Spontaneous applause broke out at Sunday's service at the Methodist Chapel this week when an announcement was made that a substantial grant for the sum of £98,000 had been received for Phase Two of the Chapel's Redevelopment Project. What great news, not just for the Methodist congregation, but also for the community life of the village.

The Rev Sarah Caddell, minister to the Bishop Monkton and Harrogate Road, Ripon, Methodist churches, who was leading the service, said “We are absolutely delighted with the progress so far and with the news of this morning as well as the opportunity that this will give us to share our facilities with the village in a new way”.

The congregation responded to the news with “over the moon” and “ fantastic” and praised “to the high heavens” the effort and hard work of all involved in securing the grant.

The grant has been awarded by the FCC Community Action Fund and is just £2k short of the maximum amount that can be given. The chapel's bid was met in its entirety from the very first blow of the hammer to the last lick of paint and final carpet tack.

This will enable Phase 2 of the planned works to start, hot on the heels of the completion of Phase 1, with a start date pencilled in for the end of January. Although there is still much planning to be done and many maybes in the statement, it is anticipated that the second phase could be completed by the end of February.

The second phase will see the current vestry turned into a kitchen, which will be more spacious and up to date, the provision of a second toilet, installation of a new heating and lighting system as well as new curtains and carpets.

Tim Abel, senior church steward, who informed members at the Sunday service about the grant, said “This will make a big difference to our premises and will enable us to get fully back up and running with everything that goes on in our premises”.

The FCC Fund provides grants to not-for-profit organisations for amenity projects sited within 10 miles of an eligible FCC Environment waste facility. Bishop Monkton qualifies in that it is 9.1 miles away from the Waste Recovery Park at Allerton Park managed by FCC Environment (UK) Limited one of the country’s leading waste management operators. This Fund is a continuation of the old landfill grant, originally started to compensate for the negative impacts of landfill sites on surrounding communities and the environment.

Additionally, scaffolding will be erected, in the first few working days of the new year, that will allow work to start on the installation of two sets of solar panels, one on the roof of the schoolroom with the second set on the roof on the west side of the chapel. This is scheduled for January 6th .

Funding for this has been provided by The Methodist Church's Action of Hope campaign which is providing grants to churches or circuits for the specific purpose of achieving its target of net zero by 2030. The village's chapel intends that it will become carbon neutral with the installation of these solar panels.

The chapel, particularly the schoolroom, is used and enjoyed by many organisations within the village. Its central location makes it an ideal place for clubs to meet and events to be held and this upgrade will be much appreciated.