The Church of England has said that last year it more than doubled the value of grants given out by its national conservation team.
The Church said that in 2025 it had awarded 190 grants with a total value of £578,391, up from the previous year's 124 grants worth £260,000.
The significant rise in funding was attributed partly to support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, which last year said it would be awarding £4.69m to the Church of England’s conservation grants scheme over a five-year period.
As well as lottery funding, the scheme has also received support from the Pilgrim Trust, the Radcliffe Trust, the Anglican Parish Churches Fund, the Oswald Allen Fund, and the Church of England Net Zero Fund.
One of the many beneficiaries of the grants was St Mary the Virgin church in the village of Belchamp Walter, in the Diocese of Chelmsford. As well as regular worshippers, the church attracts visitors due to its TV connections - it appeared in both Lovejoy and Downton Abbey: A New Era.
The church was awarded a grant of £3,000 to repair an external wall, which supports 14th century wall paintings. In addition, the church was given £8,000 for the preservation of the paintings themselves, which portray Biblical scenes such as the Last Supper and are considered the church’s greatest treasure.
Additional funding to preserve the church’s heritage came from “Friends” of the church and the Bartleet Family, who donated £1,600.
Monika Shepherd, the church warden who has overseen the preservation project, said, “Without our Friends, raising money relentlessly, we would not have been able to do any of this,” she said. "We are very, very pleased that we have played our part in the history of these amazing paintings.”
Other projects supported by the nationwide scheme include the preservation of a library where Isaac Newton may have studied, a Saxon coffin and a still functioning clock that dates back to the early 15th century.
Eilish McGuinness, Chief Executive of The National Lottery Heritage Fund, commented, “Places of worship are among our most treasured heritage, at the heart of communities and caring for irreplaceable historic objects and works of art and nature. Yet they face increasing pressures, which is why partnership working and strategic investment are so important.
“Through our initiative for places of worship, we have been encouraging and supporting the sector to explore partnerships, innovative ways of working and strategic interventions to proactively address those challenges.
“The Church of England’s conservation grants scheme was one of the first we invested in through that initiative and we’re delighted to see the impact this approach can have - helping to safeguard collections, build vital conservation skills, and ensure these special places are valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future.”
