Financial life raft for leaking church hall

12.00.00am GMT Mon 27th Oct 2008

Leeds City Council's Inner East Area Committee is to award St Phillips Church Hall in Osmondthorpe Lane a grant of £12,000 to fund repairs to its roof. The money is to come from Wellbeing Capital Funding.

The St. Philips Centre, as it is officially known, was built in the 1960s and over the years leaks have developed in the main elevation and the area between the flat roof and the main roof above the entrance hall. These leaks have become serious and incoming rainwater is now being collected in a number of buckets and the floors have to be regularly mopped.

Cllr David Hollingsworth (Lib Dem, Burmantofts and Richmond Hill) commented:

"I am really pleased that we are in a position to give money to this very worthy cause. It can be really quite dangerous when the floor is wet and the hall is used by a large number of local groups and societies for everything from play groups to exercise classes, community forums and worship. Individuals use it for birthday parties and charity events too. It is a real community hub."