Church to stay open as grant funds vital repairs

An external image of St Leonard church in South Stoke, West Sussex. — Image caption,
On the recommendation of the National Churches Trust the church has received £7,500 from the Wolfson Foundation and £2,500 from the Headley Trust

Cash Murphy

BBC News, South East

6 September 2025

A church in West Sussex will stay open after receiving a grant to help fund the replacement of roof tiles which have caused plaster to collapse near the altar.

St Leonard church in South Stoke, Arundel, has received a combined £10,000 from the National Churches Trust (NCT) to replace the cracked and failing tiles.

Canon David Twinley, Rector at St Leonard, says the roof has been "patched up, when necessary, over the years" but that an entire re-tile has been necessary since 2021.

The church, which also fundraised a significant sum itself, hopes to start the repair works this month.

An internal image of St Leonard church in South Stoke, West Sussex. The wall behind the white altar is painted sky blue, while pink flowers can be seen at the end of each row in the church. There are two candle chandeliers above the rows. — Image caption,
The church is aiming to start repair work this month, having also fundraised a significant total

While mostly constructed in the 11th Century, the church spire was added eight centuries later.

A memorial to Sir Hugh Cairns, the eminent brain surgeon who lived in the nearby Old Rectory, sits under the bell tower.

The church, which overlooks the River Arun, has no electricity or water and is lit by dozens of candles for the two regular services every month.

Its roof issues were managed until four years ago, at which point it became clear that it would need to be replaced following some serious internal plaster falls caused by damp.

These falls affected both the nave - the central part of the church building - and the chancel, the section near the altar reserved for the clergy and choir.

Canon Twinley added: "The Parochial Church Council (PCC) are extremely grateful to the National Churches Trust for their support.

"Our loyal church community will be both delighted and relieved that we can continue to hold our regular services, weddings, funerals, baptisms and musical events for many years to come."

Claire Walker, chief executive of the NCT, says changes to the listed places of worship grants scheme have "effectively imposed VAT on listed churches that need any major repairs".

This scheme, which allows listed buildings such as churches to reclaim VAT on urgent repair projects, has only been renewed until March 2026 by the government.

The government has been approached for a comment.

Follow BBC Sussex on Facebook, external, on X, external, and on Instagram, external. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk , external or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.