AN HISTORIC Oxenhope church is to receive a £37,500 Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) grant.

The money for St Mary the Virgin Church, in Hebden Bridge Road, will support a project to undertake much needed restoration to the church tower walls.

The scheme is costing £120,000 and the announcement of the latest funding will allow custodians of the Grade II listed property to complete the work.

St Mary’s Oxenhope vicar, the Rev Nigel Wright, welcomed the grant.

He said: “We are delighted with the news.

“We have found the help and assistance provided by the Heritage Lottery Fund throughout the planning of this project to be invaluable.

“We are grateful to all our financial contributors and the congregational community of St Mary’s, who have contributed some £30,000 to the project as a whole.”

Fiona Spiers, head of HLF Yorkshire and Humber, explained the importance of the HLF support.

She said: “There is a place of worship in almost every ward, village and town across the Yorkshire and Humber region.

“They provide a very powerful visual connection with our past.

“This award to St Mary’s Oxenhope will help secure the immediate future of the church.

“It will enable the continued use of the church within the community and allow people to learn more about the stories and heritage of the building.”

The restoration includes re-pointing of the church tower, inside and out.

And plastering of internal walls is being carried out using methods and materials in keeping with the building’s heritage.

The rooms in the tower are well used by the local community.

Church custodians say the renovation will significantly improve the environment for people who make use of the property.

They add that once the restoration is complete, there will be a programme of educational lectures and other activities to celebrate the re-opening of the tower.

The church’s history includes a link to the world famous Bronte family.

In 1845, the Rev Patrick Bronte, father of the famous novelist sisters Charlotte, Anne and Emily, and their brother Branwell, appointed the then curate, the Rev Joseph Brett Grant, to take charge of the newly formed ecclesiastical district.

That district is now known as Oxenhope village parish.

The Rev Grant began holding services in a nearby wool combing shop.

Within a year he had raised enough money to build a day school, which served as a Sunday school and church.

He collected money for a purpose-built new church.

His efforts were rewarded in February, 1849, when the foundation stone for St Mary’s was laid.

The church was built from millstone grit with stone and natural slate roofs.

The square west end tower is 44 feet high and houses two levels of meeting rooms, which were added in 1991.

The HLF says it welcomes applications for funding for other groups and organisations.

It offers a range of grants programmes, with awards ranging from £3,000 to over £5 million.

“In assessing applications we take account of the outcomes for heritage, people and communities that projects will achieve,” said a spokesman.

“People can apply for a grant under £100,000 at any time, but there are deadlines for all other applications and these vary depending on several factors such as how much is sought.”

Visit hlf.org.uk for more details.