Delighted to announce St Bartholomew’s #Meltham has won Heritage Lottery Fund Initial Support for new roof. Development funding of £11,100 awarded. The church will have to raise over £6500 as their contribution for the development phase to progress plans to apply for a full grant at a later date.

New roof for church listed building

A new roof to preserve the heritage and artefacts of St. Bartholomew’s Church, Meltham has received initial support* from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).  This was announced today.  Thanks to National Lottery players the project aims to completely re-roof the church and improve access to the roof void, monitoring of roof timbers and insulation.  The roof has withstood 230 years of weathering and subsequent deterioration with patchwork attention only when frequent leaks have occurred.  Buckets to catch rainwater in the roof space and in the church have been an unwelcome feature within the building.  Development funding of £11,100 has been awarded to help St. Bartholomew’s Church progress their plans to apply for a full grant at a later date.  The church will have to raise over £6.500 as their contribution for this development phase.
Work on this support phase is due to start straight away and will be completed during December.  This work includes structural and timber reports, preparation of drawings and specifications, tender documents and consents.  Having been awarded this development funding the church has up to 2 years to submit fully developed proposals to compete for a firm award.
The church is already used for community activities other than religious services and this will continue and will be more widely available. Five concerts by the local brass band, choirs and musical groups are held every year.  A Pre-school Mum & Tots Group meets one morning a week in the narthex.  Primary school and uniformed youth group visits also occur with the school having their Christmas Concerts in church. As part of the Meltham Christmas Lights switch-on, the church is open for refreshments and for the community to get together.  A coffee morning is held every Friday and a local community choir practices 3 out of 4 Tuesday evenings a month in the church.  Art exhibitions have been held biennially over 4 days.  In August a Heritage Weekend was held over 4 days and a lot of memorabilia of local life was on display in the church which is open every day to the public.
The church is a focal point for community activity.  The first church on the site was built in 1651 at the time when Oliver Cromwell ruled.  Little of this remains except for date tablets in the church.  The present church was built in 1786 with additions in the mid-19th century.  It is a grade II listed building.
Pat Maxfield, the Mayor of Meltham Town Council said: “We are delighted that HLF has given St. Bartholomew’s Church this support, which in turn benefits the whole community.  It is widely used for activities, concerts and events and not merely for religious worship.”
Dr Fiona Spiers, Head of Heritage Lottery Fund, Yorkshire and Humber, said: “There is a place of worship in almost every ward, village and town across the Yorkshire and Humber region, providing a very powerful visual connection with our past. This award to St Bartholomew’s Church in Meltham will ensure essential repairs are carried out, and the local community are able to get involved and learn about the stories and heritage of the building, helping to create a sustainable future for the church.”

Notes to editors
*A first-round pass means the project meets HLF criteria for funding and HLF believes the project has potential to deliver high-quality benefits and value for Lottery money. The application was in competition with other supportable projects, so a first-round pass is an endorsement of outline proposals. Having been awarded a first-round pass, the project now has up to two years to submit fully developed proposals to compete for a firm award.
On occasion, an applicant with a first-round pass will also be awarded development funding towards the development of their scheme.
About the Heritage Lottery Fund:
Thanks to National Lottery players, we invest money to help people across the UK explore, enjoy and protect the heritage they care about – from the archaeology under our feet to the historic parks and buildings we love, from precious memories and collections to rare wildlife. www.hlf.org.uk @heritagelottery @HLFYandH