Churches given £2.4m for repairs

The roof is leaking at St Laurence's Church

About £2.4m in grants is being given to 28 churches in the West Midlands region to help pay for repairs.

The cash is to be spent on fixing problems such as leaky roofs and crumbling spires on buildings dating back hundreds of years.

The single biggest grant is for the Church of St Laurence in Meriden, West Midlands, which gets £351,000.

English Heritage (EH) and the Heritage Lottery Fund are providing the cash for Grade I and Grade II listed buildings.

The Meriden church, of Norman origin, is being given money to repair it 15th Century nave roof of oak timbers.

The future of St Laurence's is in safe hands Tim Johnston, English Heritage

A local group, the Meriden Heritage Church Restoration Scheme, has tried to raise funds for repairs but English Heritage said the "building is now desperately in need of help".

Tim Johnston, a director at EH, said he was optimistic about St Laurence's future.

"A small group of people have come together to safeguard the future of this outstanding building, a defining feature of Meriden's heritage.

"Thanks to this grant - one of the largest we have ever offered - and the fund-raising efforts of the Meriden community, the future of St Laurence's is in safe hands."

Crumbling stonework

Six-figure sums were given to eight other churches in the region, including St John the Baptist in Kings Caple, Herefordshire, a Grade I rural parish church dating back to the 13th and 14th Centuries.

It is the first time the church, which is built from sandstone coursed rubble, has been given a grant.

In Shrewsbury, £160,000 has been given to St Alkmund's Church for urgent repairs to a leaky roof.

A further £160,000 has been given to St Thomas's Church in Butterton, Staffordshire, for masonry repairs while stonework is also the problem at the Church of St Margaret, Wolston, Warwickshire, which has been given £90,000.

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The churches to receive grants in the West Midlands are:

Herefordshire
• St John the Baptist, Kings Caple (£105,000)
• St Andrew, Leinthall Earls (£66,000)
• St Bartholomew, Much Marcle (£101,000)
• St Nicholas, Norton Canon (£88,000)
• St Margaret, Wellington (£84,000)

Shropshire

• St Mary the Virgin, Alveley (£106,000)
• St James, Greete (£40,000)
• St Michael the Archangel, Llanyblodwel (£82,000)
• St Mary, Sherriffhales (£56,000)
• St Alkmund, Shrewsbury (£160,000)
• St Mary the Virgin, Whitton (£57,000)

Staffordshire

• Holy Cross, Bobbington (£48,000)
• St Thomas, Butterton (£160,000)
• All Saints, Forton (£18,000)
• All Saints, Standon (£113,000)

Warwickshire

• St Mary the Virgin, Astley (£67,000)
• St Peter, Coughton (£66,000)
• St John the Baptist, Wappenbury (£44,00)
• St Margaret, Wolston (£90,000)

Worcestershire

• St Peter, Astley (£36,000)
• St Michael and All Angels, Cofton Hackett (£18,000)
• St Mary and St Milburgh, Offenham (£27,000)
• St Peter and St Paul, Rock (£17,000)
• St Michael and All Angels, Tenbury Wells (£132,000)

West Midlands

• St Peter and St Paul, Aston (£46,000)
• St Laurence, Meriden (£351,000)
• St Thomas, Stourbridge (£65,000)
• Bishop Latimer Untied Church, Winson Green (£156,000)