Vandalised Mwnt church passes £20k fundraising target

A fundraising appeal to repair a vandalised church has reached its £20,000 goal in just three days.

Eglwys y Grog, near the cliffs at Mwnt in Ceredigion, is a well known landmark and is popular with photographers.

Ceredigion county councillor Clive Davies said he was "totally blown away" by the donations received.

He said the church had been targeted overnight on 2 December and again on 20 December in "a pointless, saddening act."

"There was nothing of value in the church and it was a senseless act. There was no money there, just a small little church," added Mr Davies.

"The church members were getting a lot of requests to donate money and they contacted me to do something co-ordinated online so I set up a JustGiving page for them."

"It's been a global response really, three thousand pounds came in overnight. There were messages of support from America, and there was a couple from Australia as well," he added.

"There are a lot of good people out there and it is an amazing start to 2022 for us."

The leaded church windows and gated entrance were damaged along with the inside of the church.

As well as being the local councillor, Mr Davies said he had long-standing family connections to the church, with plaques to his great-grandparents on either side of the altar.

"The local community has been amazing, supporting it and the power of social media made in tenfold," he said.

"It was like a snowball effect really, local businesses have offered not only financial support but will be part of the restoration work needed now."

He said it was important for the church to remain open, but safe.

"I'll be meeting with the church members and the vicar and we'll start discussing what needs doing, but also we're going to have to look at safety for the future and what could we do in terms of security," he added.

The target of £20,000 was set when the appeal opened on 1 January.