STONEWORK £60,000 required The foundation stone was laid on Saturday 19th October 1907 by the Rt Hon Earl of Dartmouth. It was consecrated on Saturday 30th January 1909 by the Rt Revd Charles Gore, first Bishop of the new Diocese of Birmingham. The building had cost £10,000. The West elevation, with an impressive window in a decorated Gothic design, faces Oxhill Road. The exterior of the building is faced with Staffordshire brick; the interior with sandstone brick, Grimshill stone and plaster. The root if of South Wales slates. Situated on a busy main road, the exterior of the church suffers from environmental pollution.

DRY ROT £22,000 Dry rot was found in the North West Corner of the Church around the roof area. It affected the timbers in the roof area of this corner, it had not spread any further. Because it was detected early the damage was limited but the cost of repair was quite substantial because of the height of the outbreak. This immediately became a priority for the appeal because swift treatment was vital to stop the dry rot spreading.

GROUNDS £25,000 required The original Mission Church of the Good Shepherd was on the site where the Sports and Community Centre now stands. Its second Priest-in-Charge, the Revd SJ Selwyn was appointed in 1901. The building of St Andrew's Church was the culmination of his tremendous fundraising, and his dedication to the district. Structural damage to the Church, partly caused by age and partly by bomb damage during the Second World War, has taken much money. Little has been left for landscaping the grounds which are kept in basic order by volunteers.

LIGHTING £XX,000 required St Andrew’s at the moment has quite ancient strip lights in the church. Not only are these a little gloomy but also they look a little out of place for a building of the size and Edwardian beauty of St Andrew’s. it is hoped that the new lighting as well as giving options for different brightness will also be more in keeping with the building and what Bidlake had originally intended.

REWIRING/SOUND SYSTEM £XX,000 required St Andrew’s is a large Church with good acoustics but a sound re-inforcement system is required. There are two main reasons for this, firstly we need to have a loop system for the hard of hearing, and this will also involve a small ambience mike to pick up the sound of the choir, as well as other radio microphones. It is also needed to enhance the sound of various speakers (particularly children) and is important for those who sit in the middle of the building where there is a small spot where it is difficult to hear.

BELL £XX,000 required St Andrew’s Church has only one bell and this is located in a separate bell tower. This is regarded as of historical importance by C.J Pickford of the Council for the Care of Churches. Due to the poor condition of the bell frame and mechanism the bell has not been used for many years. The tower also needs some work, including repair and renewal of the ladder leading up to the bell. The proposed renovation would enable the bell to once again sound as originally intended.

ROOD BEAM £10,000 required The Rood Beam and its figures were given in memory of Captain Matthew Lister, who was killed in action in 1917, aged 36. In 1921, a war memorial tablet was erected, designed by Harold King. It was dedicated by the then incumbent, Fr Guy Copeland Stanbridge: the presidentat this service was the Revd GA Studdart Kennedy, otherwise known as "Woodbine Willie".

TRIPTYCH £5,000 required The original alter was moved to the South Transept in 1932 to form the War Memorial Chapel. This later has an elaborately carved redos, designed by WH Bidlake and made by Messrs. Martyn & Co. of Cheltenham. The three large panels of the triptych illustrate the Crucifixion. The smaller panels below depic scenes from the Passion of Our Lord. All were painted by Mr FN Davies, in spirit fresco.

Vice President Lord Rooker
Registered Charity Number 1079654