Sir – Whilst Peter Howell in his letter (December 9) criticises the elevational treatment of the alterations to the Wesley Memorial Church Hall, he appears not to appreciate why we exist and what we have achieved over the last 125 years.

By bringing our hall’s entrance closer to New Inn Hall Street (and the glass elevation will mean that the church itself will still be very visible), we want to make the premises more welcoming, hospitable and flexible for the 21st century. Wesley Memorial Church will already be well known to many of your readers not only as part of Oxford’s heritage but also as a place that welcomes around 3,500 people per month to make use of the facilities and services that we have to offer.

Whether it be for worship on a Sunday, refreshments on Wednesdays and Fridays, visiting Rainbow House, our drop-in centre for the under 5s with a carer, or meeting with Phab (People have abilities), we welcome all who come in. We also provide accommodation for a regional office of Christian Aid and for Oxford Cruse (a branch of Cruse Bereavement Care).

The main purpose of our Open Doors appeal is to build on the services that we already provide. We launched our appeal amongst our own congregation some 12 months ago and have already raised over £220,000. We are now appealing to the wider Oxford community for support.

Further information about the work that we do, and how you can donate to the appeal, can be found at www.wesleymem.org.uk or by visiting the church during normal office hours.

Derek Rawson, Chairman, Open Doors Project Appeal