Thanks to the hard work of our partner organisations and groups, we’re known to be safe and trusted, but our building is struggling to cope with our growth.
If you know us, and know our building, you’ll agree with one user who said the outside does little to reflect the emotional warmth of the inside.
All Saints Highertown seeks to serve its community in the most practical way. For years we’ve made our church buildings available to local community charities, organisations and groups, to help those who help others. As our reputation has grown, more groups use our space, and more of the community have connected.
But the buildings are in a poor state and failing. We’ve done our best but the make-do-and-mend approach no longer honours the good work of our community partners. If you’ve visited, you’ll know how poor our kitchens are, how the roof leaks and how cold the building can be despite the warm welcome.
So, in 2016, we decided collectively it was time for a step-change.
Using some seed money, we went out to the community, residents and groups to ask what they needed, being keen to listen and not impose. From that, the vision for the Lifehouse grew and the ambitious project to knock down and transform our facilities into a purpose-built community hub began.
Fundraising got underway, plans were approved, and then Covid hit. The exciting journey was halted in its tracks, funders closed their doors, prices escalated – but so did the need. We made some challenging decisions, went back to the drawing board and re-designed the Lifehouse to a smaller footprint, that remained big on community.
And that is where we are today.
We have approved plans for a building that will serve our community with space for all our community partners, plus a few new ones, to make the Lifehouse a place of connection for Truro. Where people can connect with each other, not just through groups and activities, but with a Community Café.
Fully accessible, there will be sociable space for community choirs, craft groups, children and parent groups, people living with disability and/or dementia. There will also be discreet spaces for people to get help with all the ways that poverty impacts on people, practically and emotionally.
Fully accessible, and fully inclusive, it will be a community hub providing sociable space for people to connect, join a craft group, community choir, meet other young parents or have a cuppa with an old friend, feel less alone. Light, airy and with a sensory garden and Changing Places Toilet, people living with disability and/or dementia will be able to come to groups, get support, stop by for respite.
The Lifehouse will build on the good work that has defined All Saints over the years. Donated food is a blessing, but not that helpful if the cooker has broken, or debt means the electricity has been cut off. With more services, working together, those stressful dots that often get missed have more chance of being caught, joined up and addressed.
It is difficult in this climate to estimate the actual cost, but we are currently looking in the region of £1.5million and are talking with QSs and contractors to get more clarity.
We have been supported by extraordinary funders and support from the church and local community. Currently we have secured pledges from organisations and funders that will raise around £1million. These include:
Cornwall Council: The National Lottery: Truro Diocese: Garfield Weston: Allchurches Trust: Bernard Sunley: Laing Family Trust: Clare Milne Trust: Duchy of Cornwall: The 29th May 1961 Charitable Trust: Private Donor
We have also been blessed with donations and proceeds from fundraising events organised by our congregation. We’re not a wealthy church, but have been encouraged with how people have rallied round, pitched up at events, helped to organise, volunteer, bake cakes, made tea, knitted, sewed, sung, run and painted.From £5 to £612,000, every donation will make a huge difference to the lives of the community we feel called to serve.
