A BELOVED church in a South Oxfordshire village will get share in a near half a million funding payout from the National Churches Trust.

St Michael and All Angels' Church in Clifton Hampden, near Abingdon, will receive a grant of £10,000 to fund a project to fix its roof.

The money will help recover the stone slate roofs at the Grade II listed building, making it watertight and preserving its historic fabric.

It will also allow the church, which is described as an 'architectural gem' to carry out minor stonework repairs and repaint.

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A storm in February last year caused further damage to the building's roof and more fallen or cracked slates can be seen every week, so the work is now urgent and a priority for the church congregation.

Christopher Purvis, church warden at St Michael and All Angels, commented on what the grant means for its future: "Small churches such as ours face considerable challenges in maintaining the fabric.

"The support of the National Churches Trust is of the greatest importance in terms of both the valuable funding received and the encouragement and advice given."

Such grants are available to projects at churches, chapels and meeting houses and applications can be made by Christian places of worship in the UK that are open for regular worship.

From repairing a roof to helping to install an accessible toilet – and many other projects – the National Churches Trust’s helps keep churches open for worship and community activities.

Speaking about the grant Huw Edwards, vice president of The National Churches Trust, commented: "The UK's historic churches and chapels are a vital part of our national heritage and have done so much to help local people during the Covid-19 lockdown.

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"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.

"So I am delighted that St Michael and All Angels in Clifton Hampden is being helped with a £10,000 grant."

Mr Edwards added that pile of cash is an 'early Christmas present' for the historic church, which will help secure its future.

The church of St Michael and All Angels has a long history stretching back to Saxon times and it is considered an architectural gem.

It also has a 'theatrical quality' standing on its cliff overlooking the River Thames.

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It is likely that there was a building on the site of the present church in Saxon times.

A total of 45 churches and chapels in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will benefit from the latest grants from the National Churches Trust.

The national independent charity fundraises to support church buildings of all Christian denominations across the UK.

Last year was the third-round of grants made and the trust revealed that applications can now be made for this year.

In 2020, the trust awarded 260 grants totalling £1,723,000, including recommendations on behalf of other funders with £200,000 of the funding provided by the Wolfson Foundation.