An appeal is seeking to raise £650,000 in order to preserve a pair of abandoned historic churches.
National charity Friends of Friendless Churches (FFC) has worked to save 71 churches over its 70 year history. The group has now turned its attention to St Helen’s, Biscathorpe, in Lincolnshire and St Tyfi’s, Dinefwr, Carmarthenshire.
St Helen’s was built in 1847 and is a Grade II listed building. However, time has not been kind to the building. The ceilings are collapsing, water is making its way through the nave, and the church is partially exposed to the elements.
Historic England has declared the condition of the building to be “very bad” and called it one of the most endangered Victorian churches in the country.
Griff Rhys Jones, President of the Victorian Society, said, "It is a delicate and fascinating work of architecture and a remarkable survival - urgent repairs are clearly now required. In the longer term, a sensitive new use for it is needed, one that preserves the lovely and largely intact interior and its original suite of furnishings."
Even more historic is St Tyfi’s, which dates back to at least 1291. The church officially closed its doors in 1961 and again, time has not been kind. Poor drainage, rotting timbers and invading plant life have all played their part in giving the church its current “at risk” designation.
A group of four local men have been doing their best to stave off the worst of the decline, but, according to FFC, things have reached the point where they cannot hope to deal with it alone.
FFC said that it wished to take ownership of the church, but to work closely with the locals who have done so much to give the building a fighting chance of survival.
In a bid to save both St Helen’s and St Tyfi’s, it is hoping to raise £650,000 from donors. However, the group added that a “generous donor” had agreed to match all donations made up to a value of £500,000.
The campaign will run until its target is achieved or until 31 March 2027, whichever comes sooner.
FFC said, “Saving a church is slow, costly work. A single repair can take months simply to reach site: planning, permissions, funding, and the search for craftspeople who still understand lime mortar, historic stonework, or how a medieval roof holds itself up.
"Since places of worship lost their VAT exemption, the cost of all of it rose by 20% overnight. Together, these two churches will cost more than £1 million to save.”
