‘CRUCIAL’ work is set to begin to repair the roof of a popular Malvern church after it secured a grant of more than £150,000.
Christ Church will provide a waterproof roof ‘for generations to come’ thanks to a £158,000 donation from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).
The scheme is expected to cost about £220,000 and the Avenue Road site will continue its fund-raising efforts until the revamp starts later this year.
Angie Green, churchwarden at the church, told The Observer the roof development was vital after it leaked at last Sunday’s (July 12) service.
“It is fantastic news,” she said.
“It is what we have been waiting for, for a very long time. It secures the building for many generations to come because if you haven’t got the roof you can’t do anything with the building, so it is brilliant news.
“It is absolutely crucial for the church to survive and the building to survive. It is crucial for the worshippers and the people of Malvern who regard it as a landmark.
“The roof is in very bad repair and we had to make this our priority.”
Bidding for funding started in August 2013 and the church was awarded a development grant of about £14,000 in March last year before its latest funding.
“It is nice for the people who don’t come to church every week but would still like to use the church as a church because it is not just for Sundays,” Angie added.
“That is what our whole emphasis is on, we still want to see people in the church even if they don’t want to come to worship every week.
“It is also used by two main schools in Malvern – Malvern Parish and Malvern St James – so it is crucial we keep it open to support the schools as well as the community.”
Work is expected to be completed by December this year.
Email [email protected] to donate to the church’s fund-raising appeal.
