We’re asking for your support of our ‘Your Fund Surrey’ bid to upgrade St. Peter’s Shared Church buildings in Bellfields.

To show community support Your Fund have setup a ‘Have Your Say’ process. You can access this by clicking on yourfundsurreyproposals.commonplace.is/

Please scroll to our project add any comments, supply your email address and don’t forget to validate your email when they send a request.

We want the buildings to become versatile, welcoming spaces, fostering interaction and cohesion for all people in our community. We want to create a dynamic community hub, open daily, with a specific focus on building friendships, hospitality, health (especially mental health), youth engagement, adult employability, developing individual agency and access to an expanded Oak Café and community food pantry. Community events and activities are also planned, supported by a strong volunteer base to ensure daily accessibility.

Currently, the site hosts diverse activities open to all, including exercise classes, youth groups, debt management advice, relationship courses, over-55s club, café, toddler group, cooking courses, and a community pantry. However, the building’s current layout limits its full potential. This project will unlock it.

Approved plans feature a new Welcome Area – a vaulted, glass-roofed atrium housing the Oak Café and community pantry. This space will also serve as the main entrance, hospitality area, workspace, and ensure wheelchair-friendly access throughout.

St. Peter’s is asking for £1,117,236 from Your Fund Surrey to build the Welcome Area. In addition, we will need to raise further funds to complete all the buildings’ other renovations and cover professional fees to date. So far, we have raised £375,000 towards this and will be prioritising new accessible kitchen and toilets.

Support from Your Fund Surrey is the key to transforming St. Peter’s Shared Church into a vibrant community hub, enhancing social cohesion and providing extensive services, thus empowering the local community. More details can be found here: www.stpetersguildford.org/our-building-project