Published on: 08/07/2026
The bereaved families of a teenage couple have come together to fundraise for the building project at St Mary’s Ecclesfield.
The church held the funeral service for Cherish Bean and Ethan Slater, who died during a family holiday earlier this year. Revd Tim Gill, Vicar of St Mary’s Ecclesfield, took the funeral and had spoken with both families beforehand to offer pastoral support. He explains that a chance conversation led to some amazing fundraising efforts:
‘We took the funeral and were pleased to be here as a place for people to come in times of real tragedy and heartbreak, because that’s what the parish church is for. I was talking to Cherish’s parents when they noticed the sign that says how much it costs to keep the church open each year.
‘I talked about the fundraising for the tower roof because it needs replacing, and they said they’d organise a sponsored walk to support us, which was wonderful.’
The sponsored walk had a fantastic response in the community and raised over £13,000. The fundraising target is £238,000 for the work on the tower roof, with planning papers also being prepared to bid for grants to go towards it.
It’s estimated the project could take around two years to complete, to help safeguard the Grade 1-listed building for future generations. There are also plans to form a Friends of Ecclesfield Church Group where people will be able to help in terms of staffing and maintaining the church.
‘I was utterly speechless’, Tim added. ‘It will make a big dent in the cost of work that needs doing on the tower roof. It’s amazing that during this tragedy, they asked how they could help us. You’d expect them, quite rightly, to be just thinking about their own loss and what’s happened to their family, but they were also thinking about the church and the community.
‘St Mary’s Church is a church for the whole community, and our doors are open. Whether you have something to celebrate, or whether your heart is breaking, we are here for you.’
Find out more about St Mary’s here: stmarysecclesfield.org.uk
