In 2022, Sacred Heart Church in Teddington was severely damaged by Storm Eunice. The gale-force winds struck an already fragile roof, putting the building at serious risk of collapse and forcing its immediate evacuation. Over the next three years, the congregation patiently awaited the completion of extensive repair works. On Friday, 27 June, which was fittingly the feast of the Sacred Heart, the church reopened. Celebrations culminated in a grand reopening Mass on Sunday, celebrated by Cardinal Vincent Nichols.
The journey to restoration was long and challenging. The damage had originated in an extension at the front of the church that had begun to separate from the main structure. Following a dedicated fundraising effort and many months of planning, liaison with authorities, grant applications, and logistical meetings led by Fr Stephen Beale, the parish administrator, repair works finally began in November 2024.
During this period, parishioners continued worshipping in the church hall, where they marked major feasts and sacraments. However, the hall was a cramped space and difficult to access for those with mobility issues. In 2023, Fr Stephen wrote:
‘We must get the church back – to benefit the children, the schools, and the community – and to enable us to fulfil all the other opportunities which are there waiting.’
Thanks to the generosity of parishioners, successful grant applications, and a diocesan loan, the funds needed were eventually secured. Updates were regularly shared through the parish newsletter, and parishioners were invited to sponsor slates for the new roof - imported from Spain and guaranteed to last at least 100 years.
The grand reopening weekend was filled with joy and thanksgiving. Liturgies on the feast day of the Sacred Heart were led by the Superior Delegate of the Sons of Divine Providence, the religious congregation responsible for the parish, and Canon Paschal Ryan, former Episcopal Vicar and a long-standing supporter of the parish. The highlight of the celebrations was the reopening Mass on Sunday, the solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, celebrated by Cardinal Vincent Nichols.
In his welcome, Fr Stephen captured the emotion of the moment:
‘There is a buzz in the air’, he said.
‘Moving from the intimacy of a small environment of the hall, to the enormity of the beautiful, reinstated church we are returning to, “life is changed, not ended.” We are about to experience Resurrection! I hope everyone can experience the presence of holiness within this church. It’s a place of prayer, of welcome and of spiritual refuge.’
Cardinal Nichols echoed this sentiment in his message of thanks:
‘I thank all who have supported the life of prayer and liturgy while the church hall has acted as your home.
‘That shared effort will have brought you closer together. Now, however, you have restored the beauty of your church. This beauty will raise minds and hearts to God and is always an unspoken yet powerful summons to faith.
'May this restored and beautiful church bring fresh life to the ways in which your parish serves Our Blessed Lord in our mission to this local community of Teddington and Hampton Wick.’
Of the total estimated cost of the restoration, the parish has so far raised one third. That portion has now been spent, and the drawdown on the diocesan loan has begun. Fundraising efforts continue - every additional gift helps reduce the parish’s loan burden and secures the church’s future for generations to come.
