ST Nicholas Church, with its seafront views over Grève d’Azette, was on the front line when the tornado struck.
The intense winds, which also damaged many properties in the area, blew in one of its south-facing windows, sending it 30ft across the church.
The pressure then lifted the entire roof six inches.
The wind also sent tiles and debris flying around, smashing windows and damaging cars and property.
When the JEP visited last year in the aftermath of the storm, the Rev Canon David Shaw – who as Rector of St Clement is also responsible for St Nicholas – was up a ladder passing down broken and dislodged tiles that were destined for the skip.
Today, the church has a new roof and almost looks back to normal, save a strip of scaffolding down one side which is ready to be dismantled.
Canon Shaw said: “Judging by the amount of tiles we threw away back then, we think the roof must have weighed around 20 tonnes, yet it was completely lifted up. It then dropped back down, dislodging the supports inside.”
A shard from one of those supports pierced the roof of a neighbouring house across St Nicholas’ Avenue.
He added: “Thanks to excellent contractors and a willing band of volunteers, including the amazing Kidman family, the building has now been completely fixed, and we look forward to soon welcoming the Bishop of Salisbury, who will bless the church at a special service on Sunday 24 November.”
The Rt Rev Stephen Lake will be the first bishop to visit the church in 98 years.
The cost of repairs have been met by Ecclesiastical Insurance, a UK-based company which specialises in covering church property.
Those repairs were not straightforward: a temporary roof kept blowing off in subsequent storms and the interior got soaked. It meant that the wooden wall panels, which had only been fitted 20 years ago, had to be replaced. The carpet, however, was salvageable.
The hardy congregation of around 25 people were keen to return to their place of worship and services resumed in time for last Christmas, after a short period joining in at the parish church.
Canon Shaw said: “Everyone became used to noise, tools and dust during worship and it became part of the conversation. There was no heating at one stage, so we had to use candles and you could see people’s breath as they sang.
“The storm may have battered the church but it didn’t damage our spirit and has actually brought us even closer together.”
