Evelyn Pullen, who was head teacher at JCG before representing the district of St Saviour No 1, was also a member of the congregation of St Saviour’s Church. When she died she left £120,000 to the parish and £20,000 to the church.
St Saviour Constable Sadie Le Sueur Rennard says having the bequest has meant that the refurbishment project has gone ahead without the need to use parish funds.
‘St Saviour has been very lucky to have had Mrs Pullen’s bequest as we have not had to use ratepayers’ money,’ she said.
‘Before the work was done the lighting inside the church was atrocious but now it all looks absolutely beautiful and none of the beauty of a Jersey parish church has been lost.’
The project has involved installing a new lighting system in the church – which dates back to the tenth century – creating disabled toilets in the adjacent armoury building and renovating the building to create a meeting room.
The armoury was originally built in the days when each parish had its own militia – part-time soldiers to defend the Island when it was under threat of attack from France – who trained after Sunday services and stored their cannons, guns and ammunition in the parish churches.
The Victorian pews have been removed from one side of the church and used by the local contractors, V&V Stonemasons and Builders, to create a kitchen and serving room at the rear. A new floor has been laid to create an open space for meetings and events. Chairs are available to be arranged, theatre-style, as required for services.
The remaining pews on the other side of the church have been retained and refurbished to maintain a traditional Victorian-era area for worship.
The Rector, the Reverend Peter Dyson said the church will be holding a jamboree on 3 June to formally open the church and a plaque will be unveiled to recognise Mrs Pullen’s generosity.
While the parish churches are part of the Church of England, the actual buildings belong to each parish and the municipality is responsible for certain aspects of their upkeep from parish funds.
‘The parish has been incredibly supportive of the works and we have been fortunate to have had Mrs Pullen’s legacy,’ he said.
‘We wanted to keep half of the church traditional but with an open space that could be used for concerts and meetings. I think people have accepted that there are those who want a traditional form of worship but they also accept that a church has to be more welcoming if we are to get new people coming in.’
