Yorkshire listed churches gain repair grants totalling £600,000
Christine Dixon, St Catherine of Siena church warden, said: "We are absolutely elated - there was a fear the church would close and people would have lost the community spirit. "It means so much to people."Both buildings are used as community hubs as well as for religious purposes, with St Catherine serving food, holding fitness classes and hosting social groups and public meetings. "It's always full, and people who are lonely come in and sit there all day without having to spend much," Ms Dixon added.The church roof collapsed in several places in late 2024 following heavy rain, snow and freezing temperatures.
"The water just ran in – there were buckets and containers collecting all the rain, which we emptied twice a day, and the main beams were bowing and in danger of collapsing," she said. Across the country, 37 sites have received repair grants totalling £15m to "breathe new life into neglected buildings".Louise Brennan, director of regions at Historic England, said: "This initiative will not only boost economic growth but also create amazing opportunities for people in some of the nation's most disadvantaged areas."
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Husband is refused permission to build parking space for his disabled wife because he lives in a world heritage site
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