History
St Lawrence Church is a grade 2* listed church in Dial Lane in the heart of the town centre. It is one of 13 medieval churches within the Ipswich boundary.
This 15th century church slipped into disuse after the population of its parish dwindled to none but it was saved initially when Ipswich Borough Council bought five medieval churches from the Diocese of St Edmundsbury & Ipswich in 1981. The Council then helped to establish the Ipswich Historic Trust, which took a long lease on the churches.
So much for the facts. It is worth remembering that Cardinal Wolsey would have heard the bells of St Lawrence when he was growing up in the town. This helps to build a bridge to the past and underlines the importance of buildings such as St Lawrence - saved once again for future generations.
The conversion of St Lawrence Church into an international community centre has not been easy. The church has not been used for a number of years as the floor had rotted away and there was no basic infrastructure for example, heating, lighting, power, toilets, water etc.
But all that has changed, thanks to a £400,000 funding injection by the Borough Council, together with a £700,000 growth point status grant from the Department for Communities and Local Government.
Work started in August 2007 by the main contractor - Elliston, Steady and Hawes. The contract involves extensive restoration of the interior of the church, including the installation of toilet facilities, heating, lighting, wiring, restoration of historic monuments etc in order to be able to accommodate a variety of uses.
The project was completed in March 2008.
Ipswich Borough Council is working closely with many community groups, including
Ipswich Council for Voluntary Services (ICVS)
Ipswich Arts Association (IAA)
Ipswich Historic Churches Trust (IHCT)
Ipswich and Suffolk Council for Racial Equality (ISCRE)
Age Concern Suffolk.
The centre contains the best in equipment and fittings and the Whitehouse Enterprise charity will be running the catering operation.