Congratulations to St Luke’s Glenrothes, which has recently undergone a full retrofit, making it a sustainable church building that can continue to serve one of the most deprived communities in Scotland.
St Luke’s is open through the week, serving the needs of residents living in an area of high deprivation; through wellbeing groups, addiction recovery, and feeding many families and individuals in need. Luke’s Larder has been providing a community pantry and café, on which many people depend from week to week. More than that, Luke’s Larder is designed to give people dignity: serving only the best coffee and giving users of the food pantry baskets, and the opportunity to choose their weekly shop.
The St Luke’s building has benefitted over the years from external funding that has enabled their work to grow. Initially, they received funding from the National Lottery Community Fund for improved kitchen facilities and were subsequently invited to reapply for further building developments.
Following that, the church planned a full refurbishment, utilising £50,000 external funding from Fife Environment Trust for the areas of the building used in the community, and a combination of £75,000 provincial funding plus all the church’s own reserves for the worship space.
As with a lot of building projects, there were hitches along the way, volunteers moved on, Father Gerry Dillon arrived as the new priest-in-charge, and much of the work was carried out by ‘cowboys’ whose corner-cutting was later discovered during the snagging period.
For example, external cladding was installed to provide insulation for the building; however, instead of the 25-year guaranteed materials agreed, plywood was used which started to rot and fall off before long. Father Gerry got quotes for the cladding to be replaced and of the three, two were for around £16k and the third was for £2k. After asking the third contractor what the catch was, they simply said:
We see what you do for this community. This quote is our way of saying thank you. – Contractor
Father Gerry’s determination, perseverance and sheer hard work meant that not only did the refurbishment project go ahead, but he had the vision to continue the building’s transformation, this time into a net zero church:
My focus for this building wasn’t just about making it absolutely brilliant for people to be fed and to have a really nice environment for our recovery groups and mindfulness groups etc. We wanted to make it off-grid and we wanted to use everything we learn for the benefit of everyone in the area. – Father Gerry
The recent retrofit project was funded by CARES (Community and Renewable Energy Scheme) and Father Gerry was supported all the way through the application process by Local Development Officer, Ruth Dickinson.
At the start of the year, work got underway for the installation of solar PV, battery storage and an air source heat pump with new radiators to serve the heating of the building.
Alba provided a fantastic service with the solar installation, not deterred by some unexpected challenges on the journey. St Luke’s, like most Episcopalian churches, are east-west oriented meaning they have a huge south-facing roof. But it wasn’t until the solar PV installers went up on the roof that they discovered the previous renovation hadn’t been carried out according to plan and didn’t match the architect’s drawings.
This was a real set-back as the brackets that had been specifically made to fit the roof couldn’t be used and the plans for the position of the panels had to be rethought. But undeterred, the project went on and Alba supported St Luke’s in every way they could. They went as far as to include extra PV panels free of charge, having seen the incredible work St Luke’s does day to day in the local community.
They just went over and above. – Father Gerry
Sean Brown installed the heat pump and worked with respect, tidiness and a level of perfectionism throughout the job. Whilst it took time replacing radiators, reordering the custom-made cage that goes around the heat pump to get the right fit, and getting the heat pump up and running, the project was completed.
After a brief cold snap, spring and summer means the heat pump’s true impact won’t be felt until autumn and winter hits.
It has been brilliant. Roasty toasty. The solar panels have been producing so much energy – it’s ridiculous. – Father Gerry
The same contractors will be used for the upcoming retrofit project planned for St Finnian’s Lochgelly, during which an air-to-air heat pump, solar PV and battery storage will be installed alongside insulation and three-phase electrics. Another big but exciting project lies ahead.
Bethany Nelson, Empowerment Coordinator; based on conversation with Father Gerry Dillon, Priest-in-charge St Luke’s Glenrothes
