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There has been a church in Saltoun since the 13th century. The present building was re-built in 1805 and is Grade A listed. The spire is said to be the highest in East Lothian at 99 feet above ground level and very much a local landmark (at the time of building, spires above 100 feet attracted a tax). Over the years, the church has been a focal point in the village for the worship of God, and has welcomed many family and community services, such as weddings, baptisms and funerals. It has been maintained by the local community and the Fletcher family, a responsibility which now will hopefully be shared by the present generation.
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In October 2015, a portion of the ceiling collapsed. Further inspection revealed that the remainder of the ceiling was in poor condition and that the complete ceiling needs to be replaced, before the building can be used again. Approved contractors have been approached and quotations for the work received. It is estimated that repairs, re-decoration and deep cleaning will amount to about £48,000. We have to have these funds available before permission to proceed with the work can be requested from Presbytery. We will be making application to many grant awarding organisations, but we first need to show that we have substantial local and individual support to qualify for these grants, so we would welcome any help you might be able to offer.
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There are many ways to help, and the first would be by making a donation towards the work, which would help us to demonstrate that we do have the backing of the local community and friends near and far. We already have a donation from Australia, from a family with roots in East Saltoun!
Any amount you might be able to offer would be appreciated. And a great big thank you to all who have already donated! Update July 2017: We have raised around £32,000 so far: thank you so much to all who have contributed. The work on the church has just started. But we still need donations in order to complete the work - please consider whether you can help.
Update August 2017: A further £844 were raised at the Whisky Tasting Event in the Fletcher Hall. The plastering work on the ceiling in the church has been concluded, and once everything has dried out, the decoration work can begin. Thank you for all help so far! Update September 2017: The fundraising work has been fantastic so far - we are about £2,000 short of our target, and hope that the remaining fundraising events might cover this amount. However, the works on the church have been finished, and the church will be reopened with a service of Harvest Thanksgiving and Rededication on 1 October! |
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Fundraising Events
Christmas Cards with the Nativity window in Saltoun Church will be on sale soon! Fundraising Ceilidh on 25 November in the Fletcher Hall, with the Freeland Barbour Band Auction of painting and tapestries, at the ceilidh on 25 November in the Fletcher Hall. (Click on the images for a bigger view.) You can already submit bids here. Whisky Tasting event, 11 August, 7pm, in the Fletcher Hall East Saltoun. Spaces are limited, please contact Alex Hogg for more info (phone 01620 826763).
Fundraising Stall at the Church Garden Fete on 11 June, 2-4.30pm, in the Manse Garden in Gifford Silent Auction for a signed copy of Ian Rankin's 'Rather be the Devil' - open until 11 June: if you would like to submit a bid, please contact us 8 April - Fundraising Day, 10am-4pm, in the Fletcher Hall in East Saltoun |
If you would like to make a donation, please contact us, make a one-off donation by bank transfer, or set up a regular standing order, to Bank Account No: 00608418 (Yester Bolton & Saltoun Parish Kirk Session No 2 A/C), Sort Code 83 22 25 (The Royal Bank of Scotland), or print this form and enclose it with a donation, which you can send to our Treasurer (contact details enclosed) or hand in at church services and events. Thank you so much!