West Midlands churches and cathedrals given VAT help for repairs

Coventry Cathedral was among the West Midlands buildings to receive a grant from the scheme

Dozens of churches and cathedrals in the West Midlands have been given thousands of pounds in funding towards their VAT costs on building repairs.

Nearly 5,000 across the UK have received money from the government scheme.

They include £81,687 to Coventry Cathedral and £84,454 to Shrewsbury Cathedral.

In Warwick, £141,500 has been given to St Mary's Church towards repairs on the 12th Century building's tower.

They include work on the clocks and faces of the tower and church warden John Luxton said they were "incredibly grateful" for the support.

"[It] was critical in enabling the church to raise the funding required to restore the amazing tower of our Grade I listed building," he added.

Other churches in the region to benefit included £25,344 for St Thomas and St Edmund of Canterbury, Erdington, Birmingham and £15,872 for St George's in Kidderminster.

St Editha's in Tamworth, Staffordshire, was granted £97,303 while £3,797 went to St Benedict Biscop in Wolverhampton.

The £110,840 for St Mark's in Stoke-on-Trent will form part of a £2m project to restore the church

Reverend Phillip Jones, from St Mark's in Shelton, Stoke-on-Trent, which received £110,840, said it would help towards their large repair project.

The church was in the middle of a £2m restoration project which he said would see brickwork, the roof and plasterwork all repaired.

"It will be better and it will last for a whole lot longer but it won't look like a new building," he added.

The funding from the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme could be used towards VAT costs on conserving religious buildings, a government spokesperson said.