Peterborough church needs thousands to save windows

St John’s Church in the city centre has seen the windows facing onto Cathedral Square smashed a number of times in recent years, including on Saturday, by youths playing football.

Now the church is fundraising to pay for grilles to protect the historic windows.

Rev Canon Ian Black said: “Last Saturday at 6pm a group of teenage boys were kicking a ball about with no care where it went, and it hit a window.

“The last time we had one broken was in the spring - it takes a long time to get them replaced.

“A couple of Christmases ago, someone threw a traffic cone through the window on Christmas morning. We had to pick glass out of the crib.

“The windows date back to the 1880s - we can’t just fix them. We have to get them remade.

“It takes a long time to remake them, and we have had a bill for £1,000 for one of them.”

The church now needs to raise £1,500 to put a metal grille in front of one of the two smaller windows facing Cathedral Square - but to protect the larger window would cost another £3,000.

Rev Black said: “We have considered doing this for a long time, but we have had to do it now. We were reluctant to do it, but we have to protect the windows.

“When the grilles are in place, you would hardly notice they are there. “

The internet crowdfunding page has already raised nearly £650, with donations ranging from £1 to £100. Rev Black said the church welcomed all donations, saying ‘every penny counts.’

To donate to the campaign visit www.crowdfunder.co.uk/protecting-st-johns-windows