David Ruffley is supporting All Saints Church, Park Road, Bury St Edmunds, in their bids for funding for their imaginative 'Link' project. The Church plans to link the existing church and church hall to provide easier and more welcoming access as well as additional facilities for use by the local community. The Church has applied to the Charles Hayward Foundation and will be making further applications to other charitable organisation. The Church is situated close to the Priors Estate and provides much needed community facilities but the present site needs updating and improving.

A copy of David's letter of support is below.

David said: 'I am only too pleased to be able to support All Saints Church in their applications for funding for their 'Link' project. Once completed, the church and church hall will provide a much better local facility of a better standard and more accessible. It is always encouraging to see local communities working to improve their environment for the good of all. The project has received enthusiastic support from the church authorities and the local council. I look forward to the successful completion of the project.'

8th September 2003

Letter to Mr David Brown, Administrator at the Charles Hayward Foundation

Dear Mr Brown,

All Saints Church Link Project, Bury St Edmunds

I should like to confirm my full support for the All Saints Church "Link" Project in Bury St Edmunds in my constituency.

The Church plans to link the existing church and church hall to make the buildings more welcoming and accessible and making more efficient use of the space.

The whole community will benefit from the planned building extension, particularly the directly neighbouring and socially deprived Priors Estate residents, who have no other meeting facilities and currently have difficulty using the hall due to regular prior bookings. All Saints Church has a record of successful room letting for community uses and the link will increase flexibility and expand options.

St Edmundsbury Borough Council and Suffolk County Council, as well as the Diocese, are all in favour of the project and there is already a large part of the necessary funding available from the parish itself.

It is clear to me that the hall cannot continue to offer the excellent community support which it does at the moment without some action being taken to maintain the necessary standards. The link is a positive and forward thinking response to this stimulus for action, which will improve the local infrastructure and help the Church in engaging with its parishioners.

I am only too pleased to support this project.

DAVID RUFFLEY MP