Dozens of Bucks churches get share of £42m Government grant

Dozens of Bucks churches have been given more than £250,000 in government funding to help conserve their heritage.

From tiny parishes to city churches, some have been given up to £28,000 to help fix roofs, windows, kitchens, add new lighting and more.

The places of worship received a share of £42 million under the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s listed places of worship grant scheme.

St Mary Magdalene, Latimer near Amersham was given £1,287.30 in 2023 and thousands of pounds over the last few years.

The Victorian church, led by Reverend Dr Brian Ludlow, said it would spend the cash on structural repairs.

It said: “St Mary Magdalene, Latimer has received over £6,500 in the last three years from the listed places of worship grant scheme, which has helped us fund, externally, repairs to our roof, tower and spire and, internally, work on the church’s floor and wall panelling and, most recently, improved lighting.

“The ability to reclaim the VAT has enabled us to spend our resources more effectively. In 2024 the scheme will allow us to redecorate the whole interior in one go rather than piecemeal over a longer period.”

Hughenden Parish Church – where former Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli is buried – received one of the largest grants with more than £16,000.

Several other High Wycombe churches also received money, including St Paul’s Wooburn, All Saints Parish Church, the Ecclesiastical Parish Church of St Peters, Loudwater and the Trinity United Reformed Church.

Other recipients included St Mary Magdalene Church Shabbington, the Church of St Peter Catholic Church in Marlow, the Parish Church of St Margaret of Antioch in Iver Heath and the Parish Church of St John the Evangelist in Lacey Green, Princes Risborough.

There were also several churches given money in north Bucks, including the Church of St Laurence in Winslow and many in Buckingham, including St John the Baptist Church, Granborough.

More than a dozen Milton Keynes churches received restoration grants, including St Mary’s Church, Haversham, which got more than £28,000.

The government’s arts and heritage minister Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay said: “The listed places of worship scheme supports these precious buildings, which are cherished by people of all faiths and none.

“With nearly 5,000 supported over the past year alone, I’m glad to see the difference it has made to visitors, worshippers, and the people who look after them for the benefit of future generations.”