Church raises funds by renting car park spaces

Renting its car park spaces has proved to be a fruitful way for All Saints Church in Islington to raise funds for much needed community projects.

It has taken only two years for the church, located near St Pancras station, to pass the £50,000 mark by renting its private car park spaces through the online marketplace Parkatmyhouse.

In just two years the scheme has allowed the church to raise over £50,000 for community projects that benefit local residents, parents and the homeless.

Projects include the Rainbow Toddler Group, which provides ‘stay and play’ services for under-5s and their carers three days a week. The scheme allows children, largely from surrounding council estates to make use of the church’s large play space and for the adults to meet other people in the area at a similar life stage.

The area’s homeless have also benefitted from the additional funding provided by the scheme. All Saints Church now provides a free, healthy breakfast on a Thursday morning for anyone in the area. Most of those coming along live alone or are homeless and appreciate the companionship and safety provided by the breakfasts. The scheme is staffed entirely by volunteers drawn from the congregation and serves up to 70 people each week.

The additional funds have also allowed the church to offer subsidised space to two Alcoholics Anonymous groups, a newly formed Brownie Pack and a low cost weight loss programme that provides advice on exercise and nutrition to those on low incomes.

Founded in 2006, Parkatmyhouse has tens of thousands of members throughout the UK who use the instant online facility to book a property-owner’s driveway, garage or car park space on a one-off or regular, short-term or long-term basis.

All Saints Church first registered with Parkatmyhouse in November 2007 and has proved to be an increasingly popular destination for St Pancras train passengers looking for a safe, convenient and affordable place to park near to the station. Of the over 1,000 All Saints Church bookings in 2009, train passengers accounted for over two-thirds of the church’s customers.

“Thanks to Parkatmyhouse and the 1,000 or so people who parked with us in 2009, we are able to fund events like Rainbow, a carer and toddler group for the whole community.” says Rev Martyn Saunders of All Saints Church.

“We are privileged to be able to make use of outdoor space in this way, which would otherwise go unused.

“Along with home and business owners, places of worship are finding that they can raise funds by renting their parking spaces through our site,” says Anthony Eskinazi, founder of Parkatmyhouse.

“We are really pleased that All Saints Church has managed to raise such a significant sum to benefit its local community.”


On the web: www.parkatmyhouse.co.uk