Two much-loved Cheshire churches are to receive a share in a £330,000 funding payout from the National Churches Trust.
A £15,000 National Churches Trust Cornerstone Grant will help provide disabled access, toilet facilities, a warm environment and dedicated area for preparation and serving refreshments at St Mary the Virgin Church, Bosley and a £15,000 grant will help fund the installation of kitchen facilities, a disabled toilet and a meeting space at St Philip Church, Kelsall.
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. During the coronavirus pandemic churches are doing so much to help vulnerable local people and boost morale.”
Commenting on the grant, Goeff Roberts and Jane Pearson, churchwardens at St Philip's, Kelsall, said: “We are delighted to receive this grant of £15,000 at a time when fundraising is on hold because of coronavirus and we were £20,000 short of the target of £200,000. This is a real answer to our prayers.”
The grant will go towards funding the installation of kitchen facilities, a disabled toilet and a meeting space at St Philip's, Kelsall
Alison Tottle and Neil Wain, churchwardens at St Mary the Virgin said: “Thank you so much to the National Churches Trust for a generous grant towards our project which will help us preserve and enhance this historical place of worship for generations to come and make it accessible to more members of our community. This project will give us space to grow and welcome the whole community for a wider variety of purposes.”
The grant will go towards providing disabled access, toilet facilities, a warm environment and dedicated area for preparation and serving refreshments at St Mary's, Bosley
Huw Edwards adds: “Many churches need to carry out urgent repairs and install modern facilities to ensure their buildings can continue to be used well into the future. But the cost of this work is often far beyond what most congregations can pay for themselves.
“So, I’m delighted that St Mary the Virgin Church, Bosley, and St Philip Church, Kelsall, are each being helped with a £15,000 National Churches Trust Grant.”
A total of 31 churches and chapels in England and Wales will benefit from the latest grants from the National Churches Trust, the charity supporting church buildings of all Christian denominations across the UK.
These grants are the first made in 2020. Last year the National Churches Trust distributed over £1.2 million to 176 churches and chapels around the UK.
Caring for church buildings
Church Buildings Missioner in the Diocese of Chester, Emily Allen, has written a blog reflecting on the decision to close church buildings. She also provides practical tips and thoughts on how your church building can be a blessing, even when the doors are shut.