Funding will help repair historic church roof near Gainsborough

An historic church near Gainsborough is set to receive more than £100,000 for vital repairs to its roof.
Church of St Martin of Tours, SaundbyChurch of St Martin of Tours, Saundby
Church of St Martin of Tours, Saundby

The Churches Conservation Trust (CCT) is one of 445 heritage organisations across the country set to receive a lifesaving financial boost from the Government thanks to the £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund to help them through the coronavirus pandemic.

And the Church of St Martin of Tours in Saundby will receive £119,600.

St Martin’s impressive pinnacled tower has been part of the Saundby landscape for more than five centuries, and the church is home to stained glass windows by renowned Victorian designer Charles Kempe.

St Martin’s slate roof has reached the end of its useful life and the underlying boards and battens have become so rotten in places that even temporary patching is becoming impossible, risking water ingress and falling slates. This project will see the re-roofing of the church and undertake high level masonry, helping to keep this historic building open for generations to come.

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said: “As a nation it is essential that we preserve our heritage and celebrate and learn from our past. This massive support package will protect our shared heritage for future generations, save jobs and help us prepare for a cultural bounceback post covid.”

Peter Aiers, chief executive of CCT, said: “We are extremely grateful to Historic England and the Government for this funding, which will allow us to undertake repairs and conservation at 18 of our most in-need historic churches.

"The Churches Conservation Trust, like many charities, has suffered financially because of the Coronavirus pandemic and we face a significant fundraising gap due to having had to close churches.

"This award will help us to continue saving these beautiful historic buildings, to keep them open for the public as well as supporting vital craft skills in the heritage sector.”

Duncan Wilson, Historic England’s chief executive, said: “It is heartening to see grants, both large and small, from the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund helping heritage sites and organisations across the country which have been hit hard by the effects of Covid-19.

"These grants range from giving skilled craft workers the chance to keep their trades alive to helping heritage organisations pay the bills, and to kick-starting repair works at our best-loved historic sites.

"The funding is an essential lifeline for our heritage and the people who work tirelessly to conserve it for us all, so that we can hand it on to future generations.”

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