Listed 900-year-old church gets £370k repair grant

A 900-year-old church has been given £370,446 to kickstart repairs needed to keep it open.

St Mary's in Kirkby Lonsdale, Cumbria, received the sum from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to help progress plans to apply for a full grant of £4,629,508 at a later date.

If the funding is not secured the Grade I listed building, which is on the Heritage at Risk Register, will face closure, according to the church's council.

Project lead at St Mary's Church Peter Gregson said the team were "delighted and very grateful" to receive the initial support and continued to develop their plans.

Proposals include repairing the church tower, replacing the roof and reordering the interior to provide a flexible space to meet the needs of local people and visitors.

St Mary's is one of only five major churches in Cumbria and it is the largest building in Kirkby Lonsdale.

North of England National Lottery Heritage Fund director Helen Featherstone said: "We're thrilled to support St Mary's Church with this initial grant to work towards repairing and restoring the striking, centuries-old Grade I listed building."

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