More than £13 million has been awarded to Church of England churches in the first round of the Places of Worship Renewal Fund.
A total of 37 churches including Birmingham and Newcastle Cathedrals have been made awards amounting to £13.3 million, with grants ranging from just under £25,000 to more than £900,000.
The Fund was launched in May, after the closure of the long-running Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, to help pay for capital works including fabric repairs and essential improvements, such as electrical upgrades, heating, toilets and step-free access.
Birmingham Cathedral will receive £377,185 towards major work to halt the deterioration of the Cathedral’s tower and dome. Ramsgate’s Church of St George in the Diocese of Canterbury is also a recipient of a £353,240 award.
Other awards include £746,900 for the Church of St Elwyn in Hayle, Cornwall, in the Diocese of Truro, for repointing and masonry repairs to prevent water leaking in, and new rainwater systems. The grant will also help pay for interior decorations and building fabric to be restored using traditional conservation methods.
The Cathedrals and churches are among the first recipients of the Places of Worship Renewal Fund, designed to support historic places of worship in areas of the greatest need.
The Bishop of St Albans, Andrew Rumsey, who is the Church of England’s lead bishop for buildings, said: “I am very glad to hear of those churches and cathedrals that have been successful in the first round of awards.
“These grants, to churches in areas of considerable need, will help pay for fabric repairs that enable worship, missional and social action to continue in our communities. They will relieve some of the fundraising burden felt by heroic local volunteers who care for our country’s built heritage.
“I am conscious that there are many churches that have not been successful in their bids in this round of funding.
“We will be working hard to ensure that they are assisted in making future applications and, importantly, to press for churches to have better access to funding beyond the Renewal Fund, including for vital VAT relief on repairs, the loss of which is keenly felt by many.”
The Places of Worship Renewal Fund is administered by Historic England, The £92 million scheme – £23 million a year – is for England only and will last for four years. It is funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport,.
it follows the Listed Places of Worship Grant scheme, which repaid VAT as a grant on essential repairs and maintenance of more than £1,000, and was in operation for more than 20 years.
Here is the list of Church of England recipients:
| St Andrew and St George Church, Stevenage (Diocese of St Albans) | £882,255. | ||
| King’s Lynn Minster, (Diocese of Norwich) | £28,588 | ||
| Church of All Saints, Wyke Regis, Weymouth, (Diocese of Salisbury) | £24,870 | ||
| Church of St Mary, Tamerton Foliot (Diocese of Exeter) | £34,928 | ||
| Church of St Mary the Virgin, Brixham (Diocese of Exeter) | £50,000 | ||
| St. Nicholas’ Chapel, Kings Lynn, Norfolk (Diocese of Norwich) | £93,051 | ||
| St. Andrew’s Church, Gorleston-on-Sea, Norfolk (Diocese of Norwich) | £285,518 | ||
| All Saint’s Church, Elm, Wisbech Cambridgeshire (Diocese of Ely) | £295,879 | ||
| St Mary’s Hornsey Rise, London (Diocese of London) | £59,340 | ||
| St Stephens, Sneinton, Nottingham (Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham) | £109,633 | ||
| Grimsby Minster (Diocese of Lincoln) | £324,174 | ||
| St Mary de Castro, Leicester (Diocese of Leicester) | £365,514 | ||
| Lancaster Priory (Diocese of Blackburn) | £36,302 | ||
| Blackburn Holy Trinity Church (Churches Conservation Trust) | £91,892 | ||
| St Mary’s Church, West Derby, Liverpool (Diocese of Liverpool) | £217,487 | ||
| Church of St Bartholomew, Maltby, Rotherham (Diocese of Sheffield) | £266,942 | ||
| Newcastle Cathedral | £305,463 | ||
| St Helens Minster, Merseyside (Diocese of Liverpool) | £345,813 | ||
| Parish Church of St Martin, Liskeard (Diocese of Truro) | £59,800 | ||
| Church of St Stephen, West Putford, Holsworthy, Devon (Diocese of Exeter) | £105,333 | ||
| Parish Church of St John the Baptist, Paignton, Torbay (Diocese of Exeter) | £175,186 | ||
| Church of St Swithun, Pyworthy (Diocese of Exeter) | £248,000 | ||
| Parish Church of All Saints, Torre, Torquay, Devon (Diocese of Exeter) | £409,169 | ||
| St. Nicholas’ Church, Dereham, Norfolk (Diocese of Norwich) | £732,135 | ||
| Church of St George, Ramsgate (Diocese of Canterbury) | £353,240 | ||
| Church of All Saints, Hanworth (Diocese of London) | £374,345 | ||
| St Edmund’s Church Dudley (Bottom Church) (Diocese of Worcester) | £587,320 | ||
| Birmingham Cathedral | £377,185 | ||
| St Paul’s Church, Birmingham (Diocese of Birmingham) | £944,012 | ||
| Church of All Saints, Doncaster (Diocese of Sheffield) | £453,123 | ||
| Church of St Agnes, Leeds (Diocese of Leeds) | £556,618 | ||
| Church of St John and adjoining community hall, Workington (Diocese of Carlisle) | £708,310 | ||
| St John’s Bowling Church, Bradford (Diocese of Leeds) | £820,200 | ||
| Church of St Catherine of Siena, Sheffield (Diocese of Sheffield) | £973,632 | ||
| Church of Holy Trinity, Milton Damerel (Diocese of Exeter) | £607,402 | ||
| Church of St Matthias and Attached Forecourt Walls, Plymouth (Diocese of Exeter) | £692,077 | ||
| Church of St Elwyn, Hayle (Diocese of Truro) | £746,900 |