Open Day at St Mary's, Higham, Scaffold Tour & ‘Sponsor a Shake’ - SOLD OUT
St Mary's Church, Higham, Kent
Open Day Scaffold Tour & ‘Sponsor a Shake’ on St Mary’s historic spire, Higham
Please note the Scaffold Tours have now sold out. However, if you would like to still support our work at Higham, you can 'Sponsor a Shake' through this event.
The Churches Conservation Trust, and the Friends of St Mary’s church Higham, are delighted to welcome the local community and visitors to an open day at the church on Friday 25th February, 2022. This will give the public the chance to view the repair work to St Mary’s historic spire, funded by the government’s Culture Recovery Fund.
We are offering a small number of guests the opportunity to book an ‘Open Day Scaffold Tour’, where you will have the chance to climb the spire and see this vitally important work up close.
Within the ticket price of each tour is a unique chance to be part of the history of St Mary’s church, by ‘Sponsoring a Shake’ – one of the oak panels which makes up the exterior of the bell tower. After your tour you will be invited to sign your name on the back of one of these oak shakes, inscribing your place in to the very fabric of the church for the next few hundred years.
The scaffold tours are due to start at 9am and run every hour until 3pm (weather depending) on Friday 25th February. There will be an introduction to the church from the Friends of St Mary’s, with the tour conducted by members of the project team and representatives of the Churches Conservation Trust. Each tour (including a sponsored & signed ‘shake’) will cost £25, with a maximum of 6 people per scaffold visit. You will have the chance to see the work up close and take in the glorious views of the Thames estuary and nearby village of Higham.
There is also the option to simply sponsor & sign a shake without a scaffold tour (£20), and the chance to sponsor an unsigned shake (£15). Please click this link. The signing of each shake will either take place on Friday 25th February, or by prior appointment using the email address below. The CCT will be in touch with each supporter individually to arrange this.
If you wish to contribute further towards this fantastic project you can also donate an amount of your choice at the following webpage: www.visitchurches.org.uk/HIM.
Please note: All proceeds raised will go towards the project costs of the spire repair, and not specifically the oak shakes of the bell turret. The actual cost of the wooden oak shakes has been paid for by a very generous donation from The Rochester Bridge Trust, and is specifically for this purpose. As well as the HSF2 grant a further generous donation was made by The Friends of Kent Churches for this project, for which the CCT are extremely grateful.
Each tour requires the climbing of ladders up a series of scaffold platforms, please take this into consideration before booking a place. The tour is weather permitting. PPE, including hard hats, will be provided. Parking is limited, please be mindful of our church neighbours. All tours are 16+.
