27/12/2025
Great News!
Horninghold church in Leicestershire is at the payment claim stage.
In July 2024, the much-loved church of St. Peter in Horninghold shared in a £735,326 urgent funding payout from the National Churches Trust.
The chancel inside the church is closed due to the devastating water damage and falling plaster at the Grade II* Listed church.
A £10,000 National Churches Trust Grant will help to pay for urgent repairs to the chancel roof to help make the church watertight again. On the recommendation of the National Churches Trust, the church will also receive a £5,000 Wolfson Fabric Repair Grant from the Wolfson Foundation and a £10,000 grant from the Headley Trust.
Works have started on repairing the failing chancel roof and the grant funds are now claimable.
The church is currently on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register and the urgent repairs are being made to protect the fabric of this historic church and to keep it open and in use. These repairs are essential to help the church get off the Heritage at Risk Register and become safe again. And not only that, but the church is also incorporating skills development and training into the project, to help give opportunities for local people to learn about maintaining heritage. Events that will help engage the local community with the work are being held. This includes visiting the mine where the slate tiles will be sourced from, as well as a hard hat tour at the church.
This is an innovative way of giving back to the local community, many of which have helped fundraise towards the project and will continue to support the church for many years to come.
While the church is always open for visitors, because the chancel is closed, it does not feel as welcoming. The PCC are excited that the works are underway and are looking forward to their completion so that the church building can be opened fully and enjoyed by the local community.
Claire Walker, Chief Executive of the National Churches Trust, said:
"The National Churches Trust is delighted to be able to support St Peter’s church to enable them to carry out urgent roof repairs to their beautiful building. Not only will this protect this important heritage, but it will help to keep the church building open and serving local people.”
“Whether seeking quiet reflection, access to community services or a place to worship, the National Churches Trust helps hundreds of churches each year and with the support of local people, keeps them thriving today and tomorrow.”
Paul Ramsbottom, Chief Executive of the Wolfson Foundation, said:
"Historic churches, essential to their communities, often face substantial challenges alongside expensive maintenance and repairs. We are delighted to continue to partner with the National Churches Trust to ensure these cherished buildings are preserved and maintained for future worshippers and visitors.”
Sandra Griffin, Treasurer, St. Peter’s Church, said:
“At the end of 2019, a major architectural inspection of the building highlighted the serious problems with the chancel roof and the danger of falling debris within the chancel area. Covid-19 restrictions followed this devastating news, fundraising stopped, and the restoration project had to be put on hold.”
“The church is the only community building in Horninghold and as well as a place of worship, it is the venue for village meetings and other community events. The Parochial Church Council (PCC) say ‘Inevitably time has taken its toll on our beautiful church and in 2020 it was placed on the 'Heritage at Risk Register'.”
“Thankfully in 2021 local fund-raising activities resumed. However, the scale of repairs is costly and to repair the roof before it collapses it was recognised that external help is needed.”
“The PCC and wider community are therefore most grateful to the National Churches Trust, the Wolfson Foundation and the Headley Trust for their generosity and support for our restoration project. With their help we can now see a future where we are able to proceed with the full programme of restoration so that we can be removed from the 'At Risk’ register and pass on this much loved historic building in a good state of repair to future generations.”
How the grant will help the church
The slates from the chancel and north porch have been removed. Any slates that are still fit for purpose will be reused on the porch with new Collyweston slates sourced for chancel roof. All of this will significantly help protect the church from rainfall and make it watertight again.
Significant help for churches
87 churches across the UK will stay open and in good repair thanks to £735,326 – almost ¾ of a million pounds – of funding awarded and recommended by the National Churches Trust in this latest round of grants.
In 2023, the National Churches Trust made over 180 grant awards to churches throughout the UK, with funding totalling more than £2 million. This has helped to save over 70,000 years of precious heritage.
The National Churches Trust helps churches through our extensive grants programme. Grants are available for churches of any Christian denomination that are open for regular worship to fund urgent repairs, maintenance, installing toilets or kitchens and feasibility studies to develop projects. Full details are at: nationalchurchestrust.org/grants
About the National Churches Trust
Since 1953, the National Churches Trust has provided funding of more than £130 million to support the UK’s church buildings. We are an independent charity and work with churches of all denominations and are UK-wide, providing support, training and advice to keep UK churches open and in good repair. www.nationalchurchestrust.org
• In 2023, with the support of the National Heritage Lottery Fund, the National Churches Trust launched Cherish, a new three-year support programme for churches in Scotland, Wales and the North West of England. This is bringing experienced support officers to help local people deal with the challenges of looking after church buildings and £1 million of extra funding for repairs and maintenance. https://www.nationalchurchestrust.org/get-support/cherish-support-scotland-wales-cymru-and-north-west-england
• In 2024, the National Churches Trust launched Every Church Counts, a six-point plan on how to save the UK’s church buildings. It offers a blueprint for how these buildings can be kept open and in use. Find out more at: www.nationalchurchestrust.org/everychurchcounts
About the Wolfson Foundation
The Wolfson Foundation is an independent charity with a focus on research and education. Its aim is to support civil society by investing in excellent projects in science, health, heritage, humanities and the arts. Since it was established in 1955, some £1 billion (£2 billion in real terms) has been awarded to more than 14,000 projects throughout the UK, all on the basis of expert review.
Website: www.wolfsonfoundation.org.uk
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About the Wolfson Fabric Repairs Grants Programme
Wolfson Fabric Repairs Grants are made on behalf of the Wolfson Foundation by the National Churches Trust. The aim of the programme is to support the conservation and restoration of places of worship with outstanding historic and architectural significance. Churches can apply for the grants of up to £10,000 to support repairs to the fabric of their buildings such as roof repairs, masonry repairs, rainwaters disposal and drainage and floorwork.
For more information visit www.wolfson.org.uk/
More information about the church:
Church website: www.horninghold.org.uk
