church buildings
Princetown project progress
D
uring the 1980s, across the UK, members of the Women’s Fellowship of the Methodist Church caught a vision that became the Princetown Project. The chapel was dilapidated beyond repair, and yet it seemed that it had a vital role in the community, centred on Dartmoor Prison. Many houses were standing empty, thanks to a rule change allowing prison officers to live elsewhere, and crisis-hit families from well beyond the local area were being rehoused there – many of them arriving without even basic furniture. A Family Centre to offer comfort, warmth and encouragement was desperately needed. At the same time, the building adjoining the chapel had become a hostel for prisoners’ wives and children visiting from long distances. A crèche for these children would be a godsend. As for the local congregation, they dreaded the cold and the damp and the possibility of falling through rotting floorboards. The parish church, though grander in style, had also suffered the rigours of the Dartmoor climate: it was beginning to look as though Princetown would be left with no church at all.
Within a very short space of time, planning consents had been obtained, land purchased and a completely new suite of premises built. Women’s Fellowship meetings all over the country funded half the cost, and there was substantial help from the Joseph Rank Benevolent Trust and the Home Office as well as a number of sympathetic charities and churches. The formal opening was in April 1984, by which time the Family Centre, run by NCH, had been in operation for six months.
What has happened since then?
For some years the Family Centre (with its vital laundry room) continued to be an essential part of village life, but then
changes began to take place. First of all the Home Office introduced special coaches to bring wives and children from the major centres served by the prison – so eliminating the need for overnight accommodation. Then the prison upgraded facilities for visits and provided their own crèche. (In this they were ably assisted by the NCH worker). Thirdly, conditions steadily improved for those families who had most needed the help of the Family Centre, to the point where in 1996 NCH decided that it was no longer needed and their efforts could be redirected elsewhere.
But that is not the end of the story. The Princetown Preschool Playgroup continues its invaluable work on Methodist premises every weekday morning. One afternoon a week the Devon Family Project runs a Family Workshop for parents and pre-school children. During school holidays the High Moorland Community Association uses the building for part of their Holiday Club programme. The Women’s Institute meets here, as does a Carpet Bowls Club, much appreciated by the older residents.
As for worship, a major change happened during the 1990s. The Church of England authorities reluctantly reached the conclusion that worship should no longer continue at St. Michael’s Church, which was declared redundant. A Sharing Agreement was entered into in 1994. At first Anglican worship was held at a separate time from Methodist worship, but no-one was content with this arrangement, so soon united services became the norm. Under a Covenant signed in 1998 the two churches entered a Local Ecumenical Partnership and became the United Church of Princetown. Happily, the church is united in much more than name!
Time has moved on and circumstances have changed, but Anglicans and Methodists alike are extremely grateful for the rebuilding work done 20 years ago, and convinced that the scheme once known as “the Princetown Project” was clearly within the good providence of God.
Laurie Smith, Supernumerary Methodist minister David Swales, Church Army Captain, Prison Chaplain
12
www.arthurrankcentre.org.uk
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32