Woodworm at St Catherine’s

Image: Woodworm holes

We have found woodworm in our church benches again. Sadly, it has also been found in the font & the wooden plaque on the wall beside it. The wood of the font & plaque are more susceptible to woodworm and treatment of them will be difficult. We are investigating a proposal to renovate the old stone font, which has been outside in the garden for some time and install it in place of the wooden font. All the church benches will require a complete strip down to bare wood, chemical treatment and then resealing. One bench has already been removed for this work and to establish the cost for the whole job. Over the coming weeks, you will see more benches removed, with chairs in place instead. The font will be removed soon to assess possible treatment and reduce the potential for the woodworm spreading. Detailed inspections are being made of all the woodwork in the church. So far, we think the woodworm may not have spread beyond the benches and font. Martin Oakley for the Practical Management Group