Future of historic village church safeguarded by £40k Lottery grant

The cash lifeline for St Peter’s church, in Kirby Bellars, came from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The much-loved 13th Century Grade I listed parish church suffered serious damage following the theft of copper from its roof.

And this funding will support the development of plans for vital repairs and help to secure a sustainable future for the historic building, which was built alongside the former Augustinian priory.

Church members say that without the contribution from the Heritage Fund, the building could have been lost forever.

Hannah Mayhew, community heritage solutions project manager from Heritage Lincolnshire said the organisation was ‘excited’ to be supporting St Peter’s Church with its project.

She added: "This is a positive step towards securing the future of this unique church and ensuring that its rich heritage can be preserved for future generations”.

The project will give a clear picture of the church’s declining condition through surveys, paving the way for accurate repair plans, realistic costings, and strong conservation bids.

This will help to revive and protect a vital piece of Leicestershire’s heritage.

Local volunteers, in partnership with Heritage Lincolnshire, are working hand-in-hand with the community to highlight the vital role St Peter’s plays in Kirby Bellars.

The community volunteer group, the Roof Resurrectors, formed to raise money to replace the roof and save the church, have expressed their thanks to National Lottery players for enabling them to move forward with our project.

And the Parish of the Upper Wreake, which is a group of six Anglican churches along the Wreake Valley including Brooksby, Frisby on the Wreake, Hoby, Ragdale and Rotherby as well as Kirby Bellars, is delighted with the grant.

Rev David Harknett, priest-in-charge of the parish, said St Peter’s was ‘a fine, community asset’ and ‘a beautiful holy space’ and that ‘we are one step closer to marrying those twin visions thanks to the National Lottery Heritage Fund’.

Go online at www.stpeterskirbybellars.co.uk to see public engagement events being lined up throughout the project and see further details and information.