Known as ‘an oasis of peace in the heart of Hull’ and as the city’s ‘hidden gem’, St Mary’s is a Grade II* listed church, which dates back before 1333. Sitting diagonally opposite the Guildhall, it has a small but committed congregation and hosts Hull Homeless Outreach’s three soup kitchens each week, feeding 60 to 90 people.

 

Benefact Trust support means that plans for a scheme of works, ‘Making St Mary’s Fit For Our Communities’, including installing toilets, kitchen facilities, heating, new electrics, a meeting/counselling room and a new level floor, are one step closer to fruition. The Trust’s Grants Officer, Usman Saeed, said: “These improvements will ensure that St Mary’s can remain at the heart of its community, enhancing the support it can provide and making this heritage treasure more accessible to all.”

 

Father Ian Walker, who joined St Mary’s as Priest-in-Charge on November 1, 2020, said, “All at St Mary’s wish to thank Benefact Trust for this tremendous boost. We value highly the Trust’s support, which brings us very close to having all the funds in place to embark on the first phase of interior improvement works to make St Mary’s a safer and more welcoming place for worshippers, community users and visitors.”

 

You can donate to St Mary’s’ improvement project online via St Mary’s’ ‘Give a Little’ page – there is a live link to the page on St Mary’s’ website.