Blandford Parish Church has taken on a quite stunning look as a major restoration project gets underway to repair the roof and much of the interior.
The scaffolding, which began to be erected in January, now covers the entire building, and more went up inside the church in the middle of March, when the apse roof was removed and rotten joists began to be replaced.
By the end of the month, the roof scaffold was part-covered in tarpaulin, and there was scaffolding up the side aisle. The apse was being cleaned, and some of the main roof tiles had been taken off, exposing the battening and boards underneath.

The seven-month building programme to stop the roof leaking and repair some of the internal water damage includes repairs to high-level stonework, restoration and repair of damaged plaster inside the church, and insulation of the roof, funded in part by a grant of £664,400 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
A fund-raising ‘Tag-a-Tile’ appeal has been launched inviting people to pay £5 to ‘tag’ one of the new tiles, which will be used in place of those that cannot be reused when the roof is replaced.
Since the church has been under scaffolding, services have been held at the Parish Centre in The Tabernacle, Blandford for Holy Communion on first and third Sundays, and for Holy Communion and Morning Worship on second and fourth Sundays. After Easter, an All Age Worship service at 11am will be held regularly on third Sundays.
On Good Friday the Journey to the Cross with Blandford Churches Together will start at Blandford Evangelical Church in Alexandra Street at 10am and be followed by the Last Hour at the Cross in the Parish Centre starting 2pm. On Easter Sunday a Dawn Service on the Milldown will be held at 6am, followed by Holy Communion at the Parish Centre at 10am.
The ongoing programme of restoration will mean that the church is also not available for the Thanksgiving Service in June as part of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Celebrations, which is due to be held outdoors on the Langton Meadows on 3 June, and followed by a Jubilee tree planting in the churchyard.

by Nicci Brown