St Marys Church in Withersfield, near Haverhill receives vital £10,000 grant at National Church Awards

A village church came away from the National Church Awards with £10,000 to help it complete some ‘urgent repairs’.

The Awards – referred to as the ‘BAFTAs for churches’ – revealed the 15 UK winners and the UK Church of the Year in a prestigious ceremony held on October 22, in the ancient Chapter House of Lincoln Cathedral.

St Mary’s Church in Withersfield, just outside Haverhill, took to the stage to pick up the Friends Award and a £10,000 grant, chosen by supporters (Friends) of the National Churches Trust from five nominated churches.

The Friends Award goes to a church the National Churches Trust has recently funded, but that still needs funds to complete their urgent repairs or facilities project.

Nominated churches provided a film about their project to help the Friends decide who to vote for.

St Mary’s film was presented by it’s vicar, the Reverend Max Drinkwater.

In the video, Revd Drinkwater said: “We used to let people up in the tower to view the historic windlass, the clock mechanism, which has recently been restored in commemoration of the Platinum Jubilee of her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, and the bells that are above us, but we’re not able to let visitors up here anymore because of the deteriorating nature of the stoneworks, which is in need of urgent repair.”

The awards were co-presented by the new Dean of Lincoln, Very Revd Dr Simon Jones, and Canon Ann Easter, former Chaplain to Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

At the ceremony, Henry Stanford, treasurer of the National Churches Trust, presented the award to St Mary’s and explained why the grant would be so useful to them: “This year’s winner is the only accessible space in the community and is located near to an ancient crossroads.

“It dates back to the 13th century, yet only the door handle, featuring two dragons, survives from this era.

“St Mary is known for its bench ends, which feature quirky figures. But there’s a hole in the tower that needs filling, as well urgent stonework repairs.

“Inside the tower are bells and a historic windlass, which is at risk if the tower is not repaired soon.”

Speaking at the ceremony, Rev’d Drinkwater said: “Thank you to the Friends of the National Churches Trust for recognising the importance of heritage and community at St Mary’s, Withersfield.

“This award will help us to carry out important repair work to the tower, which will enable the church to be a place of peace, pilgrimage and prayer for generations to come.”

Around 200 churches were nominated this year, from which a judging panel selected the 55 finalists and 15 winners across five categories, with several awards reserved for churches in the four home nations.

Back in August churches were invited to nominate their buildings for achievements in conservation, tourism and volunteer work.

Nominations were welcomed from churches, chapels and meeting houses across the UK, which are currently open for worship, with all denominations invited to take part.

Two new award categories were introduced this year: the Lifetime Achievement Award and the Lord Cormack Award for Public Service.