Stafford church repairs can begin after £38,000 funding boost
A Stafford town centre church has received a funding boost to help it complete urgent maintenance work.
St Mary's Collegiate Church in Stafford is one of dozens of churches nationwide to be awarded a grant from the Government's Culture Recovery Fund.
The £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund will help heritage organisations across the country to restart vital reconstruction work and maintenance, as well as keep venues open and support people working in the sector.
St Mary's has been awarded a grant of £38,200 will be used to carry out overdue maintenance on the roof, with trees having self-seeded into the stonework and threatening to cause serious damage.
The grant will also contribute to the renewal of the heating boiler, which failed on the eve of lockdown and will complete a fundraising effort from the congregation to help begin repairs.
Rev Richard Grigson, the Rector of Stafford, said the funding was a massive boost for the church following months of closure and restrictions.
He said: "St Mary’s has stood at the centre of Stafford in the heart of Staffordshire for a thousand years and, like so many important sites, we had to close to all visitors in March.
"We have reopened for services, but our concert programme and use by other organisations has completely stopped.
"This has had a major impact on our finances and stopped our maintenance programme in its tracks.
"This grant from the Culture Recovery Fund will help us to deal with the most urgent maintenance work, and help us ensure we remain in the heart of Staffordshire for generations to come."
