£48k grant to develop Horncastle area church stories

The £48,800 funding will support ‘Great Interpretations’, a new project being run by the National Churches Trust, the UK’s church support charity.

The project follows on from the success of last year’s inaugural Horncastle Churches Festival which in turn was borne from the success of the West Lindsey Churches Festival.

Claire Walker, Chief Executive of the National Churches Trust, said: “I am delighted that the Heritage Lottery Fund has supported the Great Interpretations project in Lincolnshire.

“Churches, chapels and meeting houses are so important to towns and villages across Lincolnshire and are treasure troves of history and heritage.

“Local people across Lincolnshire will be able to shout out with pride about their fascinating historic churches.

“The project will also inspire visitors from across the UK to come and discover the county’s fabulous heritage and help boost the local economy.”

Churches are amongst the most important local buildings in every community, containing hidden stories and treasures.

Now, thanks to players of the National Lottery, Great Interpretations will help people get to know their churches, record priceless treasures and promote their heritage to audiences far and wide.

Some of the treasures include: the oldest working Methodist chapel in the country at Raithby; the Grade II listed St Benedict’s Church at Scrivelsby, dating back to the 13th century and was historically linked to the Dymoke ‘Champions to the Sovereign’ family and St Lawrence’s Church, Bardney, a Grade I listed 15th-century church built on the site of a Saxon abbey.

High quality videos and photos will be professionally produced for the churches, and will be accessible on the National Churches Trust’s church tourism website, ExploreChurches.

There will also be training sessions to help people who care for churches better promote their buildings, including training on church tourism, interpretation, publicity, photography, film making and more.

Online recordings of the training will be available afterwards for other churches to share.

Guided walks and a coach trip will also be offered to show off the beauty of Lincolnshire’s churches to as many people as possible.

Jonathan Platt, Head of HLF East Midlands, said: “Churches are among the UK’s oldest and most cherished historic buildings, and can reveal a wealth of information.

“Thanks to money raised by National Lottery players, we’ve invested over £850million to support and repair places of worship. I’m proud that we can continue this investment with the Great Interpretations project and help this group of Lincolnshire churches to share their rich heritage more widely.”