Prayers answered with grant
A HISTORIC Gothic-style church has won a £10,000 festive gift for urgent repairs.
Holy Trinity church, Old Hill, received the funding boost in the shape of a National Churches Trust Repair Grant to help pay for repairs to the tower roof and clock, and to refurbish the kitchen.
The church is one of 93 churches and chapels in England, Wales and Scotland set to benefit from rescue funding of £680,230 from the National Churches Trust, the UK’s church support charity.
Nick Gowers, Vicar of Holy Trinity Church, said: “We are grateful to God for this grant from the National Churches Trust. Holy Trinity Church is a vibrant Christian community serving Old Hill and beyond with the good news of Jesus.
“The National Churches Trust grant will help us continue using our historical Church building for this great task into the 21st century.”
The church stands proudly in its own grounds in Halesowen Road, in the heart of Old Hill, and has welcomed parishioners for around 140 years.
Now a Grade II-listed building, it was built in the early 1870s when an Act of Parliament was passed to create a new Church of England parish church to serve a thriving and expanding Black Country village.
Broadcaster and journalist Huw Edwards is vicepresident of the National Churches Trust. He said: “At the heart of communities in cities, towns and villages, churches are a treasure trove of architecture, history and faith.
“I’m delighted that Holy Trinity church, Old Hill, is to be saved for the future with the help of a £10,000 National Churches Trust Repair Grant.”
The money will be used to secure the fabric of the tower roof and stonework.
The tower structure will be structurally secure and water tight.
The lead roof will be replaced and the timber structure repaired and made safe.
The 1970s kitchen will be redesigned to allow provision of a wider variety of food that will attract new groups to use the facilities.