Aim

Rebuilding of our church hall which was used by many but falling apart. This includes replacing the inefficient boiler with heat pumps.

Who are we, and what is our project about?

St Mildred’s Church is located on the busy South Circular Road, serving a socially diverse parish in the London Borough of Lewisham. The church has been a place of worship and welcome for the last 150 years and makes a valuable contribution to the local community.

We are in the process of building a new building to replace a 1960s hall which was demolished in 2022 after it became structurally unsafe. Operating in conjunction with the existing church, the new building will enable St Mildred’s to expand its community outreach supporting local people of all faiths and none. 

Redevelopment works include some modifications affecting the existing church building, including the installation of two air source heat pumps to serve both the church and the new hall. The air source heart pumps will enable the combined buildings to be kept comfortable in an environmentally efficient manner, helping to provide a warm welcome to all.

Impact of heat pumps on the environment

The heat pumps will enable us to have a new community building to accommodate multiple public services and community activities without any use of gas.  The air source heat pumps will also very significantly reduce the amount of gas we will be using to heat the church.   We intend that the new power supply contract for the church site will be for renewable electricity, thereby reducing our use of fossil fuels to an absolute minimum. The air source heat pumps are therefore a very important part of our move towards “net zero”.

The community building served by the air source heat pumps will be insulated to a high standard in order to minimise heat loss.  It will also be cooled in summer by air conditioning powered by a 100m2 array of PV cells on the church roof.   The air source heat pumps will therefore be installed as part of an integrated energy strategy enabling the church to provide important community services in a manner which responds positively to the challenges of climate change. 

Community

The improved space will also become a community “hub”, offering facilities to other charities, local groups and organisations (such as the NHS) providing important public services, benefiting a significant number of people of all ages.

In a typical term-time week, up to 300 people use St Mildred's facilities including children, families, Girl guiding/Scout groups, adults seeking connection/support/workplace, people experiencing financial hardship etc.

On a personal note, I help out in the Sunday School and we have been having our sessions in converted bus. It's really fun for the children but it is a bit cramp and is a little too hot in Summer and a little too cold in winter. It has also recently started to leak...

Why are we crowdfunding?

The heat pumps will cost around £60,000 but will help us continue to run our existing activities plus host clubs, classes, meetings, creative groups, health activities and neighbourhood events. NHS Blood Donation Services intend to return once suitable space is available. We anticipate 150–200 additional beneficiaries monthly.  

How we’ll spend the money raised

Here's a high level split of our costs: 

Air source heat pumps and associated equipment:   £62,150

Contractor's overhead and profit @ 9%:    £5,594.

There is no VAT on the ASHPs.

How you can help

There are simple ways to get involved and support our project:

1. Make a donation

Every pledge gets us closer to our goal. Early support can help build momentum and inspire others to give too.

2. Spread the word

Share our project with friends, family and your wider network. The more people we reach, the more likely we are to succeed.

Many thanks in advance

Yen Wei Lee & all of us at St Mildred's 

https://www.stmildreds.org.uk/building-project1.html

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 3rd December 2026 at 10:58am