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Shelagh Pollard describes how one congregation rediscovered its roots by
exploring its future
Every congregation has its story and Van Road United Reformed Church in
Caerphilly, South Wales, is no exception. In just over a century of life
the congregation has gone through the usual cycle of building a church
to serve as a thriving centre of community life, and then declining in
numbers at the same time as its buildings became a burden. The good news
is that more recently the church has begun rediscovering its roots as a
resource for the people around it, and is finding ways to open its doors
more widely than ever before.
The Van Road story began when a small group of English-speaking
Congregationalists started meeting for worship at the Windsor Coffee
Tavern in Cardiff Road, in 1896. At the time Caerphilly was expanding
fast, and in just over two years the church was formed, at a communion
service in Bethel Welsh Congregational Church.
After a few months of meeting in the local Board School, Tonyfelin, the
church bought some land in Van Road, Caerphilly, and by 1899 a school
room had been built. Five years later the present church was completed
on the same site and in 1972 became the United Reformed Church, Van
Road.
a prime site near the town centre
The school room was demolished in the 1960s, and is now a piece of ugly
waste ground, but the wisdom of building on Van Road has never been in
doubt. It is a prime site near the townÕs shopping centre, the bus and
railway stations, on a bus route and main road out of town, set amongst
mostly terraced houses and close to a large primary school.
Towards the end of the 20th century the congregation, which now numbers
about 70, began to be aware of the need for change. They faced a
combination of issues that will be familiar to many others with
buildings of that age.
The obvious problems have centred around the fabric of the building,
which is deteriorating rapidly both inside and out, and will cost a lot
to put right. Precious resources are being spent on maintaining a
building that is becoming increasingly 'tired' and unwelcoming. It is
often cold and damp, and so is unattractive to people outside the
congregation, not to mention many within it. The worship space imposes
severe restrictions on what can be done in worship, and is largely
unsuited to the needs of a much smaller congregation than was first
foreseen.
a comfortable space for all
At the same time as the congregation began facing the practical problems
of the building, people were realising that the church was woefully
underused. It was agreed that to have such a large building in the
centre of the town open for so little time each week was not a proper
stewardship of precious resources.
Another asset bequeathed by the church's founders is a suite of
different sized rooms downstairs, below the magnificent first floor
sanctuary, instead of the more common large hall. This feature was
unusual for its time and was due to the vision of the first minister,
the Revd Edward Bush. He saw the church building as a centre of
community as well as a place of worship. In his concern for the wider
needs of the people living around the building he wanted flexible spaces
that would be comfortable (each room had a fireplace!) for all sorts of
groups to use.
By one of those strange circumstances which Christians see as the hand
of God at work, and others dismiss as quirks of fate, some members
recently met relatives of Mr Bush. They supplied information from their
family research about the thinking behind the building, designed by the
well-known Welsh architect of the Arts & Crafts movement, Sir William
Beddoe-Rees.
church and building have a future
Ten years ago the congregation took steps to look to the future of the
congregation, community and building, which had become Grade II listed.
This was not an easy time for the church, and much heart-searching went
into the process. Possibilities were explored with other churches but
unfortunately (though not unexpectedly) came to nothing.
In 1997 a feasibility study was done and plans were prepared to
refurbish, redevelop and open up the building to those around us. A
community audit was carried out to find out the needs within the
community, both of our immediate neighbours and in the town as a whole.
As a result the congregation has been assured that it has a future and
so does the building. It has also became clear that to engage in the
sort of community work that is needed will be beyond the resources of
the congregation alone.
progress goes in phases
As a result the VAN-guard Centre was formed in June 2003, a partnership
between the church, local government, health, private and voluntary
sector organisations working in the area. The congregation took the
brave step of relinquishing control of the building to a Management
Committee elected to steer the project to completion.
The first phase of the work will be to secure the exterior of the
building, now deteriorating very badly. The restoration and
redevelopment of the building for church and community use will take
place in phase two, and a new building is planned for the waste ground.
Much progress has been made. The VAN-guard Centre is now a registered
charity with a formal constitution and a business plan. Work is
progressing towards getting a lease drawn up between the Centre and the
URC (Wales) Trust.
The project has been extremely fortunate in attracting practical help
and support. Conservation architect David Harvey is working with a joint
group from the church and the Centre on the detailed plans. Dr Thomas
Pinhorn, an internationally known conservation consultant, is advising
on the details of the restoration and will be the project manager.
our profile has been raised too
We have had invaluable help, support and advice from Gwent Association
of Voluntary Organisations, Caerphilly County Borough Council and
Caerphilly Town Council. Business in the Community have given
professional advice without charge. The Arts Council of Wales sponsored
two new activities in autumn 2006. Some local business people have been
very supportive too.
News of what we are trying to do has spread through the town and there
are already many new groups using our variety of spaces for leisure,
education, art, culture, health activities, training and worship. Many
members of the community have become actively involved in helping to
raise funds for the project. Concerts, dramas, art exhibitions and Open
Days have been held.
The Centre is fully represented in talks with the local councils about
the development of the town centre, the providing of community services
and the place of voluntary organisations. Close links have been forged
with other groups trying to meet community needs and these have
benefited us all. As a result of all this, the profile of the church has
been raised too.
Of course there is some disappointment that increased activity within
the building hasn't translated into more people attending worship,
(though a couple of children have joined Junior Church) but that was
never the intention. The church's mission statement emphasises meeting
needs within the community and showing God's love to all we meet. Many
wonderful relationships and friendships have been developed through the
activities of the Centre.
a far-sighted design is renewed
Progress has been much slower than we'd hoped, though this has had the
positive benefit of giving everyone in the congregation time to 'catch
up' with the vision. Much hard work still lies ahead, including raising
the necessary money: a funding application is now with the Heritage
Lottery Fund, and local fundraising continues. Phase one is expected to
cost around £150, 000.
Meanwhile the vision behind the project gathers momentum. Addressing
community needs is as vital in this century as it was when the building
was opened. The regeneration of buildings and the restoration of our
heritage are essential to the preservation of our history and identity.
Our vision is that both these needs can be balanced sympathetically in
what will be an attractive and welcoming Centre, housing church and
community activities together.
For its time, the original building was a far-sighted design. The hope
of the present congregation is that, with help, this building can be
adapted to the needs of a new century and a new understanding of
community. Then we'll really be going back to the future.
Shelagh Pollard is the URC minister in Caerphilly |
