Dozens of churches will receive a share of £18 million to support the restoration of historic places of worship in England.
The first round of grants as part of the Places of Worship Renewal Fund have been revealed, to help pay for repairs and upgrades to essentials such as electricity, heating, toilets and step-free access.
It replaces the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme which gave historic churches a VAT rebate on most repairs, after its closure earlier this year.
Heritage minister Baroness Twycross told Premier Christian News that the money will help “unlock ways of rejuvenating churches and make sure they can better serve their congregations and communities”.
The minister shared her visit to Church of St George in Margate, which will use more than £350,000 to fund tower lantern repairs and make the church more accessible, which she said would create “new ways to serve the community through brand new events”.
Among the recipients is Birmingham Cathedral, receiving £377,185 to prevent the deterioration of its tower and dome, and £305,463 will go to Newcastle Cathedral. The Church of St Elwyn in Hayle, Cornwall, will use £476,900 for repointing and masonry repairs to prevent water leaking in as well as following traditional methods to conserve building fabric.
Baroness Twycross emphasised to Premier that the government is “under no illusions about the needs” of churches and heritage buildings, with a second allocation of funding to come later this financial year. She has also asked Historic England, which administers the scheme, to make sure the scheme is easy for church volunteers to navigate.
Bishop of St Albans, Rt Rev 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".
He added that the Church of England will be working to ensure churches which missed out will be supported in applying again, and “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.”