The Heritage Lottery Fund and English Heritage have announced £6.8m of repair grants for over 70 Grade II listed places of worship across the country.
The largest grant in England will be given to St Mark's Church, Lakenham in Norfolk, set to receive £251,000 to renew its leaking roof. Two other Norfolk churches, All Saints in Hainford and Holy Trinity in Hempton, will receive £90,000 and £47,000 respectively.
Since 2002 more than £133m in repair grants have been awarded to around 1,500 historic places of worship through the Heritage Lottery Fund and English Heritage joint 'Repair Grants for Places of Worship' scheme, which is the largest single funding source for work of this kind.
“In addition to their religious significance and the character they add to towns and villages, churches are living buildings which often host a diverse range of activities, from martial arts classes to mother and toddler groups," said Robin Llewellyn, Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund for the East of England.
“The joint Heritage Lottery Fund and English Heritage scheme makes a significant difference to the long-term prospects of these crucial buildings."
The announcement of the latest round of grants was made at the Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church in Reading on July 4 2008. The church will receive a £74,000 grant.
Currently being used by the town’s Polish community, Sacred Heart will carry out structural repairs to its south west tower and spire, the nave’s west gable and the gutters.
Reverend Father Jerzy Januszkiewicz of Sacred Heart said: “I would like to express my sincere gratitude to English Heritage for giving us a grant for the renovation and repair of our church - which will save it from demolition.”
Though the Church of England currently spends £120m a year on repairs, English Heritage research published as part of its Inspired! campaign (launched 2006) suggests that the backlog repair bill for all listed places of worship in England is an estimated £925m over the next five years, which equates to £185m a year.
English Heritage and the Heritage Lottery Fund, who have a particular interest in developing visitor audiences and engagement with sacred places in England, also support the Sacred Britain initiative and the Aspire project, which aim to promote access to places of worship.
A copy of the application pack for Repair Grants for Places of Worship in England 2008-2009 is available from the HLF website or from the English Heritage website. All grant enquiries should be directed to EH Regional Offices or EH Customer Services on 0870 333 1181.
