Government awards millions to support church repairs

Catholic Churches are among those to receive a share of a £22.9 million windfall for repairs from the Government.

St Leonard’s Anglican Church in Shoreditch, the setting for the TV comedy Rev and one of the churches referenced in the nursery rhyme “Oranges and Lemons”, has also been awarded almost £100,000 towards restoration.

Of the 401 places of worship recognised at least six are Catholic. They include St Augustine’s Catholic Church, on Nottingham’s Woodborough Road, which received £98,000; St Mary’s Catholic Church in Ryde, Isle of Wight, which is to receive £95,800 and St Joseph’s Catholic Church in Neath Port Talbot, which is to receive £59,100. Two Catholic churches in Staffordshire – the Church of the Sacred Heart in Tunstall and St Giles in Cheadle – are to receive awards of £100,000 and £80,000 respectively; and in Lincolnshire the church of St Mary on the Sea in Grimsby was awarded £82,000.

The Chancellor, George Osborne, said: “Churches and cathedrals are a pillar of British life and we are committed to ensuring future generations will be able to admire and use these historic buildings. Thanks to the work we’ve done over the last six years to secure Britain’s long-term economic security, we are able to support the upkeep and repair of places of worship across the UK.”

The grants have been awarded through the Government-funded Listed Places of Worship: Roof Repair Fund, which was launched by the Chancellor in his Autumn Statement in December 2014. The fund has now seen a total of 903 places of worship across the UK receive a share of £55 million.