23rd December 2014
St Mary’s church in Welwick is celebrating after receiving £7000 from the YHCT for vital repairs to the tower and roof.
The award was made by the Trust at their recent grants committee, which saw £62,000 being awarded to vulnerable places of worship from across the region, for essential repair, preservation and maintenance work.
St Mary’s is a Grade I listed church with a rich and varied history. It is home to a spectacular monument tomb dating back to 1340, and a brass dated to 1621. The brass is attributed to a member of the Wright family – most notable for John and Christopher Wright who went to school with Guy Fawkes and went on to assist him in the infamous gunpowder plot.
The church is a popular and important meeting place at the heart of the village and holds regular events for the local community. However, it has been placed on English Heritage’s at risk register due to urgent recovering and repair worked needed on the tower and roof.
Thanks to the fundraising efforts of the congregation and grants from English Heritage and Allchurches Trust, this final injection from the YHCT means the urgent work can now get underway.
Rev Carol Fisher- Bailey, vicar at St Mary’s said: “We are delighted to receive this grant from the YHCT. St Mary’s is a much loved, and well used local facility and it is essential for the future of the church that this repair work is undertaken. Thanks to the effort of the congregation, the local community and funders such as the YHCT, this work can now begin and we can ensure the building is fit for purpose and can continue to provide a spiritual home for the local community and visitors alike.”
David Quick, Chair of the Yorkshire Historic Churches Trust said: “Over the centuries, churches have defined landscapes and brought together communities. However, many of the county’s much loved places of worship have long been in need of urgent repair and restoration” He continued: “We are delighted to be able to make this award to St Mary’s, to help repair a much loved church in the local community”.