SAINT Laurence Church has been boosted by a £113,700 Heritage Lottery Fund grant to help repair the fabric of the building.
The church boasts some extremely fine stained glass windows, some of which were designed and made by famous glass artists and containing unique features.
However, 160 years of summers and winters, heat and cold, wind and rain had taken their toll on the structure of these windows.
Pieces of glass have fallen out and many of the windows are no longer weather-tight.
Meanwhile the stonework surrounding of some windows have crumbled.
Thanks to tremendous support from the community a major fund-raising effort had raised £192,022 to fund the repairs needed.
However now, thanks to the grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund the target has been reached and the work can start.
It means that thanks to National Lottery players, repairing the windows and associated stonework will not only preserve the heritage and make the building more weather-tight but will also make it cosier to use.
A church spokesman said: “Thanks to the support of our congregation, our local community, friends of St Laurence both past and present and the Heritage Lottery Fund we are able to embark on the necessary repair and conservation work.
“It’s great to know that we are a step closer to preserving the heritage for future generations.”
Vanessa Harbar, Head of Heritage Lottery Fund West Midlands, said: “We have been delighted to support St Laurence Church to carry out urgent repairs and engage new audiences with this much-loved local landmark.
“Thank you to the National Lottery players who have made it possible.”
