St Mary the Virgin Church, Finedon awarded grant by The National Lottery Heritage Fund to create an inclusive and accessible space for community and educational activities and social events.
Today, St Mary the Virgin Church, Finedon is delighted to announce a £97,992 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to support an ambitious renewal project designed to improve accessibility, open up more of the historic building for wider community use and ensure that this much‑loved place of worship continues to thrive for generations to come.
Together with contributions from the Church’s own funds, parish and community fundraising and generous support from The Congregational and General Trust, The John Warren Foundation, The Benham Charitable Settlement, The Beatrice Lang Trust, The 29th May 1961 Charitable Trust and the George Family Foundation, The National Lottery Heritage Fund grant brings the total project budget to just over £145,000.
There is some rare and beautiful heritage in this Church: a nationally significant pipe organ installed in 1717 and believed to have been originally built for St George’s Chapel, Windsor; a Monk’s Cell housing a library founded in 1788 comprising a collection of around 900 books dating from the 15th century to the 19th century; and some particularly fine stained glass windows.
This project, made possible by the Heritage Fund, is essential to ensure that St Mary’s Church remains viable, inclusive and actively used in the 21st century and beyond, thereby preserving its wonderful heritage.
The renewal will transform the West End of the Church into a flexible, accessible, multi-use community space incorporating a kitchen and servery, modern toilet facilities including a fully accessible WC, baby changing facilities and improved wheelchair access. By future-proofing the building and making it into a true community resource, this will ensure that the entire site, along with valuable artefacts, will be preserved, remain viable and be available for years to come.
The Reverend Morna Simpson, Vicar of St Mary’s says, “In obtaining this grant from the Heritage Fund, we will be able to increase opportunities to serve the wider community”.
Churchwardens Colin Needle and Julie Kightley add, “Thanks to National Lottery players, this renewal project will reflect St Mary’s long-standing commitment to being a welcoming, inclusive and outward-looking Church”.
Notes to editors
About St Mary the Virgin Church, Finedon
Further details on St Mary the Virgin, Finedon can be found on our website and via our Facebook page. https://stmarysfinedon.co.uk
Facebook Group “St Mary the Virgin, Finedon”
About The National Lottery Heritage Fund
Our vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future. That’s why as the largest funder for the UK’s heritage we are dedicated to supporting projects that connect people and communities to heritage, as set out in our strategic plan, Heritage 2033. Heritage can be anything from the past that people value and want to pass on to future generations. We believe in the power of heritage to ignite the imagination, offer joy and inspiration, and to build pride in place and connection to the past.
Over the next 10 years, we aim to invest £3.6 billion raised for good causes by National Lottery players to make a decisive difference for people, places and communities.
Follow @HeritageFundUK on Twitter/X, Facebook and Instagram and use #NationalLottery #HeritageFund
Further information
For further information, images and interviews please contact Colin Needle at St Mary’s Church, Finedon on: phone 07708 606797, email needlecw@virginmedia.com