St Helen's Receives Grant from the National Churches Trust
We are delighted to announce that St Helen's church is to receive a grant of £10,000 from the National Churches Trust to help fund the installation of a toilet and kitchen.
The following is the Press Release announcing the award as part of the Trust's
Christmas 2019 Funding Boost for the UK's historic churches.
DATE 11 December 2019
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
South East
St Helen church, St Helens, Seaview, Isle of Wight PO34 5EF
Church of England - Diocese of Portsmouth
Grade II
Website: www.havenchurches.org.uk
Christmas funding boost for
St Helen’s church, St Helens
A much-loved Isle of Wight church is to share in a £520,000 funding payout from the National Churches Trust.
A £10,000 National Churches Trust Cornerstone Grant will help fund the installation of a toilet and kitchen at the Grade II listed St Helen’s church, St Helens, making the church better able to serve its community.
Broadcaster and journalist Huw Edwards, Vice President of The National Churches Trust, said: “The UK's historic churches and chapels are a vital part of our national heritage. But to survive, many need to carry out urgent repairs and install modern facilities. The cost of this work is far beyond what most congregations can pay for themselves.”
“I’m delighted that the St Helen church is being helped with a £10,000 National Churches Trust Cornerstone Grant. The work on the facilities inside the church will help the church do so much more to help local people.”
63 churches and chapels in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will benefit from the latest grants from the National Churches Trust, the charity supporting church buildings of all Christian denominations across the UK.
In 2019, the Trust distributed over £1.2 million to help churches and chapels tackle urgent repairs, maintenance work and install modern facilities such as kitchens and toilets.
A wide range of grants from the National Churches Trust will be available to help places of worship in 2020 and full details can be found at nationalchurchestrust.org/grants
The church
The church dates from 1717 and was extensively rebuilt in 1830. It features some fine examples of stained glass windows, including the three-light east window of 1862 by William Wailes, one of England's most accomplished and visionary stained glass manufacturers, which shows the Nativity, Crucifixion and Ascension.
St Helen’s also features a memorial to Edward Grose (1815) who died at the battle of Waterloo.
The project
The project at St Helen’s church will help to fund the installation of a much needed toilet and kitchen.
Rose Gillett, churchwarden at St Helen’s Church said:
“This wonderful news comes in the 300th year since the consecration of St Helen’s church and is a really lovely birthday present! This is a real boost to our fundraising efforts and will go a long way in helping us to bring our lovely old church into the 21st Century. The addition of a kitchen and toilet will make such a difference to our community and we are truly grateful to the National Churches Trust for their support.”
ENDS
About the National Churches Trust
The National Churches Trust is the leading national independent charity concerned with the protection and welfare of churches, chapels and meeting houses throughout the United Kingdom. We aim to:
a) Provide grants for the repair, maintenance and modernisation of church buildings
b) Act as a catalyst to improve and bring more resources to the management of church buildings
c) Promote the value of church buildings to the community at large
For more information visit nationalchurchestrust.org
PRESS CONTACT
Eddie Tulasiewicz; 07742 932278 020 7227 1936
eddie@nationalchurchestrust.org
