For the congregation at the All Saints’ Anglican Church, the red tape of WorkCover and the NSW Heritage Council creates even more pressure, worry and financial stress, but the importance of the buildings is far too great to let that get in their way.

The cost of restoring the three buildings that are on the site is substantial, but for All Saints’ congregation member Roy Palmer, the cost of doing nothing would be greater.

Maintenance on the building has been taking place, but it is getting the buildings to a comfortable level where they will know the work is viable for another 15 or 20 years that is the focus.

“It’s the old ‘stitch in time’ trick and if we don’t uphold that attitude and do things as we come across them, it would get increasingly worse and worse,” Mr Palmer said.

“It’s about moving forward one step at a time and knowing that the work is genuine, but that it is costly.

“If the maintenance can’t be continued at the pace we are going, problems will get worse and build up.”

Ensuring that the legalities for the work are being met is also proving costly as equipment for workplace safety and modern engineering technology is sometimes matching the cost of repairs.

Since 2004, the Rectory, Church and Parish Hall have been worked on with the focus of keeping the aesthetics of the buildings at the forefront.

“This is a part of the soul of the Singleton community and has provided a lot of support to the community for a long time and we don’t want that to diminish,” Mr Palmer said looking up at the historic building.

“This is a place of worship for people to go and be comfortable and there is a responsibility to the future to maintain a building like this.

“We need help to restore this building because it is a place where you can come and contemplate and rest and feel content, and that is important.