Sidmouth church cash bid bowls 'em over
OAK bowls made out of the pews of All Saints Church, Sidmouth are being sold to help fund the reordering project. Sidmouth resident Dick Sidwell, 81, a keen woodturner, offered to craft the bowls after hearing that the pews had been stripped from the chur
OAK bowls made out of the pews of All Saints Church, Sidmouth are being sold to help fund the reordering project.
Sidmouth resident Dick Sidwell, 81, a keen woodturner, offered to craft the bowls after hearing that the pews had been stripped from the church.
Eight of the bowls have already been sold and Dick, of Roseland, hopes to make 18 in total.
He said: "When I found out the lovely oak seating was taken out of the church I offered to make the bowls.
"I am making them out of two pew ends and a short seat and it has taken me couple of weeks on and off. All of the money made will help the church and the reordering."
The bowls are being offered for �10 each and John Dalton, project manager of All Saints Church reordering, says they have sold like hotcakes.
Most Read
- 1 Plans for quarry at Ottery St Mary REFUSED
- 2 Two-years-missing cat back home after turning up in Sidmouth
- 3 Yellow weather warning for ice and snow in Devon tonight
- 4 Council set to approve plans for a new quarry in Ottery St Mary
- 5 Four great attractions to visit prior to Christmas
- 6 New look for interior of Sidmouth's Norman Lockyer Observatory
- 7 Ottery's big switch on lights up the town
- 8 Sidmouth late night shopping is back after the pandemic
- 9 Shopping locally has never mattered so much as it does now
- 10 Sidmouth's band announces cancelled concerts
Around �60,000 still needs to be raised to meet the �500,000 target for the ongoing work to the church.
John told the Herald: "It is one of the many ways we are trying to meet the shortfall- the first eight have all been sold at fundraising events we have had."
Out of the 55 pews that were put on sale for �75 each, there around 15 left.
John added: "A lot of people are interested in them for their homes if they have got room to put a pew. They are nine feet six inches but I'm offering to have them cut down to whatever size for an additional �50."
The reordering of the church is hoped to be completed by the middle of 2010 and so far the church has been completely stripped of its pews, pulpit and floor as well as the north and south galleries.
Once the work has been finished, John says it will "provide a far more welcoming and comfortable environment".
He added: "It will enable us to use the church not only for a variety of services but also for community activities such as concerts etc."
Anyone interested in purchasing a bowl or pew can ring John on (01404) 813431.
