In autumn 2020, the N Sethia Foundation made a substantial donation to The Parish of the Charltons for vital restoration of St Mary the Virgin Church at Charlton Mackrell, Somerset.
The Church is an architectural gem. Indeed, there has been a church on the site since Saxon times and the present church recently celebrated its 800th anniversary.
In early 2020, a small crack was noticed above a door in the Chancel. The Parish instructed an Architect and a Structural Engineer, who discovered that the South-East corner of the Church was subsiding caused by recent climate conditions and a whitebeam tree nearby which was extracting excess moisture from the soil.
By the time the appointed conservation company carried out the necessary repair work, the cracks were becoming more pronounced.
Recognising the unique historical of the site and the opportunity to assist in such an important preservation, a core Foundation principle, the N Sethia Foundation stepped in to fund the repairs and prevent further serious damage to the building.