Kettering vicar to sell wooden parquet flooring to fund Arts Centre's new heating, lighting and stage

They’ve seen hundreds of weddings, christenings and funerals – and dozens of famous feet – but now the ‘clickity clackity’ parquet floor of St Andrew’s Church will soon be up for grabs.

St Andrew’s, which is also home to the Kettering Arts Centre, needs to raise nearly £20,000 before December with the sale of the wooden parquet flooring to fund the arts centre's new heating, lighting and stage.

Fundraising has already topped £300,000 but rising costs have left the project £19,644 short and with the December deadline looming they are now selling the floor.

Rev Tom Houston, vicar of St Andrew’s Church and Kettering Arts Centre manager, said: “We are so close to reaching this dream. We’ve given everything to make this happen, the only thing left to do was sell the floor.”

The sale of the Grade II listed church’s wooden floor tiles will make way for underfloor heating with a tiled floor as well as a refit of electric sockets and lighting. Accessibility inside the church will be improved with a new ramp to the stage enabling the whole church to be fully inclusive.

The oak tiles can be bought individually – or in sections.

Rev Houston said: “For anyone who has been to an arts centre event in winter you will know you may need to bring a coat or two and take care when you go to the bathroom during a show as the loose ‘clickity clackity’ parquet floor will soon give you away.

"We are about to embark on a once-in-a-lifetime redevelopment project that will transform itself into a venue fit for the 21st century.

“Anyone, businesses, organisations or individuals who donate will receive a unique parquet woodblock and their name will be added to a ‘thank you’ display board."

People can donate online at https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/loveyourartscentre