National Lottery donates £1.25m to places of worship across the UK
Imago St John the Baptist Church in Buckinghamshire will receive £30,084 of the grant
The National Lottery has announced that they have donated £1.25m across eight different projects. This funding plays a part in their commitment to supporting places of worship.
The grants will be used to find further connections between the different heritage sites and to learn more about British history, as well as for general maintenance of the buildings.
St George’s Church and the United Reformed Church, in Newcastle upon-Tyne, both have a rare pipe organ that was constructed by Lewis and Company back in the 19th century. For this project, the National Lottery has permitted a grant of £163,600, which will contribute towards preserving the organs as well as contributing towards creating a programme delving into both churches’ shared heritage.
In York, St Martin’s Church will see £248,504 of the grant. This will be used to improve the heating of this 14th century building as well as to conserve the grounds. Meanwhile the Greek Orthodox church, Church of St Basil and St Paisios in Lincoln will see £51,763 of the grant which will be used towards conducting immediate surveys to understand the needs of the Grade II listed building.
Development grants have also been given to: St George and the Martyr Parish Church in Holborn (£280,389), Lochwinnoch Church in Renfrewshire (£198,250), All Saints Church in Helmsley (£138,169), Holt Methodist Church in Norfolk (£47,018) and St John the Baptist Church in Buckinghamshire (£30,804).
The development grants will contribute towards the maintenance of listed buildings, research, transformations and repairs to enable the buildings to withstand for longer as well as engaging the local community in the history of these British heritage sites.
Over the next three years, the National Lottery plans to invest around £100m into places of worship across the UK.
Eilish McGuinness, CEO of The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “Places of worship are some of the UK’s most cherished historic buildings and many play a key role as a gateway to our heritage and communities.
“Thanks to money raised by National Lottery players, these eight fantastic projects will take vital steps towards securing a brighter and more sustainable future for places of worship and reimagine how they can connect with and benefit their communities.”
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