King’s Church Eastbourne: The spiritual heart of the community

King’s Church Eastbourne brings people of all ages and backgrounds together. And thanks to a new roof, insulation and solar panels, those people will soon have a warmer, more comfortable place to meet.

Social Problem

Churches are often old buildings with high ceilings, large rooms and little in the way of insulation. As a result, they tend to be very cold in winter and extremely expensive to run.

Organisation

Up to 1,500 people use the King’s Centre every week. The centre is owned and managed by King’s Church Eastbourne. Along with twice-weekly services, the church has a babies and toddlers group, kids clubs and youth groups. It also hosts various sporting activities, from boxing to bowls to badminton, and the centre is hired out for conferences and other events.

Loan

The King’s Centre is a former warehouse with large open spaces and high ceilings. By 2023, the roof was badly in need of replacing and the old cladding was looking rather shabby. The centre was also difficult (not to mention expensive) to heat. The church team knew they needed to invest in the building but didn’t have the reserves to cover all the work that was needed.

A call was put out to the church community, who generously donated more than £200,000. Charity Bank then stepped in with the rest of the funding. We agreed to lend the church £455,000, including £90,000 through our Green Loans programme, and offered a £60,000 Green Grant.

Stuart Cox, Director of Operations & Staff at King’s Church Eastbourne, said, “We’ve put two massive arrays of solar panels on the roof, which are going to cover a lot of our energy requirements going forward. We probably wouldn’t have been able to afford to do that without the grant. Fixing the roof had to take priority, whereas solar panels and cladding were nice-to-haves that might have been knocked off the list without the Green Loan and Grant.”

Impact

The new roof, solar panels, insulation and cladding will make The King’s Centre a more comfortable and pleasant place to gather, celebrate and play for the 1,500 people who visit each week.

What’s more, the improvements will significantly reduce the church’s utility bills. The insulation is forecast to save several thousand pounds a year, and the solar panels over £18,500. Thanks to the Green Loan and Green Grant, the solar panels should pay for themselves within just three years.

“It’s a challenge for churches to get loans because our income isn’t guaranteed. Charity Bank has been really responsive. From my point of view, it’s been a really positive experience. And having a lender that’s ethical and specifically ran for the charity sector is a real bonus.”

Stuart Cox, Director of Operations & Staff at King’s Church Eastbourne