'We have been carried by the community'

The campaign to raise funds for the purchase of security measures at St Catherine's Church in Tullamore has been so successful that the congregation plan to donate surplus money to local charities.

The close-knit church community was forced to move out of St Catherine's for more than a month after vandals broke over 100 panes of glass in late October.

In the days after the incident a campaign was started to raise funds for repairs and the installation of security measures at the church.

Speaking to the Offaly Independent this week, the Rector at St Catherine's Rev Isaac Delamere said that the parish council was currently getting quotations from firms and that the final bill will be in the "tens of thousands".

While he did not know exactly how much money had been raised, Rev Delamere believes that it may exceed the cost of the works.

“People have been exceedingly generous. If we raise more than we need then we will give them [the excess funds] to local charities. It looks like this might be the case and it is a wonderful position to be in.”

Rev Delamere added that he and the members of his congregation have been heartened by the generosity of the wider community at their time of need.

“You get a sense that people are with you or a sense that we have been carried by the community. There has always been really good relations between the church and wider community but this has actually brought us closer together even.”

A fundraising Lego exhibition is taking place on February 24 and an auction on March 24.