£120k grant secured to repair church

St John the Evangelist church on Dewsbury Moor will have its roof, ceiling and guttering restored with cash from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The £119,000 Eagles Wings project will see the 193-year-old church on Boothroyd Lane refurbished in time for Christmas.

Rev Kathy Robertson said: “We’re delighted that the Heritage Lottery Fund has given us this support.

“The church has given Dewsbury Moor a place for worship, entertainment, meetings and group activities for the past 200 years, and it’s great to know that we are a step closer to preserving it for many years to come.”

Sunday services will be held as normal during the refurbishment at St John’s, which was built after Napoleon’s defeat at the Battle of Waterloo.

As part of the project, historians will be invited to give guided tours at the church and a leaflet about the history of St John’s will be printed.

The Heritage Lottery Fund has awarded more than £7.1bn to more than 40,000 regeneration projects around the country since 1994.

Fiona Spiers, head of Heritage Lottery Fund Yorkshire and the Humber, said: “Places of worship have been the focal point of community life for hundreds of years.

“This project will start to rejuvenate a much loved building, securing its place in the heart of the community and safeguarding it for future generations.”