YHCT funding for nineteen churches across the region

YHCT trustees Tom Ramsden & Robert Beaumont at St John’s church, Minskip
(c) Laura Hargreaves

November 2022

Nineteen places of worship are celebrating this month after being awarded £78,000 from the Yorkshire Historic Churches Trust towards urgent repairs conservation and maintenance work.

The funding will help provide modern community facilities, preserve unique local heritage and keep churches open and in use for the benefit of local people.

Funding was awarded to a places of worship from a range of denominations, including a Catholic Cathedral and a Methodist Chapel, and from a Grade II listed chapel in rural North Yorkshire to a 45 year old modern community church on the outskirts of Leeds city centre.

All the places of worship have in common a desire to serve their local communities both in worship and in offering a range of vital community services during the current cost of living crisis.

Tom Ramsden, chairman of the YHCT said: “Our latest grant awards support a wide variety of churches and projects. They range from helping to repair the roof of the Grade II listed St James in Slaithwaite built in 1796, through to helping make watertight Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic chapel in Headingley, built in the 1930’s.

He continued: ” Many places of worship are stepping up to help provide a warm welcome for their communities as the cost of living crisis intensifies; from a Pay as You Feel cafe, to opening up as part of the Warm Space initiative, and we are delighted to support them. The grants are made possible thanks to the generosity of our Friends and donors. You can help ensure these important building are kept alive for the next generation by making a donation or by becoming a Friend of the Trust via our website at www.yhct.org.uk ”.

The full list of churches receiving grants are:

Leeds, All Hallows, £10,000 for roof repairs

Leeds, Our Lady of Lourdes, £3500 for roof repairs

Leeds, Cathedral Church of St Anne, £4000 for stonework repairs

Baildon, St James £1000, for tower repairs

Bierley, St John the Evangelist, £4000 for clock repairs

Great Ouseburn, St Mary, £3000 for boundary wall repairs

Skipwith, St Helen, £7000 for drainage works

Minskip, St John, £3300 for bell tower repairs

Golcar, Providence Methodist, £3500 for window repairs

Slaithwaite, St James, £5000 for roof repairs

Ripponden, Stones Methodist, £5000 for roof repairs

Thornaby, St Peter, £1000 for stonework repairs

Gargrave, St Andrew £1300 for clock repairs

Golcar, St John the Evangelist, £3200 for internal decorations

Goole, St John £6000, for roof repairs

Harome, St Saviour, £5000 for bell turret repairs

Slingsby, All Saints, £4500 for window repairs

Yapham, St Martin, £5000 for glazing repairs