Major £100,000 redevelopment for Kettering Arts Centre at St Andrew's Church following community grant bid success

A Kettering arts venue is set to receive a boost as St Andrew’s Church, hosts of the Kettering Arts Centre, undergoes a major redevelopment project thanks to a £100,000 grant.

The money from the FCC Communities Foundation will be used to install underfloor heating, replace the old broken flooring and increase accessibility for all users.

Visitors to the church have had to contend with noisy and loose wooden flooring and the refurbishment hopes to improve the overall experience of the building on the corner of Rockingham Road and Lindsay Street.

Rev Tom Houston, vicar of St Andrew’s church and manager of the Kettering Arts Centre, believes the facility will make a huge difference to the lives of people living in the area.

He said: “This project will provide a real boost to the people of Kettering. It’s fantastic that FCC Communities Foundation has awarded us this money and we’re really looking forward to our church and arts centre taking its new shape once building work starts.”

FCC Communities Foundation is a not-for-profit business that awards grants for community projects through the Landfill Communities Fund.

Richard Smith, FCC Communities Foundation senior grant manager, said: “We’re delighted to be supporting the redevelopment works at St Andrew’s and pleased our funding will make such a difference to so many groups of people across Kettering. FCC Communities Foundation is always happy to consider grant applications for projects that benefit local communities and we’re looking forward to this one having a positive impact very soon.”

Christine Smith, churchwarden, added: “We hope the building will be ready to use in time for Easter when we will have our major church services, community events and be able to host the third ‘have a go’ arts festival. We’re already planning some special events to mark the reopening of the building.

“St Andrew’s church has been at the heart of the community for over 150 years and these improvements will allow the building to meet the expectations of any modern building whilst preserving the brilliant heritage and unique atmosphere that it is able to offer.”

This Saturday (July 15) the team from Kettering Arts Centre will host the main stage at Kettfest in Kettering Market Place.