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Trust’s £10k donation to St Martin’s

blackmorevaleSeptember 22, 20210 Comment0

The ancient church of St Martin’s in Lillington has received a welcome financial boost from Dorset Historic Churches Trust.

Trust chairman Major General John Stokoe presented a cheque for £10,000 to representatives of the Lillington Parochial Church Council as the trust’s contribution towards the cost of repairs to the church’s chancel roof.

“St Martin’s Church has served the small rural community of Lillington for many centuries and inevitably time and the weather have slowly eroded some of its fabric,” said Maj Gen Stokoe. Dorset Historic Churches Trust exists to give a helping hand financially to churches such as this and our hope is that they will continue for centuries to come as a crucial feature of village life and the local landscape.”

He said the funds that enabled the trust to do this came largely from monies raised by the annual Ride & Stride event. Thanking the trust, churchwarden Lisa Lewis said that without the grant they would have struggled to meet the cost of the essential repairs to the village church.

“I hope this award acts as a reminder to other churches of the crucial role the trust plays in supporting Dorset’s churches and the need for all of us to support the trust so they have the funds to award such grants,” she said.

Dorset Historic Churches Trust (DHCT) has provided grant-aided maintenance work for churches and chapels of all Christian denominations in Dorset for the past 60 years.

They receive no financial support from the central church and only limited tax relief from the government. Total grants awarded over the last five years have averaged over £110,000 per annum. The priority has always been to assist with weatherproofing – especially roofs and stonework.

In recent years, significant funds have been granted to assist communities to adapt parts of their cherished church buildings for wider use.

Further details of the work of the trust can be found on its website: dhct.org.uk.