St Nicolas’ Church lies in the shadow of Pevensey Castle and was built on the site of a Saxon Priory that would have been one of the first buildings seen by William the Conqueror and his army in 1066. The existing church was established in 1216 but eight centuries of exposure to wind, rain and salt spray had left the church in urgent need of new windows and roofs, and water penetration had severely damaged the internal render, leaving it cracked and flaking. An earlier fund-raising campaign had been very well supported by the local community and there were limits to what could be raised from such a small village, so CSC was asked to help raise the grant funding needed for these repairs.

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Local fund-raising continued, primarily through the church’s concert programme, but CSC helped to secure nearly £165,000 from a variety of sources, primarily the Heritage Lottery Fund, and the church today is in pristine condition and ready to meet the next 800 years. Churchwarden Simon Sargent said: 

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“CSC played an invaluable role in identifying likely grant donors and assisting with the preparation of grant applications, some of which, especially HLF, are lengthy and complicated. David helped to ensure that we provided the information needed by the grant donors, and that we presented our case in the best possible light.  He was a much-valued member of our restoration project team from the early days through to successful completion.”