National Lottery Heritage Fund Grant Awarded
Exciting News for St John the Baptist Church, Whittington
We are delighted to announce that St John the Baptist Church, Whittington has been awarded a grant of £145,322 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund towards an exciting project to preserve our historic church building and strengthen its role within the community.
The total cost of the project is £187,003, with additional funding being provided by St John the Baptist Church, The Friends of St John the Baptist Church, Whittington Parish Council, and generous donations from supporters.
This award is a significant milestone and represents many years of planning, fundraising and support from people throughout our community. We are sincerely grateful to everyone who has contributed in any way to helping make this possible.
Safeguarding Our Historic Church
The project will enable essential repairs to protect the fabric of this much-loved Grade II listed church and ensure it can continue serving future generations.
The work will include:
- Repairs and masonry work to the east wall.
- Replacement, repair and maintenance of rainwater goods, including gutters and downpipes.
- Repairs to the historic parquet flooring.
These works are essential to safeguard the building and prevent more serious deterioration in the future.
The Next Stage
It is hoped that work will begin in early October with the erection of scaffolding around much of the church.
For a period, our beautiful church will be wearing a rather unusual "coat" of scaffolding. Although this may look a little surprising at first, it marks the beginning of an important programme of conservation that will help protect the building for many years to come.
The repair work is currently expected to take approximately 16 weeks, although this may change depending on weather conditions and other unforeseen circumstances.
We will keep everyone informed as the project progresses through the Church website, the Ripple magazine, and the Church and Village noticeboards.
Looking to the Future
This project is about far more than repairing a historic building.
By safeguarding the church for future generations, we can continue to develop its role at the heart of village life and expand the range of activities, events and opportunities we offer to the whole community.
We look forward to sharing news and photographs as the work progresses and to celebrating the completion of the project together.
Our Thanks
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players, this important project has been made possible.
We are equally grateful to The Friends of St John the Baptist Church, Whittington Parish Council, everyone who has donated to the appeal, and all those who have supported the fundraising efforts over the years.
Together, you are helping to ensure that St John the Baptist Church continues to serve both the people of Whittington today and future generations to come.