Church given repairs boost
Grants for preserving and making building watertight
A CHURCH is to share in a £507,000 payout from the National Churches Trust.
The grade I-listed All Saints’ Church, Loughborough, has been given a £10,000 Cornerstone Grant, with an additional £4,500 on behalf of the Wolfson Foundation, to help fund repairs to its rainwater goods, masonry and roof.
The work will make the church watertight and preserve its historic fabric.
Its rector, the Rev Wendy Dalrymple, said: “I am delighted that with the support from the National Churches Trust we are able to go ahead with this restoration work enabling us to continue to offer a place of welcome and worship for our community.
“The temporary closing of our church building due to coronavirus has highlighted how valued this ancient sacred space is for so many people. As we make plans to reopen the building, this essential work will allow us to do so with confidence.”
Broadcaster and journalist Huw Edwards, vice-president of the National Churches Trust, said: “The UK’s historic churches and chapels are a vital part of our national heritage and have done so much to help local people during the lockdown.
“But to survive, many need to carry out urgent repairs and install modern facilities. The cost of this work is far beyond what most congregations can pay for themselves.
“So, I’m delighted All Saints’ church, in Loughborough, is being helped with a £10,000
National Churches Trust Cornerstone Grant.
“The repairs will help secure the future of this fantastic ally important historic church .”
Paul Ramsbottom, chief executive at the Wolfson Foundation, said: “Churches play a central role in the spiritual life of a community but they are also an integral, much-loved, part of our cultural heritage.
“We are delighted to be working in partnership with the
National Churches Trust on this important programme.”
The cash will help pay for a project that includes selective replacement with new stone with lime remortaring to prevent further deterioration and halt weather damage.
The work will be phased with the north chancel gutter first, then the external lower level stonework repairs and finally the internal plaster repair and redecoration of the chancel walls. The trust has this year distributed 145 grants totalling more than £1 million to churches and chapels in the UK.