Heart break at Peterborough's St John's Church after break in causes 'significant amount of damage'
Appeal launched to help pay for ‘expensive’ repairs needed following incident
Staff and volunteers at St John's Church in Peterborough City Centre were picking up the pieces this morning (Monday) following a break-in overnight.
The church lies in the heart of the city on Cathedral Square – but overnight intruders smashed the glass doors on the historic ‘South Porch,’ causing a significant amount of damage.
The Vicar of Peterborough, the Revd Michelle Dalliston said it appeared that the break in had been in a bid to steal cash – but no money is kept on the site, so it is thought the culprits got away empty handed.
Along with the distress caused, the church has been left counting the cost – with ‘very expensive’ repairs now needed.
However, the team at the church have vowed not to be beaten by the criminals – and have said they will continue to be open as normal to help anyone who needs it in the city centre.
Wooden boards have been installed as a temporary fix to the damaged doors.
Revd Dalliston said: “We are so sad this has happened causing such pointless and costly damage to this beautiful and historic building.
"We are here to welcome people in to St John's which has always been at the heart of the life of the City for services and cultural events, concerts and family activities.
"As a Community Support Hub we offer help and support to people in all kinds of need or difficulty, so this needless destruction is really disappointing and causes unnecessary stress and work for our small team.
"We will continue to be open this week as normal and nothing will deter us from being there for everyone in our City.”
St John’s Church has served the people of the city since 1407 when it replaced an earlier church that was located to the east of the cathedral, and is one of the oldest buildings in Peterborough.
If anyone wishes to contribute to the Repair Fund to help St John's continue to open their doors please contact the Parish Office at [email protected] or Revd Michelle at [email protected].