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Search forLottery money helping to secure future of churches
Saturday, July 05, 2008, 09:30
St Paul's, in Derby, has been given £140,000 towards reslating its roof and repairing the lead works, roof lights, drainage and guttering.
Christ Church, in Ironville, and St James's, in Codnor, will also receive cash, which has been awarded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and English Heritage.
The Rev Michael Mitton, of St Paul's, in Mansfield Road, Chester Green, said the money would make a huge difference to the church, which was built by the community in 1848 using stone quarried locally.
He hoped the church would return to being the centre of the community, as it was when it was built.
He said: “Every five years, churches are required to have a report carried out by an architect. Last year he told us that work needed to be carried out and advised us to apply for the grant.
“The damage is mostly caused by rainwater.
“We were told it would cost about £175,000 to repair.
“This grant has given us a real flying start, it has given us the confidence to move forward and we are immensely grateful.”
It is hoped that, once the repair work has been done, the church will become more widely used by the community.
Mr Mitton said: “We have just completed a feasibility study among local people and are hoping to make the church and the hall more available once the roof has been fixed.
“We believe the church was built to be the centre of the community and we would love it to become that once again.”
The money is distributed under the Repair Grants for Places of Worship in England scheme, with all Grade II-listed churches and chapels in England eligible to apply for the cash.
Anthony Streeten, the East Midlands regional director for English Heritage, said that the grants were about sustaining churches for future generations to enjoy.
He said: “Churches and chapels are the spiritual, communal and historic backbone of our villages, towns and cities.
“These grants are intended to ensure that these valuable parts of our heritage remain in use by the communities that enjoy them.”
Sara Croft, an East Midlands committee member for the Heritage Lottery Fund, said: “These churches are extremely important to local people.
“In additional to their religious significance and the character, they add to towns and villages, these are living buildings which often host a diverse range of activities.”
St James's Church, in Denby Lane, Codnor, has been awarded £68,000 for repairs, including reslating the nave roof and masonry repairs, while Christ Church, in Vicarage Lane, Ironville, is to receive £84,000 for repairs to timberwork.
It is estimated that the repair bill for all listed places of worship in England over the next five years will be £925m.
Outside St Paul's Church, in Chester Green, from left, Dr Anthony Streeton, Sara Crofts from the Heritage Lottery Fund and Rev Michael Mitton
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