for the roof appeal from Cadw and many other funders, including the Diocese of Monmouth, the main part of the re-roofing project was completed in October 2024. It is hard to imagine the church escaping without further significant damage if the roof and the long-term future of this precious building and its historical assets not been secured.

Once the roof was removed there were a number of structural challenges that needed to be resolved. Thanks to the great persistence and hard work of the project team, the laying of the new Cwt-y-Bugail slates were finally completed in October 2024. As mentioned, because of concerns about the safety of the ceiling, the church had to remain closed but thankfully after its recent inspection, it was deemed safe and the first service was held on Sunday 2 February 2025.

Whilst discussions are still ongoing about how the repair and redecorations to the ceiling will take place, the main project works have been completed and the church re-opened. The project costs have not yet been finalised but originally the anticipated project sum was over £225,000 which thanks to a number of grants, including from the Diocese of Monmouth, were able to be achieved.

The limited financial resources that existed in the parish made the launch of the roof appeal extremely daunting but thanks to significant support from across the funding spectrum we were able to access further resources. There has been great support locally where very generous donations have been made via the QR code on the bilingual donor board located at the Church’s entrance with other fund raising including £200 raised from selling second-hand books in a local bus stop.

The project has also ignited more interest in the church locally. A small indication of this was the number of people who were keen to come and help with the major post-works clean that took place before the ceiling inspection took place. Following further offers of help, the church is about to reintroduce a flower and cleaning rota which has been redundant for some years. Now the roof is complete, it has also been possible to re-visit the maintenance plan with the five-year electrical inspection having taken place.

With the church being closed for just under a year, the first service was very celebratory and well attended with the added surprise of someone from the village offering to play the organ – beautifully as it happens. The first walkers and rambling groups have returned, and it was so good to be open for the visitors who were on the local snowdrop trail. The visitor’s book is already recording the joy of those who visit and who have missed the church being open. There have also been two burials in the churchyard.

An unexpected outcome of the project has been the rediscovery of a memorial to a young test pilot’s tragic last flight in 1942 located in the bellcote’s two external bells. Church members are looking forward to finding an appropriate way to share the deeply moving story of Douglas Berrington who lived next to the church. Without the scaffolding, access would not have been possible to the bells where the inscriptions were found, and which has also led to archive documents being unearthed about the recasting of the old bells.

Members of the Friends group are also grateful to have been able to participate in the Listed Places of Worship Scheme. Not only did it mean work could begin in 2024, the reclaim process was very efficient and provided vital assistance with the cash flow at critical junctures. It has certainly made them aware of the great impact this scheme has had on the wider UK heritage sector. They have written in support of the National Churches Trust’s lobbying campaign to the Culture Secretary, Lisa Nandy and we were very pleased to welcome Monmouth MP, Catherine Fookes, to the church last weekend to see what has been achieved and highlight the difficulties many other churches in her constituency are going to face.