Church buildings to get cash to pay for repairs

The church at Bratton, Wiltshire, had lead stolen weakening the roof

Two Grade II* listed churches are to receive signifiant grants to help repair the roofs of both historic buildings.

St James the Great Church in Bratton, Wiltshire, suffered water damage after lead was stolen, weakened the building.

A grant of £5,000 from the National Churches Trust in conjunction with the Wolfson Foundation will help towards a replacement permanent steel roof.

St Mary & Corpus Christi Church at Down Hatherley, Gloucestershire, will receive £7,000 from the same foundation to replace missing roof tiles which had led to water damage.

The church at Bratton has retained lots of its medieval features

More than 80 churches in the UK are receiving a share of nearly £1m to save heritage and keep churches in use.

St James the Great, thought to be built on the site of a Saxon chapel, was extensively rebuilt around 1400 and still has lots of medieval features, including 15th century gargoyles.

A new terne-coat steel roof will keep it watertight and windproof for the foreseeable.

Mike Manson, PCC member responsible for church fabric, explained the grant will go towards the more than £100,000 cost of re-roofing, which they have been fundraising for locally.

He said that without a new roof "it is almost certain that the temporary roof would soon fail and the church would have to close, especially during bad weather".

The church at Down Hatherley had water coming in as roof tiles fall off

At St Mary & Corpus Christi Church, rain water has gotten into the organ chamber, vestry and the chancel.

It has a Tudor font and stained glass windows, including a pair based on Arthurian legends.

There are concerns that heavier rain and winds could cause more damage and the building could become unusable.

The 15th century church, which went through a Victorian rebuild, has Cotswold stone tiles.

The crumbling and lost tiles will be replaced with salvaged ones where possible

The church has had buckets out to collect the water coming through

As well as the money from Wolfson Foundation, it will also get a £7,000 from the Headley Trust.

The church's team are hoping that having a new roof will mean they can welcome more of the community and share local heritage, especially with 1,000 new homes being built in the area.

Churchwarden Ellie Stevenson said the money "is a significant contribution to our financial target and really helps us bolster our community fundraising efforts, which are moving on apace."