Communities Fund has provided £1,835 of match funding
Warm Up Our Welcome - St Barnabas Church Community
Winchester, England, United Kingdom
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Aim
Warm Up Our Welcome: Raise £40,000 for low-carbon heat pumps, creating a warmer, greener community hub for 15,000 people.
Who are we, and what is our project about?
St Barnabas Church is a busy community church and hub in Weeke, Winchester. Around 15,000 people use our buildings each year for activities and services including Citizens Advice, Basics Bank Winchester, parent and toddler groups, SEND support groups, dementia-friendly activities, choirs, local schools, wellbeing programmes and community cafés.
We want St Barnabas to be a warm, welcoming place where everyone feels at home. However, many people tell us that our buildings can feel cold during the winter months. Creating warm, comfortable and inviting spaces for our community is therefore a key priority.
Over the past year we have been laying the foundations for change. We have completed heat loss surveys and technical assessments, identified energy-efficiency improvements and begun upgrading the building fabric through insulation and roof improvements.
Our Warm Up Our Welcome project will help us take the next step by replacing ageing fossil fuel heating with a low-carbon heat pump system. This will provide reliable, consistent warmth throughout the day, reduce energy waste and carbon emissions, and make our community spaces more comfortable for everyone who uses them.
By investing in our buildings now, we can help ensure St Barnabas remains a welcoming, resilient and environmentally sustainable community hub for generations to come.
Why are we crowdfunding?
As a community hub used by around 15,000 people each year, we want our buildings to be warm, welcoming and comfortable for everyone who uses them, from parents and toddlers to older residents, community groups, schools and people accessing advice and support services.
Our current gas heating system is ageing, inefficient and expensive to run. It can take a long time to warm up our spaces and does not always provide the consistent, comfortable temperatures that our community deserves.
Over the past year we have been laying the groundwork for a better solution. We have completed heat loss surveys and technical assessments, begun improving the building fabric, and are investing in insulation and roof improvements to make our buildings more energy efficient. These measures will help ensure that any new heating system performs as effectively as possible.
The next step is to install a low-carbon heat pump system.
Unlike our existing heating, a heat pump can provide a more consistent and comfortable level of warmth throughout the day, helping to create welcoming spaces for community activities while reducing our reliance on fossil fuels.
This project is not just about reducing carbon emissions. It is about caring for our community, improving comfort, reducing energy waste and ensuring St Barnabas remains a warm and welcoming place for local people for generations to come.
With Aviva match funding, every pound donated could be doubled, helping us create a warmer, greener and more resilient community hub for Winchester.
How we'll spend the money raised
We are aiming to raise £20,000 from the community, which could be matched by Aviva to create a total fund of £40,000 towards the heat pump project.
The total heat pump project is expected to cost around £85,000. The funds raised through this campaign will form a vital part of the project, with the remaining costs expected to be met through a grant application to the Church of England's Church Decarbonisation Fund. We are already working with the Diocese of Winchester on the application and are in a strong position to move the project forward.
The money raised will contribute towards:
- Installation of a low-carbon heat pump system
- Associated heating system infrastructure and controls
- Professional design and installation costs
- Supporting the transition away from fossil fuel heating
The heat pump project forms part of a wider whole-building decarbonisation programme. Alongside this work, we are pursuing energy-efficiency improvements and exploring solar panels to generate renewable electricity on site.
Every pound raised will help create a warmer, more welcoming and environmentally sustainable community hub for local people.
How you can help
There are three simple ways to support our project:
1. Make a donation
Every donation helps us move closer to a warmer, more welcoming and sustainable future.
Through Aviva's match funding programme, donations of up to £250 per person can be matched, meaning a £250 donation could become £500 for the project.
If you would like to make a larger donation, thank you. Please speak to us first so we can help ensure your gift has the greatest possible impact.
2. Spread the word
Please share our campaign with friends, family, colleagues and local networks. The more people we reach, the more successful the project will be.
3. Visit and support St Barnabas
Whether you attend a community event, use one of our services or simply tell others about the project, your support helps strengthen this valuable community resource.
Together we can help keep St Barnabas warm, welcoming and open to the whole community for generations to come.
Thank you for your support.
Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 22nd July 2026 at 5:00pm