The 150-year-old Connect Presbyterian Church in South Grafton is better able to serve the community, thanks to north coast hardwood timber donated by Boral Timber and Forestry Corporation of NSW.

The donated timber is part of the Community Timber Partnerships Project and saw the aging church floor replaced.

This renovation will benefit the Connect Church community and the many groups that use the building, said Church Elder Colin Lang.

“We are very grateful to access the donated timber — the beautiful north coast hardwood looks amazing and we have been able to achieve something outside our budget,” Mr Lang said.

“The original church was almost certainly built with locally sourced native hardwood, and we are thrilled to remain consistent to the building’s history.

“Feedback has been amazing from the many community groups that use the church. Around 200 people use the facilities each week, so our committee is stoked to be able to improve our venue.

“The Connect Committee of Management is hugely grateful to the Forestry Corporation and Boral for partnering with us in this project.”

The Church flooring is one of a series of projects supported by the Community Timber Partnerships.

The Community Timber Partnerships was formed by Forestry Corporation of NSW, Boral Timber and Planet Ark to salvage around 1,000 cubic metres of flooring and decking products impacted by the Murwillumbah floods in 2017, said Forestry Corporation’s Partnerships Coordinator, Jodee Sparrow.

“We’re excited to have played a part in creating an asset the Grafton Community will use and enjoy for decades to come,” Ms Sparrow said.

“When we heard about such a large volume of timber being written off, in some cases for damage as minor as water staining in some instances, we were determined to salvage it for local community projects.”

The Community Timber Partnerships Project is endorsed by Planet Ark, under their Make it Wood program (www.makeitwood.org).

For more information about Forestry Corporation of NSW, visit www.forestrycorporation.com.au

Media contact: Rod Campbell 0428 058 549