Eaton church restoration secures £250,000 National Lottery grant

A village church dating back to the 12th Century has secured a major grant to help safeguard its future.

St Denys Church in Eaton, near Grantham, has been awarded £250,000 by The National Lottery Heritage Fund towards a £390,000 restoration project.

The funding will allow urgent repairs to begin on the Grade I listed ironstone church, which has suffered erosion from cement pointing used in the past.

Particularly affected are the church’s tower, spire and South East corner.

Restoration work will help secure the structure and aims to remove it from the Historic England ‘At Risk’ register.

The wider Eaton InSpired project also includes installing an accessible toilet and baby changing facilities, boosting biodiversity through swift boxes, and uncovering more of the village’s history, including its ironstone heritage.

Reverend Sue Bradley, project lead, said: “This grant makes all the difference to securing our beautiful historic church for the future.

“We are delighted that The National Lottery Heritage Fund have agreed to support us so generously.”

The funding was announced during a VE80 afternoon tea event held at the church on Monday.

With £250,000 now secured, the church is seeking to raise a further £75,000 to complete the scheme.