The new lights are on at All Saints’ Church in Oakham

After 10 weeks of being closed to worshippers, a town’s main church has a glowing new look.

About £100,000 has been spent on new interior lighting at All Saints’ Church, Oakham, where parishioners had been struggling in the gloom to read hymnbooks or admire the painted ceilings.

And on Sunday (March 16) the Bishop of Lichfield, the Right Reverend Michael Ipgrave, who was a curate of All Saints Oakham 1982 to 1985, led a service of celebration to mark the success of the project.

At 7pm on Thursday of this week (March 20), there will be music from Suzie Langton and refreshments in the Grade I listed church for those who would like to experience the lighting on a dark, winter’s evening.

The lighting work has been paid for by fundraising events and grants, with fundraising concerts helping to meet the £115,000 total cost. A substantial grant from Rutland Historic Church Preservation Trust made the project possible.

Now in place, the energy efficient lighting will help the church be used for a wider variety of services, concerts and community events, as well as showing off the 14th Century architecture.