St Margaret's Church fundraiser to become heart of Southsea community

St Margaret’s Community Church on Highland Road closed just over four years ago after ‘the congregation became older, numbers dwindled and the church became unsustainable’.

However, after the church reopened under the guidance of pioneer minister, Fran Carabott, it has looked to become a pivotal part of families’ daily lives.

Fran said: ‘We have opened a small shop and cafe and have a weekly foodbank which supports more than 200 people. These services have been particularly important as we have looked to help the local community during the pandemic.’

The minister now wants to further develop the church’s communal facilities by expanding the cafe and installing heating and new toilets. Fran also wants to develop a new soft play facility for children.

He added: ‘Twenty seven per cent of families in our community are single parents and so this facility would provide not just a place for children to play but also for parents to meet. The plan is for the cafe and soft play area to be open seven days a week.’

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The church has already received a grant of £350,000 from the Church Commissioners, which oversees the Church of England, but needs the additional £50,000 to ‘cover all our plans and the things we need’.

Fran added: ‘We want St Margaret’s to become the heartbeat of the local community, to build relationships with local people and to hopefully see more young families returning to the church.’

You can support St Margaret’s cause by going to their GoFundMe page.

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