Churches get £536,000

More than £500,000 is being given to historic churches throughout Shropshire to allow them to carry out urgent conservation and repair work.English Heritage and the Heritage Lottery Fund said that nationally £15 million would go towards paying for the much-needed repairs at 160 Anglican, Roman Catholic, Methodist and Orthodox churches and one synagogue across the country.

The money was awarded to Grade I and Grade II* places of worship under the two organisations' joint Repair Grants for Places of Worship scheme.

In Shropshire, seven churches are receiving a total of £536,000 through the initiatives, including £96,000 for St Alkmund Church in Shrewsbury.

The Reverend Richard Hayes, the Resident Priest at St Alkmund, said the church would get £18,000 for exploratory work and if everything was agreed it would receive the remainder to carry out the work, which will restore an historic painted glass window dating back to 1795.

He said: "St Alkmund Church is extremely grateful to English Heritage for the fifth grant in six years to help us to restore and repair the building.

"This grant is the latest and perhaps in some ways the most important because the window is such a rare survival."

The Rev David Hewlett, Rector at St George's Church, Pontesbury, which is to receive £106,000, said the money would help to replace worn out lead in the roof and to anchor a parapet in place.

He said it would also see the church tower repointed, after it was repointed with the wrong set of mortar in the 1920s.

"We're delighted. It just makes vaguely possible what would be impossible," he added.

Other churches receiving money in the county include St Edith at Eaton-Under-Heywood, which is to get £137,000, and St Cuthbert at Clungunford which is receiving £90,000.

Locally and nationally many of the churches are being maintained by local volunteers.

The full list of Shropshire places of worship and the amount they have received:

• St Cuthbert, Clungunford - £90,000.

• St Edith, Eaton-under-Heywood - £137,000.

• St George, Pontesbury - £106,000.

• St John The Baptist, Ruyton-XI-Towns - £39,000

• St Alkmund, Shrewsbury - £96,000.

• St Mary, Stottesdon - £28,000.

• St Bartholomew, Tong - £40,000.