TWO churches on the Isle of Wight have been awarded funding from the National Churches Trust.

Worshippers at St Mary’s Church, Brighstone, and St Andrew’s Church, Chale (pictured above), will use the grants to help pay for building repairs.

The £15,000 grant for the Grade I-listed St Mary’s Church in Brighstone will help towards repair of three areas of the church roof, and its water drainage system, which have been damaged by continual weathering over many decades. The aim of the church’s project is to make the church watertight and preserve its historic fabric.

Churchwardens June Horsfall and Gill Bradbury said: “We are very grateful to the National Churches Trust for giving us £15,000 which will help us to commence our project. Although we still have a way to go to reach our target, this is a huge boost to our funds.”

A separate £15,000 grant will help to fund the installation of toilet facilities and a new kitchen at the Grade II*-listed St Andrew’s Church in Chale, which will help the church to serve its local community better.

Churchwardens Sven Tester and Lesley Sprake said: “We have been fundraising for the past five years for this project and have had great local support and some generous grants from our diocese and charities. The grant from the National Churches Trust has transformed our finances, and is a huge help in pushing our plans forward. It enables us to start building work so that our congregation and friends can soon see their efforts for our wonderful parish church come to fruition.”

Broadcaster and journalist Huw Edwards, Vice President of The National Churches Trust, said: “The UK’s historic churches and chapels are a vital part of our national heritage. But to survive, many need to carry out urgent repairs and install modern facilities. The cost of this work is far beyond what most congregations can pay for themselves.”

In 2018 the National Churches Trust awarded grants of £1.2 million to help 202 projects at churches and chapels around the UK. The Trust funds churches of all denominations throughout the UK. Applications for grants can be made online at: www.nationalchurchestrust.org/our-grants