Thames Valley churches given energy hardship grants

A warm hub is opening two days a week at St Mary's in Henley-on-Thames after the grant from the diocese

Hundreds of churches have been given hardship grants to help with rising energy costs and to pay for warm banks.

More than £550,000 from the Diocese of Oxford was distributed to around 770 churches in the Thames Valley region in December.

An extra £20,000 is being given to those opening as hubs for people struggling to heat their own homes.

Additional funds have also been granted to clergy experiencing financial hardship during the winter.

St Mary's Church in Henley-on-Thames received a grant to establish a warm hub two days a week on Thursdays and Sundays during the colder winter months, the Diocese of Oxford said.

Church rector Father Jeremy Tayler said they were "very grateful for the donation".

St James Church in Aston also received a grant to help it with the rise in energy costs.

Church treasurer Julian Sayers said: "At a time when we are trying to ensure our Church remains warm and welcoming the grant will be very helpful towards the rising electricity bills we are facing."

In Berkshire, All Saint's in Windsor and St Matthew's in Reading were among the churches to receive money to help with opening warm hubs.

St James Church in Aston also received a grant to help with the rise in energy costs

The grants ranged from a "few hundred pounds to a few thousand" depending on whether the church was offering a warm hub, a spokesman for the diocese said.

About 30 churches "felt they did not need the help" which benefitted the poorer churches, he added.

"The hardship grants were from investments generated by the church commissioners, not from parishioners."

The additional funds that were given to clergy workers experiencing personal hardship were to cover bills for heating "draughty vicarages".

"Last year the church put £10m into upgrading vicarages, in part to achieve our net zero goals, but while work is ongoing people have bills to pay," the spokesman added.

A total of £650,000 has been distributed across the diocese by the Archbishop's Council.